NOTES, 

I VV AorlliNlji l win, u 

Ess t^jse ■ ■ ■■ ■ i ■■■■ 

EXPLANATORY AND PRACTICAL, 



BOOK OF REYELATION 



B Y 

ALBERT BARNES. 



NEW YORK: 

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 
NOS. 329 AND 331 PEARL STREET, 

FRANKLIN SQUARE 
1 8 60. 



:e5 ^>34\ 

I8G0 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by 

ALBERT UARNES. 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for flic- 
Eastern District ol Pennsylvania. 



Judge and Mrs. ?saac ft. HHS 
Nov. 17, 1931 



/ J p 



PREFACE. 



When I began the preparation of these ' Notes ' on the New Teste- 
inent, now more than twenty years ago, I did not design to extend the 
work beyond the Gospels, and contemplated only simple and brief 
explanations of that portion of the New Testament, for the nse of Sun- 
day-school teachers and Bible classes. The work originated in the 
belief that Notes of that character were greatly needed, and that the 
older commentaries, having been written for a different purpose, and 
being, on account of their size and expense, beyond the reach of most 
teachers of Sunday-schools, did not meet the demand which had grown 
up from the establishment of such schools. These Notes, contrary 
to my original plan and expectation, have been extended to eleven 
\ les, and embrace the whole of the New Testament, 
ring, at the time when these Notes were commenced, as I have 
had since, the charge of a large congregation, I had no leisure that 
old properly devote to these . studies, except the early hours of the 
morning, and I adopted the resolution — a resolution which has since 
been invariably adhered to — to cease writing precisely at nine o'clock 
in the morning. The habit of writing in this manner, once formed, was 
easily continued, and having been thus continued, I find myself at the 
end of the New Testament. Perhaps this personal allusion would not 
be proper, except to show that I have not intended, in these literary 
labors, to infriu^e on tbe proper duties of the pastoral office, or to take 
time for these parsuiis on which there was a claim for other purposes. 
This allusion may perhaps also be of use to my younger brethren in the 
ministry, by showing them that much may be accomplished by the 
habit of early rising, and by a diligent use of the early morning hours. 
In my own case, these Notes on the New Testament, and also the Notes 
on the books of Isaiah, Job, and Daniel, extending in all to sixteen 
volumes, have all been written before nine o'clock in the morning, and 
wre the fruit of the habit of rising between four and five o'clock. T do 

Ciii) 



iv 



PREFACE. 



not know that by this practice I have neglected any duty which I 
should otherwise have performed, and on the score of health, and, I 
may add, of profit in the contemplation of a portion of divine truth at 
the beginning of each day, the habit has been of inestimable advantage 
to me. 

It was not my original intention to prepare Notes on the book of 
Revelation, nor did I entertain the design of doing it until I came up to 
it in the regular course of my studies. Having written on all the other 
portions of the New Testament, there remained only this book to com- 
plete an entire commentary on this part of the Bible. That I have 
endeavored to explain the book at all is to be traced to the habit which 
[ had formed of spending the early hours of the day in the study of 
fue Sacred Scriptuies. That habit, continued, has carried me forward 
until I have reached the end of the New Testament. 

It may be of some use to those who peruse this volume, and it is 
proper in itself, that I should make a brief statement of the manner in 
which I have prepared these Notes, and of the method of interpretation 
on which I have proceeded ; — fur the result which has been reached has 
not been the effect of any preconceived theory or plan, and if in the 
result I coincide in any degree with the common method of interpreting 
the volume, the fact may be regarded as the testimony of another wit- 
ness — however ur. Important the testimony may be in itself — to the 
correctness of that method of interpretation. 

Up to the time of commencing the exposition of this book, I had 
tio theory in my own mind as to its meaning. I may add, that I had a 
prevailing belief that it could not be explained, and that all attempts to 
explain it must be visionary and futile. With the exception of the work 
of the Rev. George Croly,* which I read more than twenty years ago, 
and which I had never desired to read again, I had perused no com- 
mentary on this book until that of Professor Stuart was published, in 
1845. In my regular reading of the Bible in the family and in private, 
I had perused the book often. I read it, as I suppose most others do, 
from a sense of duty, yet admiring the beauty of its imagery, the sub- 
limity of its descriptions, and its high poetic character ; and though to 
me wholly unintelligible in the main, finding so many striking detached 
passages that were intelligible and practical in their nature, as to make 

* The Apocalypse of St. John, or prophecy of the rise, progress, and fall of the 
itmrch of Rome ; the inquisition ; the revolution in France ; a universal war, 
and the final triumph of Christianity ; being a new interpretation, by the Rev. 
George Croly, A. M. H. R. S. L. 



PREFACE. 



V 



it on the whole attractive and profitable, but with no definitely-formed 
idea as to its meaning as a whole, and with a vague general feeling that 
all the interpretations which had been proposed were wild, fanciful, and 
visionary. 

In this state of things, the utmost that I contemplated when I began 
to write on it, was, to explain, as well as I could, the meaning of the 
language and the symbols, without attempting to apply the explanation 
to the events of past history, or to inquire what is to occur hereafter. 
I supposed that I might venture to do this without encountering the 
danger of adding another vain attempt to explain a book so full of mys- 
teries, or of propounding a theory of interpretation to be set aside, per- 
haps, by the next person that should prepare a commentary on the book. 
♦ Beginning with this aim, I found myself soon insensibly inquiring 
whether, in the events which succeeded the time when the book was 
written, there were not historical facts of which the emblems employed 
would be natural and proper symbols on the supposition that it was 
the divine intention in disclosing these visions to refer to them, and 
whether, therefore, there might not be a natural and proper application 
of the symbols to these events. In this way, I examined the language 
used in reference to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth seals, 
with no anticipation or plan in examining one as to what would be 
disclosed under the next seal, and in this way also I examined ulti- 
mately the whole book: proceeding step by step in ascertaining the 
meaning of each word and symbol as it occurred, but with no theo- 
retic anticipation as to what was to follow. To my own surprise, I 
found, chiefly in Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Koman Empire, a 
series of events recorded such as seemed to me to correspond to a great 
extent with the series of symbols found in the Apocalypse. The sym- 
bols were such as it might be supposed would be used, on the supposition 
that they were intended to refer to these events, and the language of 
Mr. Gibbon was often such as he would have used, on the supposition 
that he had designed to prepare a commentary on the symbols employed 
by J ohn. It was such, in fact, that, if it had been found in a Chris 
tian writer, professedly writing a commentary on the book of Keve- 
lation, it would have been regarded by infidels as a designed attempt 
to force history to utter a language that should conform to a pre- 
determined theory in expounding a book full of symbols. So remarka- 
ble have these coincidences appeared to me in the course of this expo- 
sition, that it has almost seemed as if he had designed to write a com 
mentary on some portion of this book, and I have found it difficult to 



vi 



PREFACE. 



doubt that that distinguished historian was raised up by an ov jrruling 
Providence tu make a record of those events which would ever after- 
wards be regarded as an impartial and unprejudiced statement of the 
evidences of the fulfilment of prophecy. The Historian of the ' Decline 
and Fall of the Roman Empire' had no belief in the divine origin of 
Christianity, but he brought to the performance of his work learning 
and talent such as few Christian scholars have possessed. He is always 
patient in his investigations ; learned and scholarlike in his references ; 
comprehensive in his groupings, and sufficiently minute in his details ; 
unbiassed in his statements of facts, and usually cool and candid in his 
estimates of the causes of the events which he records ; and, excepting 
his philosophical speculations, and his sneers at every thing, he has 
probably written the most candid and impartial history of the times 
.Jiat succeeded the introduction of Christianity, that the world possesses, 
and even after all that has been written since his time, his work con- 
tains the best ecclesiastical history that is to be found. Whatever use 
of it can be made in explaining and confirming the prophecies, will be 
regarded by the world as impartial and fair ; for it was a result which he 
least of all contemplated, that he would ever be regarded as an ex- 
pounder of the prophecies in the Bible, o^ be referred to as vindicating 
their truth. 

It was in this manner that these Notes on the book of Revelatior 
assumed the form in which they are now given to the world ; and it 
surprises me, and, under this view of the matter, may occasion some 
surprise to my readers, to find how nearly the views coincide with those 
taken by the great body of Protestant interpreters. And perhaps this 
fact may be regarded as furnishing some evidence that, after all the 
obscurity attending it, there is a natural and obvious interpretation of 
which the book is susceptible. Whatever may be the value or the cor- 
rectness of the views expressed in this volume, the work is the result 
of no previously-formed theory. That it will be satisfactory to all, I 
have no reason to expect ; that it may be useful to some, I would hope ; 
that it may be regarded by many as only adding another vain and 
futile effort to explain a book which defies all attempts to elucidate its 
meaning, I have too much reason, judging from the labors of those who 
have gone before me, to fear. But, as it is, I commit it to the judgment 
of a candid Christian public, and to the blessing of Him who alone can 
make any attempt to explain his word a means of diffusing the know- 
ledge of truth. 

I cannot conceal the fact that I dismiss it, and send it forth to tho 



PREFACE. 



V1X 



world, as the last volume on the New Testament, with deep emotion. 
After more than twenty years of study on the New Testament, I am 
reminded that I am no longer a young man ; and that, as I close this 
work, so all my work on earth must at no distant period be ended. I 
am sensible that he incurs no slight responsibility who publishes a 
commentary on the Bible ; and I especially feel this now in view of the 
fact — so unexpected to me when I began these labors — that I have 
been permitted in our own country to send forth more than two hun- 
dred and fifty thousand volumes of commentary on the New Testa- 
ment, and that probably a greater number has been published abroad. 
That there are many imperfections in these Notes, no one can feel more 
sensibly than I do ; but the views which I have expressed are those 
which seem to me to be in accordance with the Bible, and I send the 
last volume forth with the deep conviction that these volumes contain 
the truth as God has revealed it, and as he will bless it to the extension 
of his church in the world. I have no apprehension that the senti- 
ments which I have expressed will corrupt the morals, or destroy the 
peace, or ruin the souls of those who may read these volumes ; and I 
trust that they may do something to diffuse abroad a correct knowledge 
of that blessed gospel on which the interests of the church, the welfare 
of our country, and the happiness of the world, depend. In language 
which I substantially used in publishing the revised edition of the 
volumes on the Gospels, (Preface to the Seventeenth Edition, 1840,) I 
can now say, * I cannot be insensible to the fact that, in the form in which 
these volumes now go forth to the public, I may continue, though dead, 
to speak to the living ; and that the work may be exerting an influence 
on immortal minds when I am in the eternal world. I need not say that, 
while I am sensitive to this consideration, I earnestly desire it. There 
are no sentiments in these volumes which I wish to alter; none that I 
do not believe to be truths that will abide the investigations of the 
great day; none of which I am ashamed. That I may be in error, I 
know ; that a better work than this might be prepared by a more gifted 
mind, and a purer heart, I know. But the truths here set forth are, I 
am persuaded, those which are destined to abide, and to be the means 
of saving millions of souls, and ultimately of converting this whole 
world to God. That these volumes may have a part in this great work 
is my earnest prayer; and with many thanks to the public for their 
favors, and to God, the great source of all blessing, I send them forth, 
committing them to His care, and leaving them to live or die, to be 
remembered or forgotten, to be used by the present generation and the 



vid 



PREFACE. 



next, or to be superseded by other works, as shall be in accordance 
with his will, and as he shall see to be for his glory/ 



ALBERT BARNES. 



Washington Square, 
Philadelphia, March 26, 1851. 



The works which I have had most constantly before me, and from 
which I have derived most aid in the preparation of these Notes, are 
the following. They are enumerated here, as some of them are fre- 
quently quoted, to save the necessity of a frequent reference to the 
Editions in the Notes. 

A Commentary on the Apocalypse, by Moses Stuart, Professor of 
Sacred Literature in the Theological Seminary at Andover, Mass. An- 
dover, 1845. 

Horae Apocalypticse ; or, a Commentary on the Apocalypse, Critical 
and Historical. By the Rev. E. B. Elliott, A. M. Late Vicar of Tux- 
ford, and Fellow of Trinity College. Third Edition. London, 1847. 

The works of Nathaniel Lardner, D. D. In ten volumes. London, 
1829. 

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. By Ed- 
ward Gibbon, Esq. Fifth American, from the last London edition. 
Complete in four volumes. New York, J. and J. Harper, 1829. 

History of Europe. By Archibald Alison, F. R. S. E. New York, 
Harper & Brothers, 1843. 

An Exposition of the Apocalypse. By David N. Lord. Harper & 
Brothers, 1847. 

Hyponoia; or, Thoughts on a Spiritual understanding of the Apoca- 
lypse, a Book of Revelation. New York, Leavitt, Trow & Co., 1844. 

The Family Expositor. By Philip Doddridge, D. D. London, 1831. 

Ava,xpKH$v Apocalypsios Joannis Apostoli, etc. Auctore Campegio 
Vitringa, Theol. et Hist. Professore. Amsterdam, 1629. 

Kurtzgefasstes exegetisches Handbuch zum Neuen Testament. Von 
Dr. W. M. L. De Wette. Leipzig, 1847. 

Rosenmuller Scholia in Novum Testamentum. 

Dissertations on the Opening of the Sealed Book. Montreal, 1848. 

Two New Arguments in vindication of the Genuineness and Authen- 
ticity of the Revelation of St. John. By John Colly er, Knight. Lon« 
don, 1842. 



PREFACE. 



The Seventh Yial, being an Exposition of the Apocalypse, and in 
particular of the pouring out of the Seventh Vial, with special reference 
to the present Kevolution in Europe. London, 1848. 

Die Offenbarung des Heiligen Joannes. Yon G. W. Hengstenberg. 
Berlin, 1850. 

The Works of the Kev. Andrew Fuller. New Haven, 1825. 
Novum Testamentum. Editio Koppiana, 1821. 
Dissertation on the Prophecies. By Thomas Newton, D. D. London, 
1832. 

The Apocalypse of St. John. By the Rev. George Croly, A. M. 
Philadelphia, 1827. 

The Signs of the Times, as denoted by the fulfilment of Historical 
Predictions, from the Babylonian Captivity to the present time. By 
Alexander Keith, D. D. Eighth edition. Edinburgh, 1847. 

Christ's Second Coming : will it be pre-millennial? By the Rev. David 
Brown, A. M., St. James' Free church, Glascow. New York, 1851. 

Apocalyptical Key. An extraordinary discourse on the Rise and Fall 
of the Papacy. By Robert Fleming, V. D. M. New York, American 
Protestant Society. 

A Treatise on the Millennium. By George Bush, A. M. New York, 
1832. 

A Key to the Book of Revelation. By James McDonald, Minister 
of the Presbyterian Church, Jamaica, L. I. Second Edition. New 
London, 1848. 

Das alte und neue Morgenland. Rosenmiiller. Leipzig, 1820. 

The Season and Time; or, an exposition of the Prophecies whicl 
relate to the two periods subsequent to the 1200 years now recently 
expired, being the time of the Seventh Trumpet, &c. By W. Ettrick, 
A. M. London, 1816. 

Einleitung in das Neue Testament, von J ohann Gottfried Eichhorn 
Leipzig, 1811. 

For a very full view of the History of the interpretation of the Apo- 
calypse, and of the works that have been written on it, the reader is 
referred to Elliott's Horse Apocalypticae, vol. iv., pp. 307-487, 
Prof. Stuart, vol. i., pp. 450-475. 



INTRODUCTION. 



§ 1. The Writer of the Booh of Revelation. 

Much has been written on the question who was the author of this book. To 
enter into an extended investigation of this, would greatly exceed the limits which 
I have, and would not comport with my design in these Notes. For a full exami- 
nation of the question, I must refer to others, and would mention particularly, 
Prof. Stuart, Com. i. 283-427; Lardner, Works, vi. 318-327; Hug. Intro, to the 
New Testament, pp. 650-673, Andover, 1836; Michaelis' Introduction to the New 
Testament, iv. 457-544; and the article Revelation, in Kitto's Cyclopedia of Bibli- 
cal Literature. I propose to exhibit, briefly, the evidence that the apostle John 
was the author, according to the opinion which has been commonly entertained 
in the church ; — the proof of which seems to me to be satisfactory. This may be 
considered under these divisions : — the direct historical evidence ; and the insuffi- 
ciency of the reason for doubting it. 

I. The direct historical evidence. The sum of all that is to be said on this 
point is, that to the latter half of the third century, it was not doubted that the 
apostle John was the author. "Why it was ever afterwards doubted, and what is 
the force and value of the doubt, will be considered in another part of this 
Introduction. 

There may be some convenience in dividing the early historical testimony into 
three periods of half a century each, extending from the death of John, about 
A. D. 98, to the middle of the third century. 

(a) From the death of John, about A. D. 98 to A. D. 150. This period em- 
braces the last of those men who conversed, or who might have conversed with 
the apostles ; that is, who were, for a part of their lives, the contemporaries of 
John. The testimony of the writers who lived then would, of course, be very 
important. Those embraced in this period are Hermas, Ignatius, Polycarp, and 
Papias. The evidence of this period is not indeed very direct, but it is such as 
it would be on the supposition that John was the author, and there is nothing 
contradictory to that supposition. 

Hernias, about A. D. 100. In the "Shepherd," or "Pastor" ascribed to this 
writer, there are several allusions which are supposed to refer to this book, and 
which resemble it so much as to make it probable that the author was acquainted 
with it. Dr. Lardner thus expresses the result of his examination of this point: 
u lt is proballe that Hermas had read the book of Revelation, and imitated it. 

(si) 



Xll 



INTEODUCTIOK. 



He has many things resembling it." Vol. ii., p. 69-72. There is no direct testi- 
mony, however, in this writer that is of importance. 

Ignatius. He was bishop of Antioch, and flourished A. D. 70-107. In the 
latter year he suffered martyrdom, in the time of Trajan. Little, however, can 
be derived from him in regard to the Apocalypse. He was a contemporary of 
John, and it is not a little remarkable that he has not more directly alluded to 
him. In the course of a forced and hurried journey to Rome, the scene of his 
martyrdom, he wrote several epistles to the Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, 
Romans, Philadelphians, Smyrneans, and to Polycarp. There has been much 
controversy respecting the authenticity of these epistles, and it is generally admitted 
that those which we now possess have been greatly corrupted. There is no direct 
mention of the Apocalypse in these epistles, and Michaelis makes this one of the 
strong grounds of his disbelief of its genuineness. His argument is, that the 
silence of Ignatius shows, either that he did not know of the existence of this 
book, or did not recognise it as a part of the Sacred Scriptures. Little, however, 
can be ever inferred from the mere silence of an author, for there may have been 
many reasons why, though the book may have been in existence, and recognised 
as the writing of John, Ignatius did not refer to it. The whole matter of the 
residence of John at Ephesus, of his banishment to Patmos, and of his death, is 
unnoticed by him. There are, however, two or three allusions in the epistles of 
Ignatius which have been supposed to refer to the Apocalypse, or to prove that 
he was familiar with that work — though it must be admitted that the language is 
so general, that it furnishes no certain proof that he designed to quote it. They 
are these, Epis. to the Romans: — "In the patience of Jesus Christ," comp. Rev. i. 
9; and Epis. to the Ephesians: — "Stones of the temple of the Father prepared 
for the building of God," comp. Rev. xxi. 2-19. To these Mr. John Collyer 
Knight, of the British Museum, in a recent publication (Two new Arguments in 
vindication of the genuiness and authenticity of the Revelation of St. John, 
London, 1842), has added a third: Epis. to the Philadelphians: — "If they do not 
speak concerning Jesus Christ, they are but sepulchral pillars, and upon them 
are written only the names of men/' Comp. Rev. iii. 12, " Him that overcometh 
will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I 
will write upon him the name of my God." It must be admitted, however, that 
this coincidence of language does not furnish any certain proof that Ignatius 
had seen the Apocalypse, though this is such language as he might have used if 
he had seen it. There was no known necessity, however, for his referring to this 
book if he was acquainted with it, and nothing can be inferred from his silence. 

Polycarp. He was bishop of Smyrna, and suffered martyrdom, though at what 
time is not certain. The Chronicou Paschal e names A. D. 163 j Eusebius, 167 j 
Usher, 169; and Pearson, 148. He died at the age of eighty-six, and conse 
quently was cotemporary with John, who died about A. D. 98. There is but one 
relic of his writings extant — his epistle to the Philippians. There is in Eusebiu? 
(iv. 15), an epistle from the church in Smyrna to the churches in Pontus, giving 
an account of the martyrdom of Polycarp. It is admitted that in neither of these 
h there any express mention, or any certain allusion to the book of Revelation 



INTRODUCTION. 



XIII 



But from this circumstance, notning can be inferred respecting the Apocalypse; 
aither for or against it, since there may have been no occasion for Polycarp or 
his friends, in the writings now extant, to speak of this book; and from their 
silence nothing more should be inferred against this book than against the ex">istle 
of Paul, or the gospel by John. There is, however, what may, without impro- 
priety; be regarded as an important testimony of Polycarp in regard to this 
book. Polycarp was, as there is every reason to suppose, the personal friend of 
John, and Irenaeus was the personal friend of Polycarp. Lardner, ii. 94-96. 
Now Irenaeus, as we shall see, on all occasions, and in the most positive manner, 
gives his clear testimony that the Apocalypse was written by the apostle John. 
It is impossible to suppose that he would do this if Polycarp had not believed it 
to be true, and certainly he would not have been likely to hold this opinion, if 
one who was his own friend, and the friend of John, had doubted or denied it. 
This is not indeed absolute proof, but it furnishes strong presumptive evidence 
in favor of the opinion that the book of Revelation was written by the apostle 
John. The whole history of Polycarp, and his testimony to the books of the 
New Testament, may be seen in Lardner, ii. 94^114. 

Papias. Papias was bishop of Hierapolis, near Colosse, and flourished, accord- 
ing to Cave, about A. D. 110; according to others, about the year 115, or 110. 
How long he lived is uncertain. Irenasus asserts that he was the intimate friend 
— iraipos — of Polycarp, and this is also admitted by Eusebius. Eccl. Hist. iii. 39. 
He was the contemporary of John, and was probably acquainted with him. Euse- 
bius expressly says that he was "a hearer of John." Lardner, ii. 117. Of his 
writings there remain only a few fragments preserved by Eusebius, by J erome, 
and in the Commentary of Andrew, bishop of Cesarea, in Cappadocia. He was 
a warm defender of the Millennarian doctrines. In his writings preserved to us 
(see Lardner, ii. 120-125), there is no express mention of the Apocalypse, or 
direct reference to it; but the commentator Andrew of Cesarea reckons him 
among the explicit witnesses in its favor. In the Preface to his commentary on 
the Apocalypse, Andrew says, "In regard now to the inspiration of the book, wo 
think it superfluous to extend our discourse, inasmuch as the blessed Gregory, 
and Cyril, and moreover the ancient [writers] Papias, Irenceus, Methodius, and 
Hippolytus bear testimony to its credibility See the passage in Hug. Intro, p. 
652 ; and Prof. Stuart, i. 305. And in nearly the same words does Arethas, the 
successor of Andrew, bear the like testimony. The evidence, therefore, in this 
case U the same as in the case of Polycarp, and it cannot be supposed that Papias 
would have been thus referred to, unless it was uniformly understood that he 
regarded the book as the production of the apostle John. 

These are all the testimonies that properly belong to the first half century after 
the death of John, and though not absolutely positive and conclusive in them- 
selves, yet the following points may be regarded as established : — (a) The book 
was known; (6) so far as the testimony goes, it is in favor of its having been 
composed by John; (c) the fact that he was the author is not called in question 
or doubted; (d) it was generally ascribed to him; (e) it was probably the foun- 
dation of the Millennarian views entertained by Papias: — that is, it is more 
2 



XIV 



INTRODUCTION. 



easy to account for his holding these views, by supposing that the book was 
known, and that he founded them on this book, than in any other way. See Prof. 
Stuart, i. 304. 

(b) The second half century after the death of John, from A. D. 150 to A. D. 
200. This will include the names of Justin Martyr, the Narrator of the Martyrs 
of Lyons, Irengeus, Melito, Theophilus, Apollonius, Clement of Alexandria, and 
Tertullian. 

Justin Martyr, He was a Christian philosopher, born at Flavia Neapolis, 
anciently called Sichem, a city of Samaria, it is supposed about A. D. 103 ; was 
converted to Christianity about A. D. 133, and suffered martyrdom about A. D. 
165. Lardner, ii. 125-140. He was partly cotemporary with Polycarp and 
Papias. He travelled in Egypt, Italy, and Asia Minor, and resided sometime at 
Ephesus. He was endowed with a bold and enquiring mind, and was a man 
eminent for integrity and virtue. Tatian calls him an " admirable man." Me- 
thodius says, that he was a man "not far removed from the apostles in time or in 
virtue," Photius says, that he was " well acquainted with the Christian philoso- 
phy, and especially with the Heathen; rich in the knowledge of history, and 
all other parts of learning. Lardner, He was, therefore, well qualified to ascer- 
tain the truth about the origin of the book of Revelation, and his testimony must 
bo of great value. He was an advocate of the doctrine of Chiliasm — or, the 
doctrine that Christ would reign a thousand years on the earth, and in defence of 
this he uses the following language: — "And a man from among us, by name 
John, one of the apostles of Christ, in a Revelation made to him — h 'AiroKaXtyu 
yevo/xivr] avry — has prophesied that the believers in one Christ shall live a thou- 
sand years in Jerusalem; and after that shall be the general, and in a word, the 
eternal resurrection and judgment of all men together." There can be no doubt 
whatever that there is an allusion here to the Book of Revelation — for the very 
name Revelation — AnoKaXixpis — is used; that Justin believed that it was written 
by the apostle. John; and that there is express reference to what is now chapter 
xx. of that book. The book was, therefore, in existence in the time of Justin— 
that is, in about fifty years after the death of John ; was believed to be the work 
of the apostle John ; was quoted as such, and by one who had lived in the very 
region where John lived, and by a man whose character is unimpeached, and 
who, in a point like this, could not have been mistaken. The testimony of Justin 
Martyr, therefore, is very important. It is positive ; it is given where there was 
every opportunity for knowing the truth, and where there was no motive for a 
false testimony ; and it is the testimony of one whose character for truthfulness 
is unimpeached. 

The Narrative of the Martyrs of Vienne and Lyons. Lardner, ii. 160-165. 
In the reign of Marcus Antoninus, Christians suffered much from persecution. 
This persecution was particularly violent at Lyons, and the country round about. 
The churches of Lyons and Vienne sent an account of their sufferings, in an 
epistle, to the churches of Asia and Phrygia. This, according to Lardner, was 
about A. D. 177. The epistle has been preserved by Eusebius. In this epistle, 
among other undoubted allusions to the New Testament, the following occurs. 



£f N TRO DUCTION. 



XV 



Speaking of Vettius Epigathus, they say— "For he was indeed a genuine disciple 
of Christ, following the Lamb whithersoever he goes." Comp. Rev. xiv. 2: "These 
are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth." There can be no doubt 
that this passage in Revelation was referred to; and it proves that the book was 
then known, and that the writers were accustomed to regard it as on a level with 
the other sacred writings. 

Irenceus. The testimony of this father has already been referred to whe 
speaking of Polycarp. He was bishop of Lyons, in Gaul. His country is no 
certainly known, but Lardner supposes that he was a Greek, and, from his early 
acquaintance with Polycarp, that he was from Asia. When a youth he was a 
heofer of Polycarp, and also a disciple of Papias. He was born about the begin- 
ning of the second century, and it is commonly supposed that he suffered martyr- 
dom in extreme old age. He became bishop of Lyons after he was seventy years 
of age, and wrote his principal work, Contra H&reses, after this. His testimony 
is particularly valuable, as he was in early life acquainted with Polycarp, who 
was a contemporary and friend of the apostle John. Lardner, ii. 165-192. Of his 
reference to the book of Revelation, Lardner says : " The Apocalypse, or Revela- 
tion, is often quoted by him as the Revelation of John, the disciple of the Lord." 
In one place ne says: "It was seen no long time ago, but almost in our age, at 
the end of the reign of Doniitian." And again, he spoke of the exact and ancient 
copies of the book, as if it was important to ascertain the true reading, and as if 
it were then possible to do this. Thus Eusebius (Lardner, ii. 167) says of him: 
"In his fifth book he thus discourses of the Revelation of John, and the compu- 
tation of the name of Antichrist; 'These things being thus, and this number being 
in all the exact and ancient copies, and they who saw John attesting to the same 
things, and reason teaching us that the number of the name of the beast, accord- 
ing to the acceptation of the Greeks, is expressed by the letters contained in it/" 
Here is an undoubted reference to Rev. xiii. 18. This evidence is clear and posi- 
tive. Its value consists in these things: (a) That he was familiar with one who 
was a friend of John; (6) that he must have known his views on the subject; (c) 
that he must have been intimately acquainted with the common opinion on th6 
subject of the authorship of the book; (d) that a spurious work could not have 
been palmed upon the world as the production of John; (e) that he bears unequi- 
vocal testimony to the fact that it was written by John; (/) and that he speaks 
of the "most exact" copies being then in existence, and testified to by those who 
had seen John himself. 

Melito. Lardner, ii. 157-160. He was bishop of Sardis, one of the churches 
to which the book of Revelation was directed. He is supposed to have flourished 
about A. D. 170. He was a man greatly distinguished for learning and piety, and 
Jerome says that Christians were accustomed to name him a prophet. He was, 
moreover, remarkably inquisitive respecting the sacred books, and, at the reques 
of Onesimus, he made extracts from the Scriptures respecting the Messianic pro 
phecies, and also a complete list of the books of the Old Testament, which is stil 
extant in Eusebius. Hist. Ecc. iv. 26. He wrote a Treatise, or Commentary on 
the Book of Revelation. Dr. Lardner says of this, "what it contained we are net 



XVI 



INTRODUCTION. 



informed. I will say it was a commentary on that book. It is p.ain he ascribed 
that book to John, and very likely to John the Apostle. I think it very probable 
he esteemed it a book of canonical authority." Hug says (p. 653), "Melito him- 
self calls it the Apocalypse of John." Even Michaelis (Intro, to the New Testa- 
ment, iv. 466), reckons Melito among the witnesses in favor of the book. The 
value of this testimony is this : (a) Melito was bishop of one of the churches to 
which the Apocalypse was directed ; (b) he lived near the time of John ; (c) he 
was a diligent student on this very subject; (d) he had every opportunity of ascer- 
taining the truth on the subject; (e) he regarded it as the work of the apostle 
John; (/) and he wrote a Treatise, or commentary on it as an inspired book. It 
is not easy to conceive of stronger testimony in favor of the book. 

Theophilus. Lardner, ii. 203-215. He was bishop of Antioch, and nourished 
about A. D. 169-180. He wrote a work against the " heresy" of Hermogenes ? 
referred to by Eusebius. Ecc. Hist. iv. 24. In that work he expressly speaks of 
the Apocalypse as the production of John, and Lardner says of his testimony, 
"That the book of Revelation was owned by him is undoubted from Eusebius. 
Eusebius has assured us that Theophilus, in his book against Hermogenes, brought 
testimonies from the Apocalypse of John." pp. 214, 215. The value of this testi- 
mony is, that Theophilus doubtless expressed the current opinion of his time, and 
that he had ample opportunity for ascertaining the truth. There is also a pas- 
sage in the writings of Theophilus which seems to be a direct allusion to the Book 
of Revelation : "This Eve, because she was deceived by the Serpent — the evil 
demon, who is also called Satan, who thus spoke to her by the Serpent — does not 
cease to accuse ; this demon is also called the dragon." Comp. Rev. xii. 9. 

Apollonius. Lardner, ii. 391-393. He nourished about A. D. 192. Eusebius 
says of him, " He makes use of testimonies out of the Revelation of John," The 
value of this testimony is, (a) that he quotes the book as of authority; and 
(b) that he ascribes it to John, evidently meaning the Apostle John. 

Clement of Alexandria. Lardner, ii. 222-259. He flourished about A. D. 
192-220. Many of his writings are extant. Lardner (p. 245) says of him, "The 
book of Revelation is several times quoted by him, and once in this manner- 
' Such an one, though here on earth he be not honored with the first seat, shal? 
sit upon the four and twenty thrones judging the people, as John says in the Re- 
velation/ " Comp. Rev. iv. 4, xi. 16. Lardner adds, "And that he supposed this 
writer to be John the Apostle, appears from another place, where he refers to 
Rev. xxi. 21, as the words of the apostle." Prof. Stuart says (i. 317), " There is 
no good ground for doubt, from any thing which is found in the work, that he 
received and admitted the Apocalypse as a work of John the Apostle." The 
known character of Clement makes this testimony of great value. 

Te'rtullian. He was the contemporary of Clement, and was the most ancient, 
and one of the most learned of the Latin fathers. Lardner, ii. 267-306. He was 
born at Carthage, about the middle of the second century, and died about A. D. 
220. He was bred up in the study of the Greek and Latin languages, of philoso- 
phy and the Roman law, and possessed extensive information. "His testimony 
to the Apocalypse is most full and ample. He quotes, or refers to it in more than 



INTRODUCTION. 



XVH 



seventy passages in his writings, appealing to it expressly as the work of the 
apostle John/' Elliott, i. 27. " The declarations of Tertullian are so frequent 
and plain, that no doubt can possibly remain as to his belief." Prof. Stuart, i. 318. 
" The Revelation of John is often quoted. I put together two or three passages, 
which show his full persuasion that it was written by the apostle and evangelist 
of that name." Lardner, ii. 295. One of the passages referred to by Lardner is 
the following: " The apostle John, in the Apocalypse, describes a sharp two-edged 
sword coming out of the mouth of God." Another is, " Though Marcion rejects 
his Revelation, the succession of bishops traced to the original, will assure us 
that John is the author/'* There can be no doubt, therefore, that Tertullian 
regarded the apostle John as the author of the book of Revelation ; and his con- 
fident assertion may be considered an expressive of the prevailing opinion of his 
time. 

Thus far, to the end of the second century, the testimony of the fathers of the 
church, as far as we now have it, was uniform and unbroken; and so far as 
historical testimony is concerned, this should be permitted to decide the question. 
Marcion, indeed, who lived in the time of Polycarp, and whom Polycarp called 
"the first-born of Satan" (Lardner, ii. 95), rejected the book of Revelation (see 
the declaration of Tertullian in Lardner, ii. 275), but it is also to be remembered 
that he rejected the whole of the Old Testament, the account of the genealogy 
and baptism of the Saviour, the Acts of the Apostles, the epistles to Timothy, 
Titus, the Hebrews, and the Catholic epistles. Lardner, vi. 142-151, 347-350 j 
viii. 489-513. Besides the opinion of Marcion, the testimony was uniform, with 
the exception of the heretical sect of the Alogi, if there was any such sect, which 
is generally supposed to have arisen in the latter half of this century, who derived 
their name from their antipathy to the name of Logos, and who on this account 
denied both the gospel of John and the book of Revelation. See Lardner, ir. 
190, 191 ; viii. 627, 628. Lardner, however, maintains that there never was any 
such a sect. viii. 628. 

(c) The third half century after the death of John, A. D. 200-250. Among 
the names embraced in this period are those of Hippolytus, who flourished about 
A. D. 220; Nepos, an Egpptian bishop; the well-known Origen, the most acute 
critic of all the early fathers, and who devoted his life to the study of the Scrip- 
tures ; Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who flourished about A. D. 246 ; and Metho- 
dius, bishop of Olympia in Lycia. All these, without exception, have left a clear 
and decided expression of their belief that the apostle John was the author of 
the Apocalypse. ' See that testimony at length in Prof. Stuart, i. 321-326. 

It is unnecessary to pursue the historical evidence further. If the testimony 
in favor of the work is unbroken and clear for an hundred and fifty years, the 
testimony of those who lived subsequent to that period would add little to its 
strength. To the names already mentioned, however, there might be added those 
of Epiphanius, Basil, Cyril of Alexandria, Ephrem the Syrian, Ambrose, Jerome, 
Augustine, Hilary of Poictiers, Gregory Nazianzen, Chrysostom, and many others. 

Such is the external positive testimony in favor of the opinion that the book of 
Revelation was written by the apostle John, 
2* 



sviii 



INTRODUCTION. 



To this might be added certain internal marks, or certain facts in the life of 
John which accord with this supposition, and seem to confirm it. They are such 
that if they did not exist there might he some room for plausible doubt, though 
it must be admitted that, in themselves, they do not amount to positive proof of 
any considerable strength that he was the author. There is not room to dwell 
upon them, and they can only be briefly referred to. They are such as these : — 
(1.) That the author calls himself John, evidently with the design of representing 
himself as the Apostle of that name, for (a) his supposed relation to the churches 
of Asia Minor is such as the relation of the apostle John was, and (b) the name 
John, unless there was something to qualify it, would be naturally understood as 
referring to the apostle of that name. (2.) The fact that John lived at Ephesus, 
and was well known to the seven churches of Asia Minor. (3.) The fact that he 
lived to extreme old age — to the time when the book was supposed to have been 
written. See $ 2. (4.) The fact that there was a persecution in the time of Domi- 
tian, when this book is supposed to have been written; and (5) what might be 
derived from a comparison of this book with the acknowledged writings of John. 

II. To confirm the argument, it is necessary to show the insufficiency of the 
reasons for doubting that John was the author. This point may be considered 
under two heads; — the alleged grounds for doubting that it was written by John 
by the ancients ; and the reasons alleged by the moderns. 

(1.) The ancients. 

(a) It has been maintained that it was rejected by Caius, a Presbyter at Rome. 
He flourished, according to Cave, about A. D. 210. See Lardner, ii. 394-410. 
There is a single passage in his writings from which it has been inferred that he 
designed to reject the Apocalypse. This is in the following words : " And Cerin- 
thus also, who by his revelations, as if written by some great apostle, imposes 
upon us monstrous relations of things of his own invention, as shown him by an 
angel, says, ' that after the resurrection there shall be a terrestrial kingdom of 
Christ, and that men shall live again in Jerusalem, subject to sensual desires and 
pleasures. And being an enemy to the divine Scriptures, and desirous to seduce 
mankind, he says there will be a term of a thousand years spent in nuptial enter- 
tainments.' " Lardner, ii. 400, 401. 

The whole force of this depends on the supposition that Caius meant to refer to 
Rev. xx. 4-6. 

But in regard to this the following remarks may be made : — (a) Caius was 
strongly opposed to Cerinthus and to his views ; (b) he was opposed to the pre- 
vailing doctrine of Chiliasm, or the doctrine of the Millennium, as then exten- 
sively held — that Christ would reign personally on the earth with his saints for a 
thousand years ; (c) it may be possible that Cerinthus may A&ve forged a work 
pretending to be of Apostolic origin, in which these doctrines were affirmed ; (d) 
it is possible that the book of Revelation, as left by John, may have been inter- 
polated and corrupted by Caius thus. Some one of these suppositions is more 
probable than the supposition that Caius meant to reject the book of Revelation:— 
for 

1. The views referred to by Caius, as held by Cerinthus, are not the yievtv 



INTRODUCTION. 



xix 



which are found in Rev. xx. He spoke of a " terrestrial kingdom of Christ/' 
says that "men would again live in Jerusalem;" that they " would be subject to 
sensual pleasures and that the " time of the thousand years would be spent in 
nuptial entertainments." None of these opinions are found on the book of Re- 
velation as we now have it. 

2. The title given by Caius to the book — Revelations instead of Revelation — 
* kzoKakv^is — as we find it in the book itself- ch. i. 1, would seem to indicate a 
different work from that of John. Eusebius always refers to the Apocalypse by 
the noun singular (Prof. Stuart, i. 341), and this is the general manner in which 
the work has been designated. If Caius had designed to refer to this, it is proba- 
ble that he would have used the common term to designate it. 

3. These views receive some confirmation from a passage in Theodoret, "who 
spoke of Cerinthus in such a way as seems to imply that he had forged an Apoca 
lypse for the promotion of his designs." That passage is, " Cerinthus forged cer- 
tain revelations as if he himself had seen them, and added descriptions of certain 
terrible things, and declares that the kingdom of the Lord will be established on 
the earth," &c. See Prof. Stuart, i. 342. On the whole, nothing of material im- 
portance can be derived from the testimony of Caius in proof that the Apocalypse 
was not believed to have been written by John. 

(b) Dionysius of Alexandria doubted the genuineness of the Apocalypse as 
being the production of John, though he did not deny its inspiration. He was 
made bishop of the See of Alexandria, A. D. 247, or 248, and died about A. D. 
264, or 265. See Lardner, ii. 643-722. He was a pupil of Origen, and enjoyed a 
high reputation. The full testimony of Dionysius in regard to this book may be 
seen in Lardner, ii. 693-697. I will copy all that is material to show his opinion. 
He says, "Some who were before us have utterly rejected and confuted this book, 
criticising every chapter; showing it throughout unintelligible and inconsistent; 
adding, moreover, that the inspiration is false, forasmuch as it is not John's ; nor 
is a revelation which is hidden under so obscure and thick a veil of ignorance." 
[Prof. Stuart (i. 346) translates this, "It contains, moreover, no revelation; for it 
is covered with a strong and thick veil of ignorance."] " And this not only no 
apostle, but not so much as any holy or ecclesiastical man was the author of this 
writing, but that Cerinthus, founder of tne heresy called after him the Cerinthian, 
the better to recommend his own forgery, prefixed to it an honorable name. For 
this they say was one of his particular notions, that the kingdom of Christ should 
be earthly; consisting of those things which he himself, a carnal and sensual 
man, most admired, the pleasures of the belly, and its concupiscence; that is, 
eating, and drinking, and marriage; and for the more decent procurement of 
these, feastings, and sacrifices, and slaughters of victims. But, for my part, I dare 
not reject the book, since many of the brethren have it in high esteem ; but allow- 
ing it to be above my understanding, I suppose it to contain throughout some 
latent and wonderful meaning ; for though I do not understand it, I suspect there 
must be some profound sense in the words ; not measuring and judging these 
things by my own reason, but ascribing more to faith, I esteem them too sublime 
lo be comprehended by me." Then, having quoted some passages from the book* 



XX 



INTRODUCTION. 



he adds, speaking of the author, "I do not deny, then, that his name iz John, 
and that this is John's book for I believe it to be the work of some holy and 
inspired person. Nevertheless, I cannot easily grant him to be the apostle, the 
son of Zebedee, brother of James, whose is the gospel ascribed to John, and the 
Catholic epistle ; for I conclude from the manner of each, and the term of expres- 
sion, and the conduct of the book, as we call it, that he is not the same person; 
for the evangelist nowhere puts down his name, nor does he speak of himself 
either in the gospel or the epistle. I think, therefore, that he [the author] is 
another, one of them that dwelleth in Asia; forasmuch as it is said, that there 
are two tombs at Ephesus, each of them called John's tomb. And from the sen- 
timent, and words, and disposition of them, it is likely that he differed from him 
[who wrote the gospel and epistle]. " 

This is the ram of all that Dionysius says in regard to the genuineness of the 
book. 

Respecting this the following remarks may be made : — • 

1. Dionysius, though he did not regard the work as the work of John the 
Apostle, yet received it as an inspired book, though far above his comprehension. 

2. He does not agree with those who altogether rejected it, as if it were no 
revelation, and contained no inspired truth. 

3. He did not ascribe it, as it has been supposed by some that Caius did, to 
Cerinthus. 

4. All the objections that he urges to its being the work of the apostle John, 
are derived from the book itself, and from the difficulty of supposing that the 
Gospel of John, and the first epistle of John, should have been written by the 
same author. He refers to no historical proof on that point ; and does not even 
intimate that it genuineness had been called in question by the early writers. It 
is clear, therefore, that the objections of Dionysius should not be allowed to seb 
aside the strong and clear proofs of an historical nature already adduced from the 
early Christian writers. See the opinion of Dionysius examined more at length 
in Prof. Stuart, i. 344-354. Comp. Hug. Intro, pp. 654-656. 

(c) It may be added, in regard to the historical testimony from the ancients, 
that the book is not found in many of the early catalogues of the books of the 
New Testament, and that this has been made an objection to its authenticity. 
Thus Gregory of Nazianzen, in a piece composed in verse, containing a catalogue 
of the Canonical Scriptures, omits the book of Revelation ; in the catalogue of 
sacred writings annexed to the canons of the Council of Laodicea, A. D. 363, it is 
also omitted ; in the so-called Canons of the Apostles, a supposititious work of the 
latter part of the fourth century, it is also omitted ; it is also omitted in a cata- 
logue of sacred books published by Cyril of Jerusalem, A. D. 360; and it is men- 
tioned by Amphilocus, bishop of Iconium, A. D. 380, as among the books that 
were doubtful: — '•Some/' says he, " admit the Apocalypse of John, but mos» 
persons say it is spurious." See Michaelis, Intro. New Tes. iv. 489 ; Prof. Stuart, 
i. 357, seq. 

In regard to these omissions, and the doubts entertained by later writers on the 
subject, it may be remarked in general, (1.) that it is well known that in the 



INTRODUCTION. 



tatter part of the fourth century and onward many doubts were entertained as to 
the canonical authority of the Apocalypse, and that, together with the epistle to 
the Hebrews, the second epistle of Peter, and the second and third epistles of John, 
it was reckoned among the btoks called Antilegomena; that is, books spoken 
against, or books whose canonical authority was not admitted by all. (2.) This 
fact shows, as has been often remarked, the great vigilance of the church in the 
early ages, in settling the canon of Scripture, and in determining what books 
were to be admitted, and what were to be rejected. (3.) These doubts, entertained 
in a later age, cannot affect the clear historical testimony of the early writers, as 
we now have it ,• for the question of the origin of the Apocalypse, so far as the histo- 
rical testimony is concerned, must be determined by the testimony of the writers 
who lived near the time when it is alleged to have been written. (4.) The objec- 
tions alleged against the Apocalypse in later times, were wholly on internal 
grounds, and were mainly derived from the fact that it was supposed to countenance 
the doctrine of Chiliasm, or the doctrine of the personal reign of Christ and the 
saints, for a thousand years, in Jerusalem ; and from the fact that the followers 
of Cerinthus appealed to this book in support of their pernicious errors. The 
book seemed (see ch. xx.) to countenance the views early entertained by many on 
the subject of the Millennium, and, in accordance with a common method of 
controversy, its canonical authority was therefore called in question. Thus Hug 
(Intro, p. 654), says, "It was amidst the disputes concerning the Millennium, that 
the first explicit and well-authenticated denial of the Apocalypse occurred/' 
Nepos, Bishop of the Arsinoitic Prefecture in Egypt, had maintained that the 
doctrine of the Millennium could be defended from the book of Revelation, by a 
literal exposition. Dionysius opposed this view, and in the violence of the dis- 
pute on the subject, the authority of the Apocalypse itself was called in question 
by Dionysius, on the grounds referred to above. " He did this, however," says 
Hug, "with such moderation, that he might not offend those who had so readily 
agreed to a compromise — that is, a compromise by which, as bishop, he had 
endeavored to reconcile the contending parties. Hug has shown conclusively 
(pp. 654-656) that this constitutes no objection to the genuineness of the book. 
It was on such internal grounds entirely that the authenticity of the book was 
called in question, and that it was ever placed among the disputed books. That 
objection is, of course, of no importance now. (5.) It is well known that, mainly 
by the influence of J erome and Augustine (see Prof. Stuart, i. 334), all these 
doubts were removed, and that the Apocalypse after their time was all but uni 
versally received, until Luther, for reasons derived from the book itself, in the 
early part of his life, again called it in question. 

Such is a summary of the historical argument in favor of the genuineness of 
the book of Revelation ; and such is the nature of the evidence which has satis- 
fied the Christian world at large that it is the work of the apostle John, and is, 
therefore, entitled to a place as an inspired book in the canon of Scripture. Id 
ancient times there were no objections to it on historical grounds, and it is upne- 
jessary to say that there can be none on these grounds now. 

(2.) The objections to its genuineness and authenticity in modern times, are 



XXII 



INTRODUCTION. 



wholly derived from the contents of the book itself. These objections, as stated 
by De Wette, and as expressing the substance of all that is urged by Ewald, 
Liicke, Credner, and others, are the following : 

1. That the Apocalyptical writer calls himself John, which the evangelist neve? 
does. It is added, also, by Ewald, Credner, and Hitzig, that in chs. xviii. 20, and 
xxi. 14, the writer expressly excludes himself from the number of the apostles, 

2. That the language of the book is entirely different from that of the fourth 
Gospel, and the three epistles of John the Apostle. It is said to be characterized 
by strong Hebraisms, and by ruggedness ,• by negligence of expression, and by 
grammatical inaccuracies ,• and that it exhibits the absence of pure Greek words, 
and of the apostle's favorite expressions. 

3. That the style is unlike that which appears in the Gospel and the epistles. 
In the latter, it is said, there is calm, deep feeling ; in the Apocalypse, a lively, 
creative power of fancy. 

4. That the doctrinal aspect of the book is different from that of the apostle's 
acknowledged writings. It is said that we find in the latter nothing of the "sen- 
suous expectations of the Messiah and of his kingdom," which are prominent in 
the Apocalypse ; that the views inculcated respecting spirits, demons, and angels, 
are foreign to John ; and that there is a certain spirit of revenge flowing through- 
out the Apocalypse, quite inconsistent with the mild and amiable disposition of 
the beloved disciple. 

For a full consideration of these points, and a complete answer to these objec- 
tions, the reader is referred to the Commentary of Prof. Stuart, vol. i. pp. 371-422. 
A more condensed reply is found in Kitto's Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, in 
an article by the Rev. S. Davidson, LL. D., Professor of Biblical Literature and 
Oriental Languages in the Lancashire Independent College, vol. ii. pp. 614-618. 

The objections do not seem to me to ha^e the importance which has been 
attached to them by many persons, but it may be satisfactory to see the manner 
in which they are disposed of by Dr. Davidson ; I therefore copy his answer to 
them. 

"Let us now consider the internal evidence in favor of John the Apostle, be- 
ginning with an examination of the arguments adduced on the other side by De 
Wette. These do not possess all the weight that many assign to them. We shall 
follow the order in which they have been already stated. 

1. We attach no importance to this circumstance. Why should not a writer be 
at liberty to name himself or not as he pleases ; above all, why should not a 
writer, under the immediate inspiration of the Almighty, omit the particulars 
which he was not prompted to record ? How could he refrain from doing so ? 
The Holy Spirit must have had some good reason for leading the writer to set 
forth his name, although curiosity is not gratified by assigning the reason. The 
Old Testament prophets usually prefixed their names to the visions and predic- 
tions which they were prompted to record ; and J ohn does the same. But instead 
of styling himself an apostle, which carries with it an idea of dignity and official 
authority, he modestly takes to himself the appellation of a servant of Christ, 
Xhe brother and companion of the faithful in tribulation. This corresponds with 
the relation which he sustained to Christ in the receiving of such visions, as also 
with the condition of the Redeemer himself. In the Gospel, John is mentioned 
as the disciple whom Jesus loved, for then he stood in an intimate relation to 
Christ, as the Son of man appearing in the form of a servant; but in the book 



INTRODUCTION. 



XXII! 



before us, Christ is announced as the glorified Redeemer who should quickly 
come to judgment, and John is his servant, entrusted with the secrets of his 
house. Well did it become the apostle to forget all the honor of his apostolic 
office, and to he abased before the Lord of glory. The resplendent vision of the 
Saviour had such an effect upon the seer, that he fell at his feet as dead ; and 
therefore it was quite natural for him to be clothed with profound humility, to 
designate himself the servant of Jesus Christ, the brother and companion of 
the faithful in tribulation. Again, in ch. xviii. 20, the prophets are said to be 
represented as already in heaven in their glorified condition, and therefore the 
writer could not have belonged to their number. But this passage neither affirms 
nor necessarily implies that the saints and apostles and prophets were at that time 
in heaven. Neither is it stated that all the apostles had then been glorified. 
Chapter xxi. 14 is alleged to be inconsistent with the modesty and humility of 
John. This is a questionable assumption. The official honor inseparable from 
the person of an apostle was surely compatible with profound humility. It was so 
with Paul ; and we may safely draw the same conclusion in regard to John. In 
describing the heavenly Jerusalem it was necessary to introduce the twelve apostles. 
The writer could not exclude himself (see Lucke, p. 389 ; and Guerike's Bei- 
trage, p. 37, sq.). 

2. To enter fully into this argument would require a lengthened treatise. Let 
us briefly notice the particular words, phrases, and expressions to which Ewald, 
Lucke, De "Wette, and Credner specially allude. Much has been written bj 
Ewald concerning the Hebraistic character of the language. The writer, it is, 
alleged, strongly imbued with Hebrew modes of thought, frequently inserts He- 
brew words, as in iii. 14 ; ix. 11 ; xii. 9, 10 : xix. 1, 3, 4, 6 ; xx. 2 ; xxii. 20 ; 
while the influence of cabbalistic artificiality is obvious throughout the entire 
book, and particularly in i. 4, 5 ; iv. 2 ; xiii. 18 ; xvi. 14. The mode of employing 
the tenses is foreign to the Greek language, and moulded after the Hebrew (i. 7 ; 
ii. 5, 16, 22, 23, 27 ; iii. 9 ; iv. 9-11 j xii. 2-4; xvi. 15, 21 ; xvii. 13, 14; xviii. 11, 
15; xxii. 7, 12). So also the use of the participle (i. 16; iv. 1, 5, 8; v. 6, 13; vi. 
2, 5; vii. 9, 10; ix. 11; x. 2; xiv. 1, 14; xix. 12, 13; xxi. 14); and of the infini- 
tive (xii. 7). The awkward disposition of words is also said to be Hebraistic ; 
such as a genitive appended like the construct st; if e ; the stringing together of 
several genitives (xiv. 8, 10, 19; xvi. 19; xviii. o, 14; xix. 15; xxi. 6; xxii. 
18, 19); and the use of the Greek cases, which are frequently changed for 
prepositions (ii. 10 ; iii. 9 ; vi. 1, 8 ; viii. 7 ; ix. 19 ; xi. 6, 9 ; xii. 5 ; xiv. 2, 7) ; 
incorrectness in appositions (i. 5; ii. 20 ; iii. 12; iv. 2-4; vi. 1; vii. 9; viii. 9; ix. 
14; xiii. 1-3; xiv. 2, 12, 14, 20, &c); a construction formed of an airos put 
after the relative pronoun (iii. 8; vii. 2, 9; xiii. 12; xx. 8); frequent anoma- 
lies in regard to number and gender (ii. 27; iii. 4, 5; iv. 8; vi. 9, 10; ix. 
13, 14; xi. 15; xiv. 1, 3; xvii. 16; xix. 14; and viii. 11; xi. 18; xv. 4; xvii. 12, 
15; xviii. 14; xix. 21; xx. 12 ; xxi. 4, 24; also, xvi. 10 ; xix. 1, 8, 9. In addi- 
tion to this it is alleged by Credner, that the use made of the Old Testament 
betrays an acquaintance on the part of the writer with the Hebrew text (comp. 
vi. 13, 14 with Isa. xxxiv. 4; xviii. 2 with Isa. xiii. 21, xxi. 9, xxxiv 14, Jer. 1. 
39; xviii. 4, 5 with Jer. Ii. 6, 9, 45; xviii. 7 with Isa. xlvii. 7, 8; xviii. 21-23 with 
Jer. xxv. 10, li. 63, 64). In contrast with all this, we are reminded of the fact 
that, according to Acts iv. 13, John was an unlearned and ignorant man. 

The book is deficient in words and turns of expression purely Greek, such as 
irdvroTZ, 7T(uuor£, ovSiiTors; compound verbs, as dvayyiWetv, TrapaXafifidvetv, (TrifidWuv; 
the double negation ; the genitive absolute ; the attraction of the relative pro- 
noun ; the regular construction of the neuter plural with the verb singular (ex- 
cept viii. 3; ix. 20; xiv. 13; xviii. 24; xix. 14; xxi. 12); aKoveiv with the genitive. 
Favorite expressions, such as occur in the Gospel and epistles, are seldom found, 
as Bzaofiai, Qtupto), ipyd^ofiai, ptj/iaTa, izdXiv, (puvuv, fxsveiv, KaO&s, d>£ (an adverb of 
time), oZv, [xh fxivToi, Kocpiog, <p&s, cKoria, So^dleaOai, vx^ovvQai, £co>? alwvios, dnoWvadaij 
mtos (rovTo) iva; the historic present. There are also favorite expressions of the 
writer of this book, such as do not occur in John's authentic writings : oUovfxh'ri, 
hrofxovfi, Kparelv rb ovojxa, rvjv SiSa^v, TravroKpd+uyp, Ocbg Kai TTarrjp, ZvvapiSj Kpdros t 



XXIV 



INTRODUCTION. 



hx^S, TWtii irpwrdTOtcys Twv veKpZv, rj apxrj rrjg Krlaewg rod Oeov, b «^wy tw 0a n\tun 
T?is yrjg, uSs in the beginning of a sentence. The conjunction el, so common in the 
Gospel, does not occur in the Apocalypse ; but only el pit, el be pf, and a rig. The 
frequent joining of a substantive with piyag, as (pavfj ixeyd^rj, dXtyig pEydXtj, $600$ 
fxeyag, aeianbg fxiyag, rather reminds one of Luke than John ; fxdfav, so frequent in 
the Gospel, is not found in the Revelation ; and, on the contrary, laXvpog, which 
occurs seven times in the Apocalypse, is foreign to the Gospel. 

The following discrepancies between the language of the Gospel and that of 
the epistles have been noticed : dXrjOivdg is used of God both in the Gospel and 
the Apocalypse, but in different senses ; so also Kvpiog, and ipyd^ofxai ; instead of 
ISe the Apocalypse has only ISov ; instead of ( lepoa6\vixa only 'lepovcaXrm', instead 
of lav rig, as in the Gospel, d rig ; irepi, so often used by John, occurs only once 
in the Apocalypse, and that too in relation to place; o^Ao? is used in the plural. 
Words denoting seeing are differently used in the Gospel and Apocalypse ; thus, 
for the ^present we find in the latter pXinuv, dewpeiv bpdv; for the aorist of the 
active eJSov, fiXiizeiv, and Oewpeiv ; for the future fareadai, and for the aorist of the 
passive also d-nrecOai ; fxtvetv has a different meaning from that which it bears in 
the Gospel ; instead of b cip^wv tov Koapiov, and b novripog, we find b caravag, b bid0o\og, 
b Spdfcwv b jjiiyag. 

Such is a summary statement of an argument drawn out at great length by 
Liicke, De Wette, Ewald, and Credner. 

Some have attempted to turn aside its force by resorting to the hypothesis that 
the book was originally written in Hebrew, and then translated into Greek. This, 
however, is contradicted by the most decisive internal evidence, and is in itself 
highly improbable. The Apocalypse was written in the Greek language, as all 
antiquity attests. How then are we to account for its Hebraistic idioms and 
solecisms of language, its negligences of diction, and ungrammatical construc- 
tions ? One circumstance to be taken into account is, that the nature of the" 
Gospel is widely different from that of the Apocalypse. The latter is a prophetic 
book — a poetical composition — while the former is a simple record in prose, of the 
discourses of Jesus in the days of his flesh. It is apparent, too, that John in the 
Apocalypse imitates the manner of Ezekiel and Daniel. The New Testament 
prophet conforms to the diction and symbolic features of the former seers. ' If 
the question should be urged, why John chose these models? the obvious answer 
is, that he conformed to the taste of the times in which he lived. The numerous 
apocryphal works of an Apocalyptical nature, which were composed nearly at the 
same time with the Apocalypse, such as the book of Enoch, the Ascension of 
Isaiah, the Testament of the twelve patriarchs, many of the Sibylline Oracles, the 
fourth book of Ezra, the Pastor of Hermas, and many others which are lost — all 
testify to the taste and feelings of the times when, or near which, the Apocalypse 
was written. If this method of writing was more grateful to the time in which 
John lived, it is a good reason for his preferring it.* In consequence of such 
imitation, the diction has an Oriental character,* and the figures are in the highest 
style of imagery peculiar to the East. But it is said that John was an illiterate 
man. Illiterate, doubtless, he was as compared with Paul, who was brought up 
at the feet of Gamaliel ; yet he may have been capable of reading the Old Testa- 
ment books; and he was certainly inspired. Rapt in ecstacy, he saw wondrous 
visions. He was in the Spirit. And when writing the things he beheld, his lan- 
guage was to be conformed to the nature of such marvellous revelations. It was 
to be adapted to the mysterious disclosures, the vivid pictures, the moving scenes, 
the celestial beings and scenery of which he was privileged to tell. Hence it was 
to be lifted up far above the level of simple prose or biographic history, so as tc 
correspond with the sublime visions of the seer. Nor should it be forgotten that 
he was not in the circumstances of an ordinary writer. He was inspired. How 
often is this fact lost sight of by the German critics! It is therefore needless to 
inquire into his education in the Hebrew language, or his mental culture while 
residing in Asia Minor, or the smoothness of the Greek language as current in 



* Stuart, in the Bibliotheca Sacra, pp. 353, 354. 



INTRODUCTION. 



XXV 



the place where lie lived, before and after he wrote the Apocalypse. The Holy 
Spirit qualified him beyond and irrespective of ordinary means, for the work of 
writing. However elevated the theme he undertook, he was assisted in employ- 
ing diction as elevated as the nature of the subject demanded. We place, there- 
fore, little reliance upon the argument derived from the time of life at which the 
Apocalypse was composed, though Olshausen and Guerike insist upon it. Written, 
as they think, twenty years before the Gospel or epistles, the Apocalypse exhibits 
marks of inexperience in writing, of youthful fire, and of an ardent temperament. 
It exhibits the first essays of one expressing his ideas in a language to which he 
was unaccustomed. This may be true ; but we lay far less stress upon it than 
these authors seem inclined to do. The strong Hebraized diction of the book we 
account for on the ground that the writer was a Jew; and, as such, expressed his 
Jewish conceptions in Greek ; that he imitated the later Old Testament prophets, 
especially the manner of Daniel ; and that the only prophetic writing in the New 
Testament naturally approaches nearer the Old Testament, if not in subject, at 
least in coloring and linguistic features. 

These considerations may serve to throw light upon the^anguage of the book, 
after all the extravagances of assertion in regard to anomalies, solecisms, and 
ruggednesses, have been fairly estimated. For it cannot be denied that many 
rash and unwarrantable assumptions have been made by De Wette and others 
relative to the impure Greek said to be contained in the Apocalypse. Winer has 
done much to check such bold assertions, but with little success in the case of 
those who are resolved to abide by a strong and prevalent current of opinion. 
We venture to affirm, without fear of contradiction, that there are books of the 
New Testament almost as Hebraizing as the Apocalypse ; and that the anomalies 
charged to the account of the Hebrew language may be paralleled in other parts 
of the New Testament or in classical Greek. What shall be said, for instance, to 
the attempt of Hitzig to demonstrate from the language of Mark's Gospel, as 
compared with that of the Apocalypse, that both proceeded from one author, viz., 
John Mark ? This author has conducted a lengthened investigation with the view 
of showing that all the peculiarities of language found in the Apocalypse are 
equally presented in the second Gospel, particularly that the Hebraisms of the 
one correspond with those of the other. Surely this must lead to new investiga- 
tions of the Apocalyptic diction, and possibly to a renunciation of those extrava- 
gant assertions so often made in regard to the harsh, rugged, Hebraized Greek of 
the Apocalypse. Who ever dreamed before of the numerous solecisms of Mark's 
language ? and yet Hitzig has demonstrated its similarity to the Apocalyptic as 
plausibly as Ewald, Lucke, and ethers have proved the total dissimilarity between 
the diction of the Apocalypse and that of John's Gospel. 

The length allotted to this article will not allow the writer to notice every term 
and phrase supposed to be peculiar. This can only be done with success by him 
who takes a concordance to the Greek Testament in his hand, with the determi- 
nation to test each example ; along with a good syntax of classical Greek, such 
as Bernhardy's. In this way he may see whether the alleged Hebraisms and 
anomalies have not their parallels in classical Greek. SQme of the allegations 
already quoted are manifestly incorrect, e. g. that axovu with the genitive is not 
found in the Apocalypse. On the contrary, it occurs eight times with the genitive. 
Other words are adduced on the principle of their not occurring so frequently in 
the book before us as in the Gospel and epistles. But by this mode of reasoning 
it might be shown, that the other acknowledged writings of the apostle John, for 
instance his first epistle, are not authentic. Thus prj^ara, one of the words quoted, 
though frequently found in the Gospel, is rot in any of the three epistles ; there- 
fore, these epistles were not written by John. It is found o?ice%i the Apocalypse. 
Again, ipyd^ofiat, which is found seven times in the Gospel, and once in the Apoca- 
lypse, as also once in each of the second and third epistles, is not in the first 
epistle ; therefore the first epistle proceeded from another writer than the author 
of the second and third. The same reasoning may be applied to dewptio. Again, 
it is alleged that the regular construction of neuters plural with singular verbs is 
oot found, with the exception of six instances. To say nothing of the larg-e \U\ 
2 



xxvi 



INTRODUCTION. 



of exceptions, let it be considered, that the plural verb is joined with plural 
nouns where animate beings, especially persons, are designated. Apply now this 
principle, which regularly holds good in classical Greek, to the Apocalypse, and 
nothing peculiar will appear in the latter. Should there still remain examples of 
neuters plural designating things without life, we shall find similar ones in the 
Greek writers. Another mode in which the reasoning founded upon the use of 
peculiar terms and expressions may be tested, is the following. It is admitted 
that there are words which occur in the Gospel and epistles, but not in the Apo- 
calypse. The adverb -dvrore is an example. On the same principle and by virtue 
of the same reasoning, it may be denied, as far as language is concerned, that 1 
Timothy was written by Paul, because -k dvrore, which is found in his other epis- 
tles, does not occur in it. In this manner we might individually take up each 
word and every syntatical peculiarity on which the charge of harshness, or sole- 
cism, or Hebraizing has been fastened. It is sufficient to state, that there are very 
few real solecisms in the Apocalypse. Almost all that have been adduced may 
be paralleled in Gree]^ writers, or in those of the New Testament. The words of 
Winer, a master in this department, are worthy of attention : i The solecisms that 
appear in the Apocalypse give the diction the impress of great harshness, but 
they are capable of explanation, partly from anacoluthon and the mingling of two 
constructions, partly in another manner. Such explanation should have been 
always adopted, instead of ascribing these irregularities to the ignorance of the 
author, who, in other constructions of a much more difficult nature in this very 
book, shows that he was exceedingly well acquainted with the rules of grammar. 
For most of these anomalies too, analogous examples in the Greek writers may 
be found, with this difference alone, that they do not follow one another so fre- 
quently as in the Apocalypse* (Grammatik, fiinfte Auflage, pp. 273, 4). Should 
the reader not be satisfied with this brief statement of Winer, he is referred to 
his Exeget. Studien, i. 154, sq., where the Professor enters into details with great 
ability. 

The following linguistic similarities between John's Gospel and the Apocalypso 
deserve to be cited: pLird ravra, Apoc. i. 19; iv. 1; vii. 1, 9; ix. 12; xv. 5; xviii. 
1 ; xix. 1 ; xx. 3 ; Gosp. iii. 22 ; v. 1, 14 ; vi. 1 ; vii. 1 ; xix. 38 ; xxi. 1 ; iii. 22 ; 
v. 1, 14 ; vi. 1 ; vii. 1 ; xix. 38 ; xxi. 1 ; [xaprvpia, Apoc. i. 2, 9 ,• vi. 9 ,• xi. 7 ; xii. 
11, 17; xix. 10; xx. 4. Gosp. naprvpiw or naprvpia, i. 7, 8, 15, 19, 32, 34; ii. 25; 
iii. 11, 26, 28, 32, 33; iv. 3, 9, 44; v. 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 39; 1 Epist. i. 2; iv. 
14; v. 6-11. ha, Apoc. ii. 10, 21; iii. 9, 11, 18; vi. 2, 4, 11; vii. 1, &c. &c. 
Gosp. vi. 5, 7, 12, 15, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 50; xi. 4, 11, 15, 16, 19, 3t, 37, 42, 

50, 52, 53, 55, 57; xii. 9, 10 20, 23, 35, &c. 1 Epist. of John, i. 3, 4, 9; ii. 1, 
19, 27, 28. <KUj, Gosp. vii. 24; xx. 44. Apoc. i. 16. irid&iv, Apoc. xix. 20. Gosp. 
vii. 30, 32, 44; viii. 20; x. 39; xi. 57; xxi. 3, 10. rr\pCiv t6v \6yov, rag evroXds, or 
some similar expression, Apoc. iii. 8, 10 ; xii. 17 ; xiv. 12 ; xxii. 7, 9. Gosp. viii. 

51, 55 ; xiv. 15; xxiii. 24, &c. b vuc&v, Apoc. ii. 7, 11, 17, 26; iii. 5, 15, 21; xv. 
2 ; xxi. 7. This verb is quite common in the first epistle, ii. 13, 14 ; iv. 4 ; v. 4, 
5. Gosp. xvi. 33. Z8u>p forjs, Apoc. xxi. 6 ; xxii. 17 ; comp. Gosp. vii. 38. Com- 
pare also the joining together of the present and the future in Apoc. ii. 5 and 
Gosp. xiv, 3. The assertion of the same thing positively and negatively, Apoc. 

ii. 2, 6, 8, 13; iii. 8,~17, 21; Gosp. i. 3, 6, 7, 20, 48; iii. 15, 17, 20; iv. 42; v. 19, 
24 ; viii, 35, 45 ; x. 28 ; xv. 5, 6, 7. 1 Epist. ii. 27, &c. In several places in 
the Apocalypse Christ is called the Lamb; so also in the Gospel, i, 29, 36. 
Christ is called b \6yog tov Beov, Apoc. xix. 13, and in the Gospel of John only hag 
he the same epithet, rrjpctv U tivos, Apoc. iii. 10. Gosp. xvii. 15. ctydrrav, 
A.poc. v. 6, 9, 12^ vi. 4, 9; xiii. 3, 8; xviii. 24; only in the 1st Epist. of John, 

iii. 12. %X £IV pfyoSy Apoc. xx. 6. Gosp. xiii. 8. irzpir:aTuv filrd tivq$, Apoc. iii. 4. 
Gosp. vi. 66. ffKt]v6(x), Apoc. vii. 15; xii. 12; xiii. 6; xxi. 3. Gosp. i. 14. 
The expulsion of Satan from heaven is expressed thus in the Apoc, xii. 9 : ipXrjdr) 
sis rrjv yrjv ; in the Gosp. it is said, vvv b ap^wv tov Kdcpov tovtov fKj3\r}9r}<Terat cfw, 
xii. 31. (See Scholz, Die Apokalypse des heilig. Johannes ubersetzt, erkldrt, u. s 
w. Frankfurt am Main, 1828, 8vo. ; Schulz, Ueber den Schriftsteller, Character una 
IVcrth des Johannes, Leipzig, 1803, 8vo. ; Donker Curtius. Specimen Jiermeneuti' 



INTRODUCTION. 



xxvii 



cotTieologicum de Apocalypsi ab indole, doctrina et scribendi genere Johannis 
Apostoli 7ion abhorre7ite, Trajecti Batav. 1799. 8vo.; Kolthoff, Apocalypsis Joanni 
Apostoli vindicata, Hafnite, 1834, 8vo.; Stein (in Winer and Engelhardt's 
Kritisch. Jour7ial, v. i.), and the Jena Literatur-Zeitung for April, 1833, No. 61). 
It is true, that some of these expressions are said by LUcke, De Wette, and 
Credner, to be used in a different sense in the Apocalypse ; others not to be cha- 
racteristic, but rather accidental and casual ; others not origi7ial, but borrowed. 
Such assertions, however, proceed more from a priori assumption than from any 
inherent truth they possess. In regard to the charge of cabbalism, especially in 
the use of numbers, it is easily disposed of. The cabbala of the Jews was widely 
different from the instances in the Apocalypse that have been quoted. Perhaps 
John's use of the number 666 comes the nearest to one kind of the cabbala; but 
still it is so unlike as to warrant the conclusion that the apostle did not employ 
the cabbalistic art. His mysterious indications of certain facts, and the reasons 
of their being in some measure involved in darkness, are explicable on other than 
Jewish grounds. There is no real cause for believing that the apostle had recourse 
to the artificial and trifling conceits of the Rabbins. In short, this argument is 
by no means conclusive. As far as the language is concerned nothing militates 
against the opinion that the Apocalypse proceeded from John, who wrote the 
Gospel. The contrary evidence is not of such a nature as to demand assent. 
When rigidly scrutinized, it does not sustain the conclusion so confidently built 
upon it. 

But it is also affirmed, that the doctrinal views and sentiments inculcated in 
the Apocalypse are quite different from those found in the Gospel. This may be 
freely allowed without any detriment to their identity of authorship. How slow 
the Germans are in learning that a difference in the exhibition of truths substan- 
tially the same, is far from being a contradiction ! A difference of subject in con- 
nection with a different plan, demands correspondent dissimilarity of treatment. 
Besides, there must be a gradual development of the things pertaining to the 
kingdom of God on earth. Sensuous expectations of the Messiah, such as are 
alleged to abound in the Apocalypse, may be perfectly consistent with the spi- 
rituality of his reign, though it appears to us that the representations so designated 
are figurative, shadowing forth spiritual realities by means of outward objects. 

But what is to be said of the pneumatological, demonological, and angelogical 
doctrines of the book? The object for which John's Gospel was primarily written 
did not lead the apostle to introduce so many particulars regarding angels and 
evil spirits. The intervention of good and the malignant influence of < evil spirits 
are clearly implied in the Old Testament prophets, particularly in Zechariah and 
Daniel. It is therefore quite accordant with the prophetic Hebraistic character 
of the Apocalypse, to make angelic agency a prominent feature in the book. And 
that such agency is recognised in the Gospels, is apparent to the most curscry 
reader. The special object with which the fourth Gospel was written was different 
from that which prompted the composition of the Apocalypse, and therefore the 
subject-matter of both is exceedingly diverse. But still there is no opposition in 
doctrine. The same doctrinal views lie at the foundation of all the representa- 
tions contained in them. In the one, the Redeemer is depicted in his humble 
career on earth ; in the other, in his triumphs as a king — or rather, in the victo- 
rious progress of his truth in the world, notwithstanding all the efforts of Satan 
and wicked men to suppress it. As to a spirit of revenge in the Apocalyptic 
writer, it is not found. The inspired prophet was commissioned to pronounce woes 
and judgments as soon to befal the enemies of Christ, in consequence of their 
persevering, malignant efforts. As well might an evil disposition be attributed to 
the blessed Saviour himself, in consequence of his denunciation of the Scribes 
and Pharisees. The same John who wrote the Apocalypse says, in the second 
epistle, ver. 10, 'if there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive 
him not into your house, neither bid him God speed/ It must ever strike the 
simple reader of the Apocalypse, as a positive ground for attributing the author- 
ship to John the Apostle, that he styles himself the servant of God by way of 
•minence, which none other at that time would have ventured to do ; and that hf 



xxvin 



INTRODUCTION. 



employs the expression, / John, after the manner of Daniel, as if he were the 
only prophet and person of the name. Nor can it be well believed that a disciple 
of the apostle, or any other individual, should have presumed to introduce John 
as the speaker, thus deceiving the readers. The apostle was well known to the 
Christians of his time, and especially to the Asiatic churches. He did not there- 
fore think it necessary to say John the Apostle for the sake of distinguishing 
himself from any other. (See Ziillig's Die Offenbarung Johannis, Stuttgart, 1834, 
6vo. p. 136.)" 

I 2. The time of writing the Apocalypse. 

The evidence as to the date of the Apocalypse, may be considered as external 
or historical, and internal. 

1. External or historical. On this point the testimony of the early Christian 
Fathers is almost or quite uniform, that it was in the latter part of the life of the 
apostle John, and towards the end of the reign of Domitian ; that is about A. D. 
95 or 96. 

The principal testimony to this fact is that of Irenaeus. It will be recollected 
that he was a disciple of Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was himself the disci- 
ple of the apostle John. See § 1, (o). He had, therefore, every opportunity of 
obtaining correct information, and doubtless expresses the common sentiment of 
his age on the subject. His character is unexceptionable, and he had no induce- 
ment to bear any false or perverted testimony in the case. His testimony is plain 
and positive that the book was written near the close of the reign of Domitian, and 
the testimony should be regarded as decisive unless it can be set aside. His lan- 
guage in regard to the book of Revelation is : — "It was seen no long time ago, but 
Almost in our age, at the end of the reign of Domitian" Lardner, ii. 181. Or, 
as the passage is translated by Prof. Stuart: — " The Apocalypse was seen not long 
ago, but almost in our generation, near the end of Domitian's reign." There can 
be no doubt, therefore, as to the meaning of the passage, or as to the time when 
Irenaeus believed the book to have been written. Domitian was put to death A. 
D. 96, and consequently, according to Irenaeus, the Apocalype must have been 
written not far from this time. 

This testimony of Irenaeus is confirmed by that of Clement of Alexandria. 
Relating the well-known story of J ohn and the robber, he speaks of the event as 
having occurred on his return from exile in Patmos "after the death of the tyrant" 
and represents him as then an infirm old man. The testimony in the book itself, 
(ch. i. 9,) is clear that John was on the island of Patmos, when these visions were 
seen. The "tyrant" whose death is here referred to, must necessarily be either 
Nero or Domitian, as these were, up to the end of the first century, the only im- 
perial persecutors of the Christians. It cannot be supposed to be Nero, since at 
the time of his persecution (A. D. 64) John could not be supposed to be an "infirm 
old man," being probably not much above, if indeed so much as sixty years of age. 
See Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. B. iii. ch. 23. Of this testimony, Prof. Stuart, who him- . 
self supposes that the Apocalypse was written before the death of Nero, says (L 
264), "The tyrant here meant is probably Domitian; at least, although he is not 
named by Clement, it is clear that Eusebius so understands the matter." 



INTRODUCTION. 



Victorinus, Bishop of Pettaw, and martyr in Diocletian's persecution, in his 
Commentary on the Apocalypse, written towards the close of the third century, 
says twice expressly that the Apocalypse was seen by the apostle John in the isle 
of Patinos, when banished thither by the Roman Emperor Domitian. See the 
passages quoted in Elliott, i. 39, and in Prof. Stuart, i. 264. The testimony is un- 
equivocal. 

To these testimonies from the early Fathers, may be added that of Jerome, who 
says that " John saw the Apocalypse on the island of Patmos, to which he was 
sent by Domitian/' and in another place he says that this occurred in the four- 
teenth year of the reign of Domitian. Adv. Jovin. Lib. i., Lardner, iv. 446, 447. 

And to these plain testimonies may be added those of Sulpicius Severus, and 
Orosius, contemporaries of Augustine; Gregory Turonensis (cent, vi.), Isidorus 
Hispaleusis (cent, vii.), Marianus Scotus, Primasius, and others. See Prof. Etuart, 
i. 264, 265, and Elliott, i. 38, 39. 

Such is the positive testimony that the book was written near the end of the 
reign of Domitian, and about A. D. 96. It is true that, notwithstanding this posi- 
tive testimory, there were some writers who assigned it to an earlier date. Thus 
Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis in Cyprus, in the latter half of the fourth century, 
speaks of John as having prophesied in the isle of Patmos in the days of the em- 
peror Claudius (A. D. 41-54), a time when, as Michaelis observes, it does not ap- 
pear from history that there was any imperial persecution of Christians whatever, 
and when, moreover, the probability is that, of the seven Apocalyptic churches, 
scarcely one was in existence, and the apostle John was in no way associated with 
them. Lardner (iv. 190) seems to suspect that in the passage referred to, the 
name Claudius was a fault of the transcriber. Epiphanius, however, received the 
Apocalypse as the work of John, and as an inspired book. Lardner, iv. 190. 
Others have ascribed the date of the book of Revelation to the time of Nero. 
Thus in thfi later Syriac version, the title-page declares that it was written in 
Patmos, whither John was sent by Nero Cesar. This version, however, was made 
in the beginning of the sixth century, and can have little authority in determining 
the question. It is not known by whom the version was made, or on what 
authority the author relied, when he said that John was banished to Patmos in 
the time of Nero. So also Andreas and Arethas, commentators on the book of 
Revelation, one of them in the beginning of the sixth century, and the other in 
the middle of the sixth century, make quotations from the book in such a manner 
as to show that they supposed that it was written before the destruction of Jeru- 
salem. They, however, made no express declaration on that point, and their tes- 
timony at any rate, at that late period, is of little value. A few other later writers 
also supposed that the book was written at an earlier period than the reign of 
Domitian. See Prof. Stuart, i. 268, 269. 

Such is the sum of the historical testimony as to the time when the Apocalypse 
was written ; and that testimony, it seems to me, is so clear as to settle the point 
' so far as the historical evidence is concerned, that the book was written near the 
end of the reign of Domitian, that is, about A. D. 95 or 96. My exposition of the 
book proceeds on the supposition that it was written at that time. 
3* 



XXX 



INTRODUCTION. 



2. There is another inquiry, however, as to the internal evidence, for on this 
ground it has keen maintained that it must have been written before the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, and in the time of Nero. See the argument in Prof. Stuart, i. 
270-282. 

Now, in regard to this, it may be remarked in general, that on the supposi- 
tion that it was written near the close of the life of John, and in the time of Do- 
mitian, it can be shown that there is no internal improbability or inconsistency; 
that is, in other words, all the known circumstances in regard to John, and to the 
condition of the church at that time, would accord with that supposition. Tor, 

(a) It is known that J ohn spent many of the later years of his life at Ephesus, 
in the midst of the seven churches to which the book was addressed, and the 
epistles in the book are such as they would be on that supposition. 

(b) It is admitted that there was a persecution of Christians in the time of Do* 
mitian ,• and of the persecution which he excited against Christians Mosheim re- 
marks that "he was an emperor little inferior to Nero in baseness of character and 
conduct. This persecution undoubtedly was severe; but it was of short continu- 
ance, as the emperor was soon murdered." Mosheim, i. 69. It commenced about 
A. D. 93 or 94. It is not certainly known how far it extended, but as the ground 
of the persecution was a fear of Domitian that he would lose his empire from some 
person among the relatives of Christ who would attempt a revolution (Mosheim, i t 
69, Milman, Hist, of Christianity, 193), there is every probability that it would be 
directed particularly to the East, and the countries near where the Saviour lived 
and died. 

(c) It is not improbable that John would be banished in this persecution. He 
was a man of great influence among Christians, and it is to be presumed that he 
would not escape the notice of those who were actively engaged in carrying on 
the persecution. Moreover, it is as probable that he would be banished as that he 
would be put to death, for, though we have few facts respecting this persecution, 
and few names are mentioned, yet we have one recorded instance in which banish- 
ment on account of professing the Christian religion took place. Thus Milman 
(Hist, of Christianity, p. 193), speaking of two of the cousin-germans of Domitian, 
<$ays, "The one fell an early victim to his jealous apprehensions. The other, 
Flavius Clemens, is described as a man of the most contemptible indolence of 
character. His powerful kinsman, instead of exciting the fears, enjoyed for some 
time the favor of Domitian. He received in marriage Domitilla, the niece of the 
emperor ; his children were adopted as heirs to his throne ; Clemens himself ob- 
tained the consulship. On a sudden these harmless kinsmen became dangerous 
conspirators ; they were arraigned on the unprecedented charge of Atheism and 
Jewish manners; the husband Clemens was put to death; the wife Domitilla, 
banished to the desert island of either Pontia or Tandataria" Nothing is more 
probable, therefore, than that John the Apostle should be also banished to a desert 
island — and Patmos was admirably adapted to such a purpose. See Notes on ch. 
L 9. There is, therefore, every thing in the circumstances to make it probable that 
the book was written at the time in which it is so uniformly said by the early 
historians to have been. Those things seem to me to make it proper to acquiesce 



INTRODUCTION. 



xxxi 



to the general opinion so long entertained in regard to the date of the Apocalypse, 
for there is, perhaps, no book of the New Testament whose date is better deter- 
mined on historical grounds than this. These considerations also make it un- 
necessary to examine the alleged internal' evidence from the book, that it was 
written before the destruction of Jerusalem, especially as it will be shown in the 
Notes, that the passages usually relied on, ch. yi. 9, 10; vii.; xi. 3, 8; xvii. 8, li, 
and ch. i. 1, 3; xxii. 7, 20, are susceptible of an easy and satisfactory explanation 
on the supposition that the book was written in the time of Domitian, or after the 
destruction of Jerusalem. 

§ 3. The place where the booh was written. 

The book itself purports (ch. i. 9), to have been written in the island of Patmos, 
where the writer says he was "for the word of God, and for the testimony of 
Jesus Christ:" that is, clearly, where he had been banished for his attachment to 
the Saviour. For an account of this island, see Notes in ch. i. 9. The only question 
that has ever been raised on this point is, whether this was a reality, or a poetical 
fiction; that is, whether the writer in his visions merely seemed to have been 
transferred to the place, and this was made the imaginary scene of the vision. 
The latter supposition has been entertained by Eichhorn in his Introduction to the 
New Testament (1810), and by some other writers. 

In favor, however, of understanding this as a literal fact, the following conside- 
rations may be suggested: 

1. The clear statement of the writer himself (ch. i. 9) : — a statement that should 
be received as literally true, unless there is something in the character of the com- 
position, or some intrinsic improbability in the case, to set it aside. If the com- 
position were avowedly fictitious or poetical, then it would be understood that 
such a statement was not to be received literally. And thus, in a prophetic record 
it might be clear that it was a mere visionary representation in which the prophet 
seemed to be transported to some place, where there would be no danger of mis- 
understanding it. Undoubtedly on this principle some of the visions of Ezekiel 
and Jeremiah are to be regarded as located at some place remote from that where 
the prophet was; and thus many of the visions in this book are located in heaven 
or elsewhere. But these cases are wholly different from the statement in ch. i. 9. 
Patmos is not represented as the mere scene of a vision. The statement occurs 
In a plain prose narrative, and there is no intrinsic improbability that it is true. 

2. This accords with the representation of history, and with the probabilities of 
the case, that John was actually banished to Patmos in a time of persecution. See 
§ 2. On this point the representations of history are uniform, and they are such 
that if a writer had designed to forge a book in the name of John, he would in all 
probability have fixed on Patmos as the scene of the vision from the fact that he 
was actually banished there. 

3. If Patmos was merely a fictitious place, why should John select it? What 
was there in that island that would have occurred to him as a proper place to be 
the scene of such visions? It was little known; it had no sacred associations; it 



XXX11 



INTRODUCTION. 



had neyer been represented as a place visited by the Most High; and it had n« 
particular relation to the scenes which are referred to. One born in Judea and 
trained under the influence of the Hebrew religion; one who was a disciple of 
Christ, and who had witnessed the scene of the transfiguration or the ascension, 
would have been much more likely to select Sinai, Carmel, Hermon, Tabor, or 
Olivet, as the scene where the visions were to be laid. These were consecrated 
spots. On these God had manifested himself in a peculiar manner; had conversed 
with men, and had given glorious exhibitions of his character and plans. Why 
should not one of these spots— any one of them in itself is as well adapted to 
be the scene of such visions as the lonely isle of Patmos — have teen selected? 
"Why was a Grecian island chosen — a place not once named in all the sacred 
writings, and so small and so desolate as to have been almost entirely, before this, 
unknown even in the heathen world? 

4. All the circumstances have the aspect of reality. It was a real persecution 
to which the writer refers, and it was a real affliction which he was experiencing, 
and the concinnity of the passage requires us to understand this as a real transfer 
to a lonely island. If that were a mere vision, then we should be required also, 
to understand the statement that he was "a companion of others in tribulatio?i" 
as a vision also, and his affliction as an account of an ideal transfer to that island. 
But this is contrary to the spirit of the passage in ch. L 9; and the whole, there- 
fore, should be understood as the statement of a literal fact. 

These considerations are sufficient to show that the common opinion that the 
visions were seen in the island of Patmos has every probability in its favor, and 
should be received as correct. Whether the record was actually made on that 
island, or was made afterwards, is a point on which no light can be observed, and 
which is of no importance. From such passages, however, as those in ch. x. 4; 
xiv. 13; xix. 9, and xxi. 5, it would seem probable that the record was made as 
soon as the visions were seen, and that the book was actually written in Patmos. 

| 4. The nature and design of the hook. 

This must be learned from an examination of the book itself, and the views en- 
tertained on this point will be determined in a great measure by the principles 
which are adopted in interpreting it. From the examination which I have given 
of the book, and the methods of interpretation which I have adopted, it seems to me 
that the matter and design of the book may be expressed in the following specifi- 
cations: — 

1. It was composed in a time of persecution, and in view of the persecutions and 
hostilities, external and internal, to which the church was then, and would be, ex- 
posed. Christianity was then in its infancy. It was comparatively feeble. It 
encountered the opposition of the world. The arm of the civil power was 
raised to crush it. It was also exposed to the attacks of internal foes, and 
persecutions would arise from its own bosom, and formidable enemies in future 
times would seem to endanger its very existence. Heresies, and divisions, and 
corruptions of doctrine and of practice, might' be expected to exist in its own 



INTRODUCTION. 



X2X111 



bosom ; times of conflict and darkness would come; changes would occur in govern- 
ments, that would deeply affect the welfare of the church; and there might be 
periods when it would seem to be doubtful whether the tine church would not 
become wholly extinct. The faith of Christians was, doubtless, sorely tried in the 
persecution which existed when the book was written, and would be in like man- 
ner often sorely tried in the corruptions and persecutions of future ages. 

2. The Apocalypse is designed to meet this state of feeling by furnishing the 
assurance that the Gospel would ultimately prevail; that all its enemies would 
be subdued, and the kingdom of the Messiah set up over all the world. It 
was intended to impart consolation to the people of God in all ages, and in all 
forms of persecution and trial, by the assurance that the true religion would be 
at last triumphant, thus furnishing an illustration of the truth of the declara- 
tions of the Savior respecting the church, that the "gates of hell should not pre- 
vail against it." Matt. xvi. 18. Hence every thing in the book tends to the final 
triumph of the gospel; and hence, at the close (ch. xx.), we have the assurance of 
its far-spread diffusion over the earth, for a period of a thousand years, and 
(chs. xxi. xxii.) a graphic view of the state of the redeemed when they shall 
be delivered from sin and wo, and when all tears shall be wiped away from theii 
eyes. 

3. The method of doing this is by giving a rapid glance at the great events of 
history bearing on the church in all coming times till it should be triumphant; oi 
by sketching a bold outline of the principal things that would serve to endanger 
the church, and the principal divine interpositions in behalf of the church, until 
its triumph should be secured upon the earth. This might have been done by 
direct statement, or by plain and positive assertion, as it was by many of the 
prophets; but the end, in this case, would be better secured by a glance at future 
history in such a way that while the great fact of the final triumph of the 
gospel would be kept before the church, there might be furnished a clear demon- 
stration, in the end, of the divine origin and inspiration of the book itself. This 
latter object, indeed, would have been in fact accomplished by a plain declaration, 
but it would be lest accomplished by such details as would show that the whole 
course of events was comprehended by the Holy Spirit — the real author of the 
whole. A general view of these details may be seen, according to the principles 
which I have adopted in the interpretation of the work, in the analysis at the closo 
of the introduction, g 5. 

4. The method in which this is mainly done in this book is by pictures or 
symbols ; for, above all the other books in the Bible, the Apocalypse is charac- 
terised by this method of representation, and it may eminently be called a book 
of symbols. It is this which has made it appear to be so obscure; and this parti- 
cularly which has given occasion for so great a variety in the metSods of inter- 
preting it — for there is no kind of representation that furnishes occasion for so 
much fanciful interpretation as that of symbolical writing. The true principle of 
interpreting symbolical language has been hitherto little understood, and conse- 
quently every writer has indulged his own fancy in affixing such a meaning to the 
svmbol as he chose. The result has been that there has been no generally ad- 



XXXIV 



INTRODUCTION. 



mitted principle of interpretation respecting this book, and that the variety of 
conjectures indulged, and the wild and vain theories advanced, have produced the 
impression that the book is not susceptible of a plain and sensible exposition. A 
very common belief is, that symbolical language must, from the nature of the case, 
be obscure and unintelligible, and that a book written in the manner of the Apoca- 
lypse must always be liable to the wild vagaries of imagination which have been 
so commonly exhibited in the attempts to explain this book. These considerations 
make it proper to offer a few remarks here about the nature of symbolical language, 
arid on the question whether a book written in that language is necessarily unin- 
telligible, or incapable of a plausible interpretation. 

A symbol is properly a representation of any moral thing by the images or pro- 
perties of natural things. Thus a circle is a symbol of eternity, as having neither 
beginning nor end; an eye is a symbol of wisdom; a lion of courage; a lamb of 
meekness and gentleness. This general idea of symbols is found in types, enigmas, . 
parables, fables, allegories, emblems, hieroglyphics, &c. The symbols mostly used 
in the book of Revelation are pictures, and could be painted — and indeed a great 
part of the book could be represented in a panorama, and would constitute a series 
of the most splendid drawings that the world can conceive. The following re- 
marks may throw some light on the reason why this mode of representation was 
adopted, and on the question whether a book written in this manner is necessarily 
unintelligible. 

(a) This method of representation is not uncommon in the ancient prophecies. - 
A considerable portion of Daniel and Ezekiel is written in this way; and it is often 
resorted to by Isaiah and the other prophets. It was a method of representation 
which accorded well with the warm and glowing imagination of the Orientals, and 
with the character of mind in the early periods of the world. It was supposed to 
be capable of conjeying ideas of important events; although it was doubtless un- 
derstood that there might be some degree of obscurity in the representation, and 
that study and ingenuity might be requisite in understanding it — as is always the 
case with parables and enigmas. "We have frequent instances in the Bible of a 
certain kind of trial of skill in expounding dark sayings and riddles, when the 
sense was intentionally so conveyed as to demand acuteness of thought in the ex- 
planation. The utterance of truths in symbolic language accorded much with this 
prevailing bent of mind in the ancient and the oriental world-— as we see in the 
iymbolical representations in Egypt. If the use of symbols, therefore, in the 
Apocalypse be urged as an objection to the book, the objection would lie with 
equal force against no small part of the writings of the ancient Hebrew prophets, 
and against a method of writing which was actually in extensive use in the early 
ages of the world. To object to it, must be to object that our own methods and 
visws were n©t the views and methods of all past ages; that the improved modes 
of communication in existence now were not in existence always. 

(5) Such a method of representation may be, however, clear and intelligible. 
The purpose of prophecy does not require that there should be in all cases an ex- 
plicit statement of what will occur, or a particular detail of names, dates, and cir- 
cumstances — for if such a statement were made, it is plain that it would be 



INTRODUCTION. 



XXXV 



possible, on the one hand, for an impostor so to shape his conduct as to seem to 
fulfil the prophecy, and, on the other, for wicked men, knowing exactly what was 
predicted, to prevent its fulfilment. All that is demanded in such predictions is 
(1) su?h a statement as undoubtedly refers to the future event; (2) such a state- 
ment as, when fairly interpreted, describes such an event; and (3) such a state- 
ment as that, when the event occurs, it shall be clear that this was the event 
referred to, or that the prediction cannot properly be referred to any other event: 
that is, so that they shall compare with each other as the two parts of a tally do. 
Now that symbolical language may have these characteristics, and may be in 
these respects sufficiently clear and plain, is evident from the following consi- 
derations : — 

1. A picture may be a correct representation of an event. It was thus among 
the Mexicans, who, by means of pictures, were enabled to give a correct represent- 
ation of the landing of the Spaniards, and to convey to their monarch a correct 
idea of the number and character of the Spanish forces. 

The following extract from Dr. Robertson's History of America, Book v. § xii., 
referring to the landing of the Spaniards in Mexico, will illustrate this: "During 
this interview [an interview between Cortes and the ambassadors of Montezuma], 
some painters in the train of the Mexican chiefs, had been diligently employed in 
delineating, upon white cotton cloths, figures of the ships, the horses, the artillery, 
the soldiers, and whatever else attracted their eyes, as singular. When Cortes 
observed this, and was informed that these pictures were to be sent to Montezuma, 
4n order to convey to him a more lively idea of the strange and wonderful objects 
now presented to their view, than any words could communicate, he resolved to 
render the representation still more animated and interesting, by exhibiting such 
a, spectacle as might give both them and their monarch an awful impression of the 
extraordinary prowess of his followers and the irresistible force of their arms." 

2. A symbol may be as definite in its signification as the arbitrary character 
which constitutes a letter with us, or the arbitrary character which denotes a 
syllable or a word with the Chinese. There is some reason to believe that the 
letters in most languages were at first pictures or symbols ; but whether this is 
true or not, it is easy to conceive that such might have been the case, and that as 
definite ideas might have been attached to the symbols employed as to the arbi- 
trary marks or signs. Thus, it is easy to suppose that a circle, a lion, an eagle, a 
horse, a banner, an axe, a lamb, might have been so employed as always to denote 
the same thing, in the same way as the letters of the alphabet do, and thus, con- 
sequently, the number of symbols employed might have been very numerous, 
though still retaining their definite character. 

3. The truth of these remarks has been illustrated by the recent investigations 
cf the symbolical language or hieroglyphical signs in Egypt. On the celebrated 
Rosetta stone, an inscription was found in three compartments of the stone, in 
three different languages — the first in hieroglyphical or symbolical language, the 
language used by the priests; the second in enchorical or demotic language — the 
language in common use among the Egyptian people; and the third in Greek. It 
was conjectured that the inscription in each language was the same, and that 



xxxvi 



INTRODUCTION. 



consequently there might be a key for explaining the symbols or the hiercN. 
glyphics so common in Egypt. Acting on this suggestion, Champollion was 
enabled to read the inscription in the Egyptian language, and to determine the 
meaning of the symbols in so common use in the ancient inscriptions, and the 
symbolical language of Egypt became as intelligible as other ancient forms of 
record — as it was undoubtedly when it was at first employed. Each of the symbols 
had a well-known signification, and was adapted to convey a definite idea. An 
account of this stone, and of the symbols of Egypt generally, may be seen in 
Gliddon's Ancient Egypt, ch. i. The symbols employed by the Hebrew prophets 
may have had, as used by them, as definite a meaning, and may be as susceptible 
of as clear an interpretation now, as the symbols employed in Egypt, or as any 
other language. The only real difficulty in interpreting them may have arisen 
from the fact that they referred to future events (see Notes on Rev. xvi. 12) ; the 
employment of such methods of writing was in accordance with the genius of the 
Orientals, and gave great poetic beauty to their compositions. 

4. It should be added, however, that peculiar care is necessary in the interpre- 
tation of writings of this character. There is much room for the indulgence of 
the imagination, and facts have shown that in almost nothing has so much 
indulgence been given to the fancy as in the interpretation of such books as 
Daniel and the Apocalypse. Indeed the explanations of these books have been 
so loose and wild as, with many, to bring the whole science of the interpretation 
of the prophecies into contempt, and to produce the very common impression that 
a rational and consistent exposition of such books as Daniel and the Apocalypse 
is impossible. A better mode of interpretation, it is hoped, however, is to prevail; 
a mode in which there will be more careful attention to the true meaning of 
symbols, and to the proper laws of symbolic language. The true method may not 
have been reached, and many errors may occur before it shall be reached. Eor 
many ages the meaning of the Egyptian hieroglyphics was entirely unknown. 
Thousands of conjectures had been made as to the method of reading those 
symbols; vast ingenuity had been exhausted; the hope was sometimes entertained 
that the clew had been discovered, but it was at last felt that all those proposed 
methods were fanciful, and the world had settled down in despair as to the pos- 
sibility of deciphering their meaning. The accidental discovery of the Rosetta 
stone, and the patient labors of De Sacy, Akerblad, Tychsen, and especially of 
Champollion, have changed the views of the world on that subject, and the hiero- 
glyphics of Egypt have become as intelligible as any other language. It is possible 
that the same may be true in regard to the meaning of the symbols of the sacred 
prophets; and that although those of Daniel and John may have seemed to be as 
obscure as those of Egypt, and although the most wild and extravagant opinions may 
ha,ve been entertained in regard to their meaning, yet the time may come when 
those books shall take their place among the well-understood portions of the Bible, 
and when the correspondence of the predictions couched under these symbols 
with the events shall be so clear that there shall be no lingering doubt on any 
mind that they are a part of the divine communications to mankind. Whether 
this attempt to explain one of those books will contribute any thing to a better 



INTRODUCTION. 



xxxvb 



understanding of the true meaning of the symbolical language employed by the 
prophets, must be submitted to the judgment of the reader. 

2 5. The plan of the Apocalypse. 

The book of Revelation may be regarded as divided into seven portions, em- 
bracing the following general points: — The Introduction, ch. i. ; The Epistles 
to the seven churches, chs. ii. iii. ; The Preparatory Vision, ch. iv.; The relation 
of the church to the external world, embracing the outward or secular aspect of 
things as bearing on the church, chs. v.-xi., 1-18; The internal state of the 
church — embracing the rise and destiny of Antichrist ; or, the internal history of 
the church until the overthrow of that formidable power, and the permanent and 
triumphant establishment of the kingdom of Christ, the last temporary apostacy, 
and the general judgment, chs. xi. 19; xii.-xx. ; The final condition of the righteous 
in their state of triumph and glory, chs. xxi. xxii. 1-5 ; and the epilogue or con- 
clusion, ch. xxii. 6-21. This plan, as pursued in this attempt to explain the book, 
may be seen mere in detail in ihe Analysis on the following pages. 



ANALYSIS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION. 



PART FIRST. 

GENERAL INTRODUCTION, CH. I. 

1. The title and design of the Book, ch. i. 1-3. 

2. Dedication to the seven churches of Asia, ch. i. 4-8. 

3. Vision of the Redeemer, ch. i. 9-18. 

4. Commission to write to the seven churches, ch. i. 19, 20. 

PART SECOND. 

EPISTLES TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA, CHS. II. 1XJ. 

1. Epistle to the church at Ephesus, ch. ii. 1-7. 

2. Epistle to the church at Smyrna, ch. ii. 8-11. 

3. Epistle to the church at Pergamos, ch. ii. 12-17. 

4. Epistle to the church at Thyatira, ch. ii. 18-29. 

5. Epistle to the church at Sardis, ch. iii. 1-6. 

6. Epistle to the church at Philadelphia, ch. iii. 7-13. 

7. Epistle to the church at Laodicea, ch. iii. 14-22. 

PART THIRD. 

PREPARATORY YISION, CH. IK. 

1. The scene laid in heaven, ch. iv. 1, 2. 

2. The vision of God, of the elders, and of the living creatures, ch. iv. 3-8. 

3. The worship rendered to God, ch. iv. 9-11. 

PART FOURTH. 

THE EXTERNAL RELATIONS OF THE CHURCH THE RELATION TO SECULAR 

AFFAIRS, POLITICAL CHANGES AND REVOLUTIONS, AS BEARING ON THE 
CHURCH, CHS. V-XI., 1-18. 

I. The sealed hook, containing the record of these events, in the hand of him 
tnat sat on the throne. The Lamb of God only could open it. The joy in heaven 
that ono was found who could open the seals, ch. v. 

(xxxviii) 



ANALYSIS. 



XXXIX 



TL The opening of the seals. 

1. The opening of the first seal, ch. vi. 1, 2. 

2*f white horse. Peace, prosperity, and triumph : — fulfilled in the state of 
the Roman empire from the death of Domitian, A. D. 96, to the acces- 
sion of Commodus, A. D. 180. 

2. The opening of the second seal, ch. vi. 3, 4. 

The red horse. Bloodshed, discord, civil strife : — fulfilled in the state of 
the Roman empire from the death of Commodus, A. D. 193, and on- 
ward. 

3. The opening of the third seal, ch. vi. 5, 6. 

The black horse. Calamity, distress, want, trouble : — fulfilled in the Roman 
empire in the scarcity of food that prevailed ; the excessive taxation : 
the special order not to destroy the olive-yards and vineyards, the 
sources of revenue, in the time of Caracalla, A. D. 211, and onward. 

4. The opening of the fourth seal, ch. vi. 7, 8. 

The pale horse. The reign of Death, in the form of famine, pestilence, 
disease : — fulfilled in the Roman empire in the bloodshed, famine, and 
pestilence that prevailed in the time of Decius, Gallus, uEmilianus, Va- 
lerian, and Gallianus, A. D. 243-268. 

5. The opening of the fifth seal, ch. vi. 9-11. 

The martyrs. Fulfilled in the Roman empire in the persecutions, particu- 
larly in the time of Diocletian, A. D. 284-304: — the last of the efforts in 
the Pagan world to extinguish the Christian name. 

6. The opening of the sixth seal, ch. vi. 12-17. 

Consternation and alarm as if the world was coming to an end: — fulfilled 
in the Roman empire in the threatening invasions of the Goths in the 
neighborhood of the Danube, pressed on by the Huns, and producing 
universal alarm and consternation, A. D. 365, and onwards. 

pgt' Intermediate vision between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals. A 
view of the persecution of the church, and the glory of the saints in ^heaven — 
designed to sustain the mind in the midst of so much gloom, and to furnish the 
assurance that innumerable multitudes of men would be brought to glory, ch. 
vii. 

(a) The impending storm of wrath that seemed to threaten universal de- 
struction is suspended in order that the servants of God might be sealed, 
ch. vii. 1-3. 

(6) The sealing process — indicating the preservation of the church in these 

times of danger, and the influences that would designate and save the 

true people of God in all time to come, ch. vii. 4-8. 
(c) A vision of an immense host before the throne, gathered out- of all 

people and all lands, ch. vii. 9-12. 
\d) A view of the martyrs who would be saved: — a view designed to give 

comfort in the trials that would come upon the people of God in this 

world, ch. vii 13, 14. 



xl 



ANALYSIS. 



(e) A view of the happiness of heaven — where all suffering will cease, and 
all tears be wiped away, ch. vii. 15-17. 
7. The opening of the seventh seal, ch. viii. — xi. 1-18. 

Seven trumpets given to seven angels to sound, and the preparatory ar- 
rangements for sounding, ch. viii. 1-6. 

^efT" Two series of events referring to the West and the East in the downfall ol 
the Roman Empire. 

A. The West — to the fall of the Western empire — four trumpets. 

(a) The first trumpet sounded, ch. viii. 7. 

The invasion of the Roman Empire by Alaric, king of the Goths, A. D. 
395-410. 

(b) The second trumpet sounded, ch. viii. 8, 9. 

The invasion of the Roman Empire by Genseric, king of the Vandals, 
A. D. 428-468. 

(c) The third trumpet sounded, ch. viii. 10, 11. 

The invasion of the Roman Empire by Attila, king of the Huns, ' Scourge 
of God/ A. D. 433-453. 

(d) The fourth trumpet sounded, ch. viii. 12, 13. 

The final conquest of Rome and the Western Empire by Odoacer, king 
of the Heruli, A. D. 476-490. 

B. The East — to the fall of the Eastern Empire — two trumpets, ch. ix. 

(e) The fifth trumpet sounded, ch. ix. 1-12. 
The Mohammedans, or Saracens. 

(/) The sixth trumpet sounded, ch. ix. 13-19. 
The Turkish power. 

The interval between the fall of the Eastern Empire, and the sounding 
of the seventh trumpet, ch. ix. 20 — xi. 13. 

(a) The result of these judgments, ch. 20, 21. 

They produce no change in the moral condition of the world : — fulfilled 
in the state of the Papal world after the conquest of Constantinople, 
and before the Reformation. 

(b) An angel is seen descending from heaven with emblems of majesty, 
joy, and peace, ch. x : — fulfilled in the Reformation. 

1. The angel with the rainbow on his head, and his face like the sun, a 
proper symbol of the Reformation as a work of peace, and accom- 
panied with light and knowledge, ch. x. 1. 

2. The little book in his hand, a symbol of the principal agent in the 
Reformation — a book — - the Bible, ch. x. 2. 

3. His crying with a loud voice — symbolical of the Reformation as 
arresting the attention of the nations, ch. x. 3. 

4. The seven thunders — the anathemas of Papal Rome — the thunder of 
the seven-hilled city, ch. x. 3. 



ANALYSIS. 



5. The purpose of John to record what the seven thunders had uttered, 
and the command not to write : — the mistake which the Reformers 
were in danger of making, by regarding the doctrine of the Papacy as 
the truth of God, ch. x. 4. 

6. The solemn oath of the angel that the time predicted would not then 
occur, but would occur in the time when the seventh angel should 
sound (ch. x. 5-7) : — fulfilled in the anticipations of the Reformers 
that the world was about to come to an end, and the reign of Christ 
about to commence, and the assurance of the angel that this would 
not then occur, but that a long and important interval must take place. 

7. The command given to John to go and take the little book from the 
hand of the angel (ch. x. 8) : — fulfilled in the delivery of the Bible 
again to the church. 

8. The command to eat it, and the consequences — sweet in the mouth, 
and bitter to the belly (ch. x. 9, 10) : — the effect of the pure word of 
God on the soul indicated by the one; the bitter consequences, in 
persecution and opposition, that would result from the attempt to make 
the truth known to the world — indicated by the other. 

9. The assurance that he would yet prophesy before many people, and 
nations, and tongues, and kings (ch. x. 10) : — fulfilled in the restora- 
tion of preaching in the church, founded on the Bible, and in the im- 
mediate and ultimate influence of the Bible in making the gospel 
known to the world. 

(c) The measuring of the holy city, ch. xi. 1, 2 : — the determining of what 
constituted the true church at the time of the Reformation. 

(d) The two witnesses, ch. xi. 3-13. Those who bore faithful testimony to 
the truth in all the corruptions of the church; their trials and their 
triumph : — fulfilled in the succession of true and sincere Christians whom 
God raised up from time to time to testify to the truth. They would be 
persecuted, and many of them would be put to death ; they would seem 
to be finally silenced, and would be treated with great indignity, as if 
their dead bodies should remain unburied; they would, however, 
come to life again ; — that is, at the time of theReformation they would 
rise and testify against the corruptions of the Papacy, and would triumph 
as if they ascended visibly and gloriously to heaven. 

The sounding of the seventh trumpet. The final triumph of the church, 
and the establishment of the kingdom of God in the overthrow of all its 
enemies, ch. xi. 14-18. This ends the first series of visions ; and this ex- 
presses in general terms what is drawn out more in detail in the next 
series of visions (Part V.), embracing more particularly the rise and pro- 
gress of Antichrist 



4* 



ANALYSIS. 



PART FIFTH. 

*HE CHURCH INTERNALLY ; THE RISE OF ANTICHRIST, AND THE EFFECT Of 
THAT FORMIDABLE POWER ON THE INTERNAL HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, 
TO THE TIME OF THE OVERTHROW OF THAT GREAT POWER, AND THE TRI- 
UMPHANT ESTABLISHMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, CH. XI. 19, XII-XX* 

A. General Introduction to this series of visions, ch. xi. 19, xii. 

(1.) A new vision of the temple of God opened in heaven, ch. xi. 19. 
(2.) A representation of the church, under the image of a beautiful woman, 
ch. xii. 1. 

(3.) The particular thing designed to be represented — the church about to 

increase and to fill the world, ch. xii. 3. 
(4.) The deadly hostility of Satan to the church, and his purpose to destroy 

it, represented by a great red dragon waiting to destroy the man-child, ch, 

xii. ; 3, 4. 

'5.) The ultimate safety of the church, represented by the child caught up to 
heaven, ch. xii. 5. 

(6.) The fact that the church would be a long time obscure and hidden — 

represented by the woman fleeing into the wilderness, ch. xii. 6. 
(7.) A scenic representation of the great contest going on in the universe 

about the church, — represented by a conflict in heaven between Michael, 

the Protector of the church, with his angels, and Satan, the great enemy 

of the church, with his angels, ch. xii. 7. 
(8) The ultimate discomfiture of Satan, represented by his being overcome 

and cast out of heaven, ch. xii. 8, 9. 
(9.) A song of victory in view of this triumph, ch. xii. 10, 11. 
(10.) The fact that Satan would be allowed, for a limited time, to persecute 

Hie church, eh. xii. 12, 13. 
( &.) The church in the wilderness, ch. xii. 14-17. 

U ) The church would be driven into obscurity — like a woman fleeing into 
a desert — representing the condition of the church while the Papacy 
should have the ascendency, ver. 14. 

(b) The church would still be preserved, though in obscurity — represented 
bv the woman nourished by some unseen power, ver. 14. 

(c) Satan would still rage against the church — represented by the dragon 
pouring forth a flood of waters to overwhelm the woman, ver. 15. 

{d) Th<s church would be protected, as if the earth should open its mouth 
to swallow up the water — representing the interpositions from an unex- 
pected oJiArter in delivering the church from its perils, ver. 16. 

(e) The wr^th of Satan against the remnant — representing the attempts of 
the Pf.Dacy to cut off individuals when open and general persecution no 
longer raged, ver. 17. . 



ANALYSIS. 



xliii 



B. The two beasts, representing the great persecuting power in the church, ch. 
xiii. 

(1.) The first beast, representing the Roman civil, or secular power that sus- 
tained the Papacy in its career of persecution, ch. xiii. 1-10. 
„, (2.) The second beast, representing the Papal ecclesiastical power — giving 
life to the former, and perpetuating its influence on the earth, ch. xiii, 
11-18. 

C. A representation designed, under a succession of symbols, to cheer and 
sustain the church in its present and prospective trials, with the assurance of 
its final triumph, and the ultimate destruction of all its foes, ch. xiv. 

(1.) A vision of the redeemed in heaven, triumphant and rejoicing, vs. 1-5. 
(2.) The ultimate spread of the gospel through all the world, vs. 6, 7. 
(3.) The fall of Babylon, the great an ti- christian power, ver. 8. 
(4.) The final overthrow of all the upholders of that anti-christian power, 
vs. 9-12. 

(5.) The blessed state of those who should die in the Lord in any time, 

whether of persecution or peace, ver. 13. 
(6.) The consummation of all things — the final triumph of the church, and 

the overthrow of the wicked, vs. 14-20. 

(a) The great harvest of the world by the Son of God — the gathering in 

of the righteous, vs. 14-16. 
(o) The final overthrow and destruction of the wicked, vs. 17-20. 

D. Preparation for the final judgment on the beast and his image, ch. xv. 

(a) A new wonder is seen in heaven ; seven angels appear, having the seven 
last plagues, to fill up or complete the wrath of God, ver. 1. 

(6) Those who in former times had suffered from persecution by the power 
represented by the beast, but who, in the midst of trial and temptation, 
had maintained their faith steadfast, now appear to celebrate with a song 
of victory the prospective downfall of the great foe, vs. 2-4. 

(c) Arrangements made for executing the wrath of God. The temple is open 
in heaven; seven angels come out having the seven last plagues; one of 
th© four living creatures gives command to them to go and execute the 
divine purpose, presenting seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God ; 
the temple is forthwith filled with smoke, preventing all access to the Mercy- 
seat, and indicating that the divine purpose was inexorable, vs. 5-8. 

E. The execution of the purpose, ch. xvi. 

(1.) The first vial, vs. 1, 2. The first blow struck on the Papacy in the 
French Revolution. 

(2.) The second vial, ver. 3. The scenes of blood and carnage in that Revo- 
lution. 

(3.) The third vial, vs. 4-7. The calamities brought by the French invasions 
upon the countries where the most bloody persecutions had been ^-a.gecl-» 
the North of Italy. 

(4.) The fourth vial, vs. 8, 9. The overturning of the governments that sus 



xliv 



ANALYSIS. 



tained the Papal power, in the wars consequent on the French Revolu- 
tion. 

(5.) The fifth vial, vs. 10, 11. The direct assault on the Papal power; the 
capture of the Pope himself, and the temporary entire subjugation of Rome 
by the French arms. ^ 

(6.) The sixth vial , vs. 12—16. The decline of the Turkish power ; the 
rapid extension of the gospel in the East ; the rallying of the strength of 
Paganism, Mohammedanism, and Romanism — represented by the three 
frogs that came out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false 
prophet; the preparation of those powers as if for some great conflict, and 
the decisive struggle between the church and its foes, as if the issue were 
staked on a single battle — in Armageddon. 

(7.) The seventh vial, vs. 17-21. The complete and final overthrow of the 
Papal power, as if in a tremendous storm of hail, lightning, and thunder, 
accompanied with an earthquake. 

F. A particular description of the judgment on this formidable anti-christian 
power, under a new image of an harlot (ch. xvii.), in the form of an explana- 
tory Episode. 

(1.) Introduction to the Episode — the vision of the woman sitting on many 
waters, vs. 1-3. 

(2.) A particular description of the anti-christian power referred to, under the 
image of an abandoned and gaily-attired woman, vs. 3-6. 

(3.) A particular explanation of what is designed to be represented by tho 
image of the scarlet-colored woman, vs. 7-18. 

(a) The angel promises to explain it, ver. 7. 

(b) A symbolical representation of the design of the vision, vs. 8-14. 

(c) A more literal statement of what is meant, vs. 15-18. The whole de- 
signed to characterize Papal Rome, and to describe the manner of its rise 

* and the means of its ultimate destruction. 

G. A description of the effect of that judgment in pouring out the seventh vial 
on that formidable anti-christian power, under the image of a rich and luxu- 
rious city : — a further explanatory Episode, ch. xviii. 

(1.) A vision of an angel coming from heaven, vs. 1-3. 

(2.) A warning voice calling on the people of God to come out of the mystical 

Babylon, and not to partake of her sin and her doom, vs. 4-8. 
(3.) Lamentation over her fate : — 

(a) By kings, that had lived delicately with her, vs. 9, 10. 

(b) By merchants that had been enriched by her, vs. 11-17. 

(c) By mariners that had trafficked with her, vs. 17-19. 
(4.) Rejoicing over her fate, ver. 20. 

(5.) The final destruction of the mystical Babylon — the Papal power — repre- 
sented by a millstone cast by an angel into the sea, vs. 21-24 

H. A further episodical representation of the effects that would result from tli€ 



ANALYSIS. 



xlv 



fall of the powers that opposed the reign of the Son of God and the intro- 
duction of the Millennium, with an account of the final destruction of these 
powers, ch. xix. 

(1,) A hymn of the heavenly hosts in view of the destruction of the mystical 
Babylon, vs. 1-7. 

(a) A voice of many people in heaven, shouting Hallelujah, vs. 1, 2. 

(b) The sound echoed and repeated as the smoke of her torment ascends, 
ver. 3. 

(c) The four and twenty elders, and the four living creatures unite in the 
song, ver. 4. 

(d) A voice heard commanding them to praise God, ver. 5. 

(e) The mighty shout of Hallelujah echoed and repeated from unnumbered 
hosts, vs. 6, 7. 

(2.) The marriage of the Lamb as the reason of this increased joy, vs. 8, 9. 

(3.) John, overcome with this scene, and filled with rapturous joy in view of 
the final triumphs of the church, prostrates himself before the angel to wor- 
ship him, ver. 10. 

^4.) The final conquest over the beast and the false prophet, vs. 11-21. 

(a) A description of the conqueror — the Son of God — as he goes forth to 
victory, attended by the armies of heaven, vs. 11-16. 

(6) An angel is seen standing in the sun, calling on all the fowls of heaven 
to come to the great feast prepared for them in the destruction of the 
enemies of God, vs. 17, 18. 

(c) The final war, vs. 19-21. The beast and the kings of the earth and 
their armies gather together for the battle; the beast and the false prophet 
taken, and cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone ; the re- 
mainder of the enemies of the church slain. The last enemy of the church 
on earth is destroyed, and the way is prepared for its universal triumph. 

I The Millennial period and the final judgment, ch. xx. 
(1.) The binding of Satan, vs. 1-3. 

(2.) The Millennium, vs. 4-6. Thrones are placed as if there were to be a 
judgment; the spirit of the martyrs and saints is revived again as if they 
were raised from the dead, and lived again on the earth ; Satan is confined, 
and the church enjoys a state of repose and prosperity, for the period of a 
thousand years. 

(3.) The release of Satan for a little time, vs. 7, 8. After the thousand years 
are expired, he is permitted to go forth again among the nations, and to 
awaken a new form of hostility to Christ and the church. 

(4.) The final overthrow, subjugation, and punishment of Satan and those op- 
posing hosts, and the final triumph, therefore, of the church, vs. 7, 8. 

(5.) The final judgment on all mankind, vs. 11-15. All the dead are raised ; 
the sea gives up its dead ; death and Hades give up their dead, and a solemn 
and just judgment is pronounced on all mankind, and the wicked are 
consigned to the lake of fire. 



xlvi 



ANALYSIS. 



PART SIXTH. 

THE FINAL CONDITION OF THE RIGHTEOUS — THE STATE OF FUTURE BLESS- 
EDNESS, CHS. XXI. XXII. 1-5. 

(1.) A vision of the new heavens and new earth, as the final abode of the 

righteous, ch. xxi. 1. 
(2.) That blessed future abode represented under the image of a beautiful city 

descending from heaven, ch. xxi. 2-4. 
(3.) A particular description of the city, as the final abode of the righteous — 

its general appearance, its walls, its gates, its foundations, its size, its light, 

its inmates, Ac, ch. xxi. 9-27. ; xxii. 1-5. 

PART SEVENTH. 

THE EPILOGUE, OR CONCLUSION, CH. XXII. 6-20. 

(a) A solemn declaration that the things revealed in this book are true, vs. 6, 7. 
(6) The effect of those revelations on John, vs. 8, 9. 

(c) A command not to seal up what had been revealed, ver. 10. 

(d) The unchangeable condition of the righteous and the wicked in the future 
state, vs. 14, 15. 

(e) The blessedness of those who have a right to enter into the Holy City, 
ter. 15. 

(/) Jesus declares himself to be author of all these revelations, ver. 16. 

(g) The free invitations of the gospel to all men, ver. 17. 

(h) A solemn injunction not to change any thing that had been written in 
this book, vs. 18, 19. 

(i) The assurance of the Saviour that he would come quickly, and the joyous 
assent of J ohn to this, and prayer that it might occur, ve* , 20. 

(j) The benediction, ver. 21. 



THE BOOK OP 



REVELATION. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE Revelation of Jesus Christ, 
which God gave unto him, to 
show unto his servants things which 



CHAPTER I. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter contains a general Intro- 
duction to the whole book, and com- 
prises the following parts : — 

I. The announcement that the object 
of the boon is to record a revelation 
which the Lord Jesus Christ had made 
of important events which were shortly 
to occur, and which were signified by an 
angel to the author — John, vs. 1-3. A 
blessing is pronounced on him who should 
read and understand the book, and spe- 
cial attention is directed to it because 
the time was at hand when the pre- 
dicted event would occur. 

II. Salutation to the seven churches 
of Asia, vs. 4-8. To those churches, it 
would seem from this, the book was ori- 
ginally dedicated or addressed, and two 
of the chapters (II. and III.) refer ex- 
clusively to them. Among them evi- 
dently the author had resided (ver. 9), 
and the whole book was doubtless sent 
to them, and committed to their keeping. 
In this salutation, the author wishes for 
them grace, mercy, and peace from "him 
which is, and which was, and which is 
to come" — the original fountain of all 
light and truth — referring to the Father; 
"from the seven spirits which are before 
the throne" — referring to the Holy Spirit 
(see Note on ver. 4), by whom all grace 
is communicated to men ; and from the 
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the revela- 
tion is imparted. As it is his revelation ; 
as it is designed peculiarly to glorify 
him ; and as it predicts the final triumph 
of his religion, the author appends to this 
reference to him a special ascription of 
praise, vs. 5-8. He refers to the great 
work which he had done for his people 
in redeeming them, and making them 
kings and priests to God; he assures 
those to whom he wrote that he would 
come in glory to the world again, and 
that all eyes would see him ; and he re- 
presents the Redeemer himself as ap- 
plying to his own person a title — "Alpha 
•Anxd Omega" — "the beg ; nning and the 



must shortly come to pass ; and he 
sent and signified it by his angel 
unto his servant J ohn : 



ending" — which indicates his exalted 
nature, and his supreme authority. 

III. The commission of the writer; or 
his authority for thus addressing the 
churches of Asia, vs. 9-20. His autho- 
rity to do this is derived from the fact 
that the Lord Jesus had appeared to him 
personally in his exile, and had directed 
him to reveal what he saw in vision, and 
to send it to those churches. — The state- 
ment of this commission is made as im- 
pressive as it well could be. (a) The 
writer was an exile — banished to a lonely 
island on account of the common faith, 
ver. 9. (6) On the day of Christian rest 
— the day set apart to the memory of 
the Saviour, and which he sacredly ob- 
served in his solitude as holy time — 
when in the spirit of calm contempla- 
tion on the truths appropriate to this 
day, he suddenly heard the voice of his 
Redeemer, like a trumpet, commanding 
him to record what he saw, and to send 
it to the seven churches of Asia, vs. 10, 
11. (c) Then follows (vs. 12-18) a mag- 
nificent description of the appearance of 
the Saviour, as he appeared in his glory. 
He is seen standing in the midst of seven 
golden candlesticks; clothed in a long 
white robe ; girded with a girdle of gold; 
his hair white, his eyes like a flame of 
fire, his feet like brass, and his voice like 
the roaring of mighty waters. In his 
hand are seven stars, and from his mouth 
goes a sharp sword, and his countenanco 
is like the sun in the full splendor of its 
shining. John falls at his feet as if he 
were dead; and the Saviour lays his 
right hand upon him, and animates him 
with the assurance that though he had 
himself been dead he is now alive, and 
would forever live, and that he has the 
keys of hell and death, (d) Then fol- 
lows the commission itself, vs. 19, 20. 
He was to make a record of the things 
which he saw. He was especially to 
unfold the meaning of the seven stars 
which he saw in tie right hand of the 
Saviour, and of tie seven golden can- 
dlesticks, as referring to the seven 



48 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



churches of Asia Minor ; and was then 
to describe the series of visions which 
pertained to the future history and des- 
tiny of the church at large. 

In the scene represented in this chap- 
ter, there is some imagery which would 
be suggested by the arrangements in the 
temple at Jerusalem, and it has been 
supposed (Elliott, i. 72, 73) that the vi- 
sion was laid there, and that Christ is 
represented as walking among the seven 
lamps "habited as the ancient High 
Priest." But the vision is not such an 
one as would have been presented in the 
holy place in the temple. In that place 
ihere was but one lamp-stand, with seven 
sconces ; here, there were seven separate 
lamp-stands : — there were there no 
" stars," and the vestments of the Jewish 
Kigh Priest were not those in which the 
Saviour is represented as appearing. He 
bad no mitre, no ephod, no breast-plate, 
and no censer. The object was not to 
represent Christ as a priest, or as super- 
seding the Jewish high priest; but to 
represent him with costume appropriate 
to the Son of God — as having been 
raised from the dead, and received to 
the glory of heaven. His vestments are 
neither those of a prophet, a king, nor a 
priest : not with such garments as the 
ancient prophets wore ; nor with crown 
and sceptre such as monarchs bear ; nor 
yet with the usual habiliments of a 
priest. He appears as the Son of God, 
irrespective of the offices that he bears, 
and comes as the glorified Head of the 
Church to declare his will in regard to 
the seven churches of Asia, and to dis- 
close the future for the guidance and 
comfort of his church at large. The 
scene appears to be laid at Patmos, and 
the apostle in the vision of the Saviour 
does not appear to have regarded himself 
as transferred to any other place. The 
view which is to be kept before the mind 
in the description of " the things that 
are" (chs. ii. iii,), is that of seven burn- 
ing lamps, and the Son of God standing 
among them. Thus, amidst these lamps 
representing the churches, he dictates 
to the apostle what he shall write to the 
churches; thus with seven stars in his 
hand, representing the angels of the 
churches, he dictates what shall be said 
to them. Is it unnatural to suppose 
that the position of those lamps might 
have been arranged in the vision in a 
manner resembling the geographical 



position of the churches themselves ? If 
so, the scene would be more significant, 
and more sublime. 

1. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, 
This is evidently a title or caption of the 
whole book, and is designed to comprise 
the substance of the whole ; for all that 
the book contains would be embraced in 
the general declaration that it is a Reve- 
lation of Jesus Chiast. The word ren- 
dered Revelation — 'AnoicdXvtpig— whence 
we have derived our word Apocalypse — 
means properly an uncovering; that 
is, nakedness — from 'airoKaXv-TU) — to un- 
cover. It would apply to any thing 
which had been covered up so as to b« 
hidden from the view — as by a veil ; by 
darkness ; in an ark or chest, and then 
made manifest by removing the cover- 
ing. It comes then to be used in the 
sense of disclosing or revealing, by re- 
moving the veil of darkness or ignorance. 
" There is nothing covered that shall not 
be revealed." It may be applied to the 
disclosing or manifesting of any thing 
which was before obscure or unknown. 
This may be done (a) by instruction in 
regard to that which was before obscure ; 
that is, by statements of what was un- 
known before the statements were made, 
as in Luke ii. 32, where it is said that 
Christ would be " a light to lighten the 
Gentiles" — 0wj els anoKdXc^liv «$va>v,-— or 
when it is applied to the divine mys- 
teries, purposes, or doctrines, before 
obscure or unknown, but made clear by 
light revealed in the Gospel, Rom. xvi. 
25 ; 1 Cor. ii. 1ft, xiv. 6 ; Eph. iii. 5 (&>. 
By the event itself; as the manifestation 
of the wrath of God at the day of judg- 
ment will disclose the true nature of his 
wrath. "After thy hardness and im- 
penitent heart treasurest up to thyself 
wrath against the day of wrath, and 
revelation of the righteous judgment of 
God," Rom. ii, 5. " For the earnest ex- 
pectation of the creature waiteth for the 
manifestation (Gr., revelation) of the sons 
of God," (Rom. viii. 19), that is, till it 
shall be manifest by the event what they 
who are the children of God are to be. 
In this sense the word is frequently ap- 
plied to the second advent or appearing 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, as disclosing 
him in his glory, or showing what he 
truly is 2 Thess. i. 7, " When the Lord 
shall be revealed" — h rfi aroKd\o\lei—* 
in the revelation of Jesus 'Christ. 1 Cor. 
i. 7, " Waiting for the coming" (the rs« 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER I. 



49 



relation — rriv airoirdXv^ ip) of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." 1 Peter, i. 7, "At the ap- 
pearing" (Gr., revelation) " of Jesus 
Christ." See also 1. Pet. iv. 13, " When 
his glory shall be revealed." (c). It is 
used in the sense of making known what 
is to come — whether by words, signs, or 
symbols — as if a veil were lifted from 
that which is hidden from human vision, 
or which is covered by the darkness of 
the unknown future. This is called a 
revelation, because the knowledge of the 
event is in fact made known to the 
world by him who alone can see ity and 
in such a manner as he pleases to em- 
ploy, though many of the terms or the 
symbols may be, from the necessity of 
the case, obscure ; and though their full 
meaning may be disclosed only by the 
event. It is in this sense, evidently, 
that the word is used here ; and in this 
sense that it is more commonly employed 
when we speak of a revelation. Thus 
the word T\h} (gala) is used in Amos 

iii. 7 : . " Surely the Lord God will do 
nothing but he revealeth his secret unto 
his servants." So Job xxxiii. 16, " Thus 
he openeth (marg., revealeth, or un- 
covereth, Heb. nS^) the ears of men 

that is, in a dream, he discloses to their 
ears his truth before concealed or un- 
known. Comp. Dan. ii. 22, 28, 29, x. 1. 
Deut. xxix. 29. These ideas enter into the 
word as used in the passage before us. 
The idea is that of a disclosure of an ex- 
traordinary character, beyond the mere 
ability of man, by a special communi- 
cation from heaven. This is manifest, 
not only from the usual meaning of this 
word, but by the word prophecy, in ver. 
3, and by all the arrangements by which 
these things were made known. The 
ideas which would be naturally con- 
veyed by the use of this word in this 
connection are two: (1) that there was 
something which was before hidden, 
obscure, or unknown, and (2) that this 
was so disclosed by these communi- 
cations as to be seen or known. The 
things hidden or unknown were those 
which pertained to the future ; the me- 
thod of disclosing them was mainly by 
symbols. In the Greek, in this passage, 
the article is wanting — 'a^oKa'Au^is — a 
Revelation, not ^ the Revelation. This 
h omitted because it is the title of a 
hook, and because the use of the article 
might imply that this was the only re- 



velation, excluding other books claiming 
to be a revelation; or it might imply 
some previous mention of the book, or 
knowledge of it in the reader. The 
simple meaning is, that this was "a 
Revelation ;" it was only a part of the 
Revelation which God has given to 
mankind. 

The phrase " the Revelation of Jesus 
Christ," might, so far as the construc- 
tion of the language is concerned, refer 
either to Christ as the subject or object. 
It might either mean that Christ is the 
object revealed in this book, and that its 
great purpose is to make him known — 
and so the phrase is understood in the 
commentary called Hyponoia (Kew York, 
1844) ; or it may mean that this is a re- 
velation which Christ makes to man- 
kind — that is, it is his in the sense that 
he communicates it to the world. That 
this latter is the meaning here is clear, 
(1) because it is expressly said in this 
verse that it was a revelation which God 
gave to him; (2) because it is said that 
it pertains to things which must shortly 
come to pass; and (3) because, in fact, 
the revelation is a disclosure of events 
which were to happen, and not of the 
person or work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
% Which God gave unto him. Which 
God imparted or communicated to Jesus 
Christ. This is in accordance with the 
representations every where made in the 
scriptures, that God is the original foun- 
tain of truth and knowledge, and that, 
whatever was the original dignity of the 
Son of God, there was a mediatorial 
dependence on the Father. See John, v. 
19, 20 : " Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
The Son can do nothing of himself, but 
what he seeth the Father do ; for what- 
soever he doeth, then also doeth the Son 
likewise. For the Father loveth the 
Son, and showeth him (SeUvvaiv, avT%) all 
things that himself doeth." John vii. 
16: "My doctrine is not mine, but his 
that sent me." John viii. 28 : "As my 
Father hath taught me (iSiSa^e pe), I 
speak these things." J ohn xii. 49 : "For 
I have not spoken of myself; but the 
Father which sent me, he gave me a 
commandment, what I should say, and 
what I should speak." See also John 
xiv. 10, xvii. 7, 8. Matt, xi, 27. Mark 
xiii. 32. The same mediatorial depend- 
ence the apostle teaches us still subsists 
in heaven in his glorified state, and will 
continue until he has subdued all things 



SO 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



(1 Coi. xv. 24-28), and hence, even in that 
state, he is represented as receiving the 
.Revelation from the Father to commu- 
nicate it to men. %To show unto his ser- 
vants. That is. tea his people ; to Chris- 
tians, often represented as the servants 
of God or of Christ. 1 Pet. ii. 16. Rev. 
ii. 20, vii. 3, xix. 2, xxii. 3. It is true 
that the word is sometimes applied by 
way of eminence to the prophets (1 
Chron. vi. 49, Dan. vi. 20), and to the 
apostles (Rom. i. 1, Gal. i. 10, Phil. i. 1, 
Titus i. 1, James i. 1); but it is also 
applied to the mass of Christians, and 
there is no reason why it should not 
be so understood here. The book was 
sent to the churches of Asia, and was 
clearly designed for general use; and 
the contents of the book were evidently 
intended for the churches of the Re- 
deemer, in all ages and lands. Comp. 
ver. 3. The word rendered to shew 
— 6el£ai — commonly denotes to point 
out; to cause to see; to present to the 
sight; and is a word eminently appro- 
priate here, as what was to be revealed 
was, in general, to be presented to the 
sight by sensible tokens or symbols. 
^ Things which must shortly come to pass. 
Not all the things that will occur, but 
such as it was deemed of importance for 
his people to be made acquainted with. 
Nor is it certainly implied that all the 
things that are communicated would 
shortly come to pass, or would soon oc- 
cur. Some of them might perhaps lie 
in the distant future, and still it might 
be true that there were those which 
were revealed in connexion with them, 
which would soon occur. The word 
rendered "things" — a — is a pronoun, 
and might be rendered what : " he 
showed to his servants what things were 
about to occur;" not implying that he 
showed all the things that would hap- 
pen, but such as he judged to be needful 
that his people should know. The word 
would naturally embrace those things 
which, in the circumstances, were most 
desirable to be known. The phrase 
rendered "must come to pass/ — del ye~ 
via&ai — would imply more than mere 
futurity. The word used — Set — means 
it needs, there is need of, and implies that 
there is some kind of necessity that the 
event should occur That necessity may 
either arise from the felt want of any thing, 
as where it is absent, or wanting, Xen. 
Cyr. 4, 10, ib. 1, 5, 9 ; or from the na- 



ture of the case, or from a sense of duty— 
as Matt. xvi. 21, "Jesus began to show 
to his disciples that he must go (Su 
ane'X&elv) to Jerusalem," comp. Matt, 
xxvi. 35 ; Mach. xiv. 31 ; Luke, ii. 49 ; 
or the necessity may exist, because a 
thing is right and just, meaning that it 
ought to be done, as Luke xiii. 14, 
" There are six days in which men ought 
to work" — Set ipyd$ecr$at; Luke xiii. 16, 
"And ought not this woman (oiK edn) 
whom Satan hath bound, &c, be loosed 
from the bond," (comp. Mark xiii. 14; 
John iv. 20 ; Acts v. 29, 11 ; Tim. ii. 6; 
Matt. viii. 33 ; xxv. 27); or the necessity 
may be that it is conformable to the 
divine arrangement, or is made neces- 
sary by divine appointment, as in John 
iii. 14: "As Moses lifted up the ser- 
pent in the wilderness, even so must 
(Set) the son of man be lifted up ;" John 
xx. 9, "for as yet tbey know not the 
Scriptures, that he must (Set) rise again 
from the dead." Comp. Acts iv. 12; xiv. 
22, et al. In the passage before us, it is 
implied, that there was some necessity 
that the things referred to should occur. 
They were not the result of chance ; they 
were not fortuitous. It is not, however, 
stated what was the ground of the neces- 
sity — whether because there was a want 
of something to complete a great arrange- 
ment; or because it was right and proper 
in existing circumstances; or because 
such was the divine appointment. They 
were events which, on some account, 
must certainly occur, and which there- 
fore it was important should be mad© 
known. The real ground of the neces- 
sity, probably was founded in the design 
of God in redemption. He intended to 
carry out his great plans in reference to 
his church, and the things revealed here 
must necessarily occur in the completion 
of that design. — The phrase rendered 
shortly — tv T&yei — is one whose meaning 
has been much controverted, and on 
which much has been made to depend in 
the interpretation of the whole book. 
The question has been whether the phrase 
necessarily implies that the events refer- 
red to were soon to occur, or whether it 
may haye such an extent of meaning 
as to admit the supposition that the 
events referred to, though beginning soon, 
would embrace in their developement far 
distant years, and would reach the end 
of all things. Those who maintain (aa 
Prof. Stuart) that the book was written 



A. D. 96. j 



CHAPTER I. 



51 



before the destruction of Jerusalem, and 
that the portion in chs. iv.-xi. has special 
reference to Jerusalem and Judea, and 
the portion in chs. xii.-xix. to perse- 
cuting and heathen Rome, maintain the 
former opinion ; those who suppose that 
chs. iv.-xi. refers to the irruption of 
Northern barbarians in the Roman em- 
pire, and chs. xii. seq. to the rise and the 
persecutions of the Papal power, embrace 
the latter opinion. All that is proper in 
this place is, without reference to any 
theory of interpretation, to enquire into 
the proper meaning of the language ; or 
to ascertain what idea it would naturally 
convey, (a) The phrase properly and 
literally means, with quickness, swift- 
ness, speed; that is, speedily quickly, 
shortly. Rob. Lex.; Stuart in loc. It 
is the same in meaning as ra;££a>£, comp. 
1 Cor. iv. 19, " But I will come to you 
shortly, if the Lord will." Luke xiv. 21, 
" Go out quickly into the streets." Luke 
xvi. 6, " Sit down quickly, and write 
fifty." John xi. 31, " She rose up hastily 
(ra^twj) and went out." Gal. i. 6, " That 
ye are so soon removed (rax^s) from 
him that called you." 1 Tim. v. 22, 
" Lay hands suddenly on no man." See 
also Phil. ii. 19, 24; and Thess. ii. 2 ; and 
ii. Tim. iv. 9. The phrase used here — Iv 
ra^zi — occurs in Luke xviii. 8, "he will 
avenge them speedily" (lit. with speed) ; 
Acts xii. 7, " Arise up qtiickly ;" Acts 
xxii. 18, "get thee quickly out of Jeru- 
salem Acts xxv. 4, " would depart 
shortly ;" Rom. xvi. 20, "bruise Satan 
under your feet shortly ;" and Rev. i. 1; 
xxii. 6. — The essential idea is, that the 
thing which is spoken of vus soon to oc- 
cur, or it was not a remote and distant 
event. There is the motion of rapidity, 
of haste, of suddenness. It is such a 
phrase as is used when the thing is on the 
point of happening, and could not be 
applied to an event which was in the 
remote future, considered as an inde- 
pendent event standing by itself. — The 
same idea is expressed in regard to the 
same thing, in ver. 3, "the time is at 
hand" — b yap Kaipbsr iyyvs', that is, it is 
near ; it is soon to occur. Yet (6) it is 
not necessary to suppose that the mean- 
ing is that all that there is in the book 
was soon to happen. It may mean 
that the series of events which were to 
follow on in their proper order was 
soon to commence, though it might be 
that tho sequel w< uld be remote. The 



first in the series of events was soon 
to begin, and the others would follow 
on in their train, though a portion of 
them, in the regular order, might be 
in a remote futurity. If we suppose 
that there was such an order; that 
a series of transactions was about to 
commence involving a long train of 
momentous developements, and that the 
beginning of this was to occur soon, the 
language used by John would be that 
which would be naturally employed to 
express it. Thus, in case of a revolution 
in a government, when a reigning prince 
should be driven from his kingdom, to 
be succeeded by a new dynasty which 
would long occupy the throne, and in- 
volving as the consequence of the revo- 
lution important events extending far 
into the future, we would naturally say 
that these things were shortly to occur, 
or that the time was near. It is cus- 
tomary to speak of a succession of events 
or periods as near, however vast or in- 
terminable the series may be, when the 
commencement is at hand. Thus we 
say, that the great events of the eternal 
world are near; that is, the beginning of 
them is soon to occur. So Christians 
now speak often of the Millennium as 
near, or as about to occur, though it is 
the belief of many that it will be pro- 
tracted for many ages, (c) That this is 
the true idea here is clear, whatever 
general view of interpretation in regard 
to the book is adopted. Even Prof. 
Stuart, who contends that the greater 
portion of the book refers to the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, and the persecutions 
of heathen Rome, admits that "the 
closing part of the Revelation relates 
beyond all doubt to a distant period, and 
some of it to a future eternity" (II. p. 5); 
and if this be so, then there is no impro- 
priety in supposing that a part of the 
series of predictions preceding this may 
lie also in a somewhat remote futurity. 
The true idea seems to be that the writer 
contemplated a series of events that were 
to occur; and that this series was about 
to commence. How far into the future 
it was to extend, is to be learned by the 
proper interpretation of all the parts of 
the series. ^ And he sent. Gr. "Sending 
by his angel, signified it to his servant 
John." The idea is not precisely that he 
sent his angel to communicate the mes- 
sage, but that he sent by him, or empl oy ed 
him as an agent in doing it. The thinft 



52 



REVELATION, 



[A, D. 96. 



2 Who bare record of the word 
of God, and of the testimony of 

sent was rather the message than the 
angel, And signified it. forjjiaviv. He 
indicated it by signs and symbols. The 
word occurs in the New Testament only in 
John xii. 33 ; xviii. 32 ; xxi. 19 ; Acts xi. 
28 ; xxv. 27, and in the passage before 
us, in all which places it is rendered sig- 
'lify, signifying, or signified. It pro- 
perly refers to some sign, signal, or token 
by which any thing is made known 
(comp. Matt. xxvi. 28 ; Rom. iv. 11 ; Gen. 
ix. 12, 13; xvii. 11; Luke ii. 12; 2 Cor. 
xii. 12 ; 1 Cor. xiv. 22), and is a word 
most happily chosen to denote the man- 
ner in which the events referred to were 
to be communicated to John — for nearly 
the whole book is made up of signs and 
symbols. If it be asked what was signi- 
fied to John, it may be replied that either 
the word " it" may be understood, as in 
our translation, to refer to the Apocalypse 
or Revelation, or what he saw — Baa eUz — 
as Prof. Stuart supposes ; or it may be 
absolute, without any object following, 
as Prof. Robinson (Lex.) supposes. The 
general sense is, that sending by his 
angel, ho made to John a communication 
by expressive signs or symbols, By 
his angel. That is, an angel was em- 
ployed to cause these scenic representa- 
tions to pass before the mind of the 
apostle. The communication was not 
made directly to him, but was through 
the medium of a heavenly messenger 
employed for this purpose. Thus in 
Rev. xxii. 6, it is said, "and the Lord 
God of the holy prophets sent his angel 
to show unto his servants the things 
which must shortly be done." Comp. vs. 
8, 9 of that chapter. There is frequent al- 
lusion in the Scriptures to the fact that 
angels have been employed as agents in 
making known the divine will, or in the 
revelations which have been made to 
men. Thus in Acts vii. 53, it is said, 
"who have received the law by the dis- 
position of angels." Heb. ii. 2, " For if 
the word spoken by angels was steadfast," 
Ac. Gal. iii. 19, " And it was ordained 
by angels in the hand of a mediator." 
Comp. Notes on Acts vii. 38, 53. There 
is almost no further reference to the 
agency of the angel employed for this 
service, in the book, and there is no dis- 
tinct specification of what he did, or of 
Viis great agency \n the case. John is 



Jesus Christ, and of all things that 
he saw. 



everywhere represented as seeing the 
symbols himself, and it would seem that 
the agency of the angel was, either to 
cause those symbols to pass before the 
apostle, or to convey their meaning to 
his mind. How far John himself under- 
stood the meaning of these symbols, we 
have not the means of knowing with cer- 
tainty. The most probable supposition 
is, that the angel was employed to cause 
these visions or symbols to pass before 
his mind, rather than to interpret them. 
If an interpretation had been given, it is 
inconceivable that it should not have 
been recorded, and there is no more pro- 
bability that their meaning should have 
been disclosed to John himself for his 
private use, than that it should have 
been disclosed and recorded for the use 
of others. It would seem probable, there- 
fore, that John had only that view of 
the meaning of what he saw, which any 
one else might obtain from the record of 
the visions. Comp. Notes on 1 Peter i. 
10-12. %Untohis servant John. Nothing 
could be learned from this expression as 
to what John was the author of the book, 
whether the apostle of that name or 
some other. Comp. Intr. £ 1. It can- 
not be inferred from the use of the word 
servant rather than apostle, that the 
apostle John was not the author, for it 
was not uncommon for the apostles to 
designate themselves merely by the words 
servants, or servants of God. Comp. 
Notes on Rom. i. 1. 

2. Who bare record of the word of 
God. Who bore witness to, or testified 
of — ifjaprvprjae — the word of God. He 
regarded himself merely as a witness of 
what he had seen, and claimed only to 
make a fair and faithful record of it. 
John xxi. 24 : " This is the disciple 
which testifieth — b [xaprvpZv — of these 
things, and wrote these things." John 
xix. 35 : "And he that saw it bare 
record" — pi€[xaprvprjK£. Compare also the 
following places, where the apostle uses 
the same word of himself, 1 J ohn, i. 2 ; 
iv. 14. The expression here, u the word 
of God," is one the meaning of which 
has been much controverted, and is 
important in its bearing on the ques- 
tion who was the author of the book of 
Revelation. The main enquiry is, whe- 
ther the writer refers to the "testimony" 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER I. 



53 



which he bears in this book respecting 
the "word of God;" or whether he refers 
to some testimony on that subject in 
some other boon with which those to 
whom he wrote were so familiar that 
they would at once recognize him as the 
author ; or whether he refers to the fact 
that he had borne his testimony to the 
great truths of religion, and especially 
respecting Jesus Christ, as a preacher 
who was well known, and who would be 
characterized by this expression. The 
phrase "the word of God" — rbv \6yov tov 
heov occurs frequently in the New Tes- 
tament (Comp. John x. 35 ; Acts iv. 31 ,• 
vi. 2, 7 ; xi. 1 ; xii. 24), and may either 
mean the word or doctrine respecting 
God — that which teaches what God is ; 
or that which he speaks or teaches. It 
is more commonly used in the latter 
sense (Comp. the passages referred to 
above), and especially refers to what 
God speaks or commands in the gospel. 
The fair meaning of this expression 
would be, that John had borne faithful 
witness to, or testimony of, the truth 
which God had spoken to man in the 
gospel of Christ. So far as the language 
here used is concerned, this might apply 
either to a written or an oral testimony ; 
either to a treatise like that of his gospel, 
to his preaching, or to the record which 
he was then making. Vitringa and 
others suppose that the reference here is 
to the Gospel which he had published, 
and which now bears his name ; Liicke 
and others, to the revelation made to 
him in Patmos, the record of which he 
now makes in this book; Prof. Stuart 
and others, to the fact that he was a 
teacher or preacher of the gospel, and 
that (Comp. ver. 9) the allusion is to 
the testimony which he had borne to 
the gospel, and for which he was an 
exile in Patmos. Is it not possible that 
these conflicting opinions may be to 
some extent harmonized, by supposing 
that in the use of the aorist tense — 
ifiapTvpTjve — the writer meant to refer 
to a characteristic of himself, to wit, 
that he was a faithful witness of the 
word of God and of Jesus Christ, 
whenever and however made known to 
him? With an eye, perhaps, to the 
record which he was about to make in 
this book, and intending to include thai, 
may he not also refer to what had been 
and was his well-known character as a 
witness of what God communicated to 
5 * 



him ? He had always borne this testi- 
mony. He always regarded himself as 
such a witness. He had been an eye- 
witness of what had occurred in the life, 
and at the death of the Saviour (See 
notes on 2 Pet. i. 17, 18), and had, in all 
his writings and public ministrations, 
borne witness to what he had seen and 
heard; for that (ver. 9), he had been 
banished to Patmos; and he was now 
about to carry out the same characteristic 
of himself by bearing witness to what he 
saw in these new revelations. This 
would be much in the manner of John, 
who often refers to this characteristic of 
himself (Comp. John xix. 35; xxi. 24; 
1 John i. 2), as well as harmonize the 
different opinions. The meaning then 
of the expression " who bare record of 
the word of God," as I understand it, is, 
that it was a characteristic of the writer 
to bear simple but faithful testimony to 
the truth which God communicated to 
men in the gospel. If this be the correct 
interpretation, it may be remarked (a) 
that this is such language as John the 
apostle would be likely to use, and yet 
(b) that it is not such language as an 
author would be likely to adopt if there 
was an attempt to forge a book in his 
name. The artifice would be too refined 
to occur probably to any one, for al- 
though perfectly natural for John, it 
would not be so natural for a forger of a 
book to select this circumstance and 
weave it thus unostentatiously into his 
narrative, And of the testimony of 
Jesus Christ. That is, in accordance 
with the interpretation above, of the 
testimony which Jesus Christ bore to the 
truth; not of a testimony respecting 
Jesus Christ. The idea is, that Jesus 
Christ was himself a witness to the 
truth, and that the writer of this book 
was a witness merely of the testimony 
which Christ had borne. "Whether the 
testimony of Jesus Christ was borne in 
his preaching when in the flesh ; or 
whether made known to the writer by 
him at any subsequent period, it was 
his office to make a faithful record of 
that testimony. As he had always 
before done that, so he was about to do 
it now in the new revelation made tc 
him in Patmos, which he regarded as a 
new testimony of Jesus Christ to the 
truth, ver. 1. It is remarkable that, in 
confirmation of this view, John so often 
describes the Lord Jesus as a witness. 



54 



REVELATION, 



-LA. D. 96. 



3 Blessed d is he that readeth, 

d Lu. 11. 28. 



or represents him as having come to 
bear his faithful testimony to the truth. 
Thus in ver. 5 : " Arid from Jesus Christ, 
who is the faithful and true witness." 
John viii. 18, "I am one that bear wit- 
ness — b paprupSiv — of myself." John 
xviii. 37 : " To this end was I born, and 
for this cause came I into the world, that 
I should bear witness — Xva (xapTvprjaa) — to 
the truth." Rev. iii. 14 : " These things 
saith the Amen, the faithful and true 
witness" — b jxaprvs b ni<TT6s k. t. A. Of 
this testimony which the Lord Jesus 
came to bring to man respecting eternal 
realities, the writer of this book says 
that he regarded himself as a witness. To 
the office of bearing such testimony, he 
had been dedicated ; that testimony he 
was now to bear, as he had always done. 

And of all things that he saw. baa 
re IiSe. This is the common reading in 
the Greek, and according to this reading 
it would properly mean, "and whatso- 
ever he saw;" that is, it would imply 
that he bore witness to "the word of 
God," and to "the testimony of Jesus 
Christ," and to whatever he saw" — 
meaning that the things which he saw, 
and to which he refers, were things ad- 
ditional to those to which he had referred 
by "the word of God," and the "testi- 
mony of Christ." From this it has been 
supposed that in the former part of the 
verse he refers to some testimony which 
he had formerly borne, as in his gospel 
or in his preaching, and that here he 
refers to what he " saw" in the visions 
of the Revelation as something additional 
to the former. But, it should be remem- 
bered that the word rendered and — re — 
is wanting in a large number of manu- 
scripts (see Wetstein), and that it is now 
omitted in the best editions of the Greek 
Testament — as by Griesbach, Tittmann 
and Hahn. The evidence is clear that it 
should be omitted, and if so omitted, the 
reference is to whatever he had at any 
time borne his testimony to, and not 
particularly to what passed before him in 
the visions of this book. It is a general 
affirmation that he had always borne 
a faithful testimony to whatever he 
had seen respecting the word of God, and 
the testimony of Christ. The correct 
rendering of the whole passage, then, 
would be, 'and sending by his angel, he 



and they that hear the words of 



signifies it to h\o servant John, who bare 
record of [i. e. whose character and 
office it was to bear his testimony to] 
' the word of God/ [the message which 
God has sent to me], 'and the testi- 
mony of Jesus Christ/ [the testimony 
which Christ bore to the truth], ' what- 
soever he saw.' He concealed nothing; 
he held nothing back ; he made it known 
precisely as it was seen by him. Thug 
interpreted, the passage refers to what 
was a general characteristic of the writer, 
and is designed to embrace all that was 
made known to him, and to affirm that 
he was a faithful witness to it. There 
were doubtless, special reasons why John 
was employed as the medium through 
which this communication was to be 
made to the church and the world. 
Among these reasons may have been the 
following: (a) That he was the "beloved 
disciple." (6) That he was the only sur- 
viving apostle, (c) That his character 
was such that his statements would be 
readily received. Comp. John xix. 35 ; 
xxi. 24 ; 3 John 12. (d) It may be that 
his mind was better fitted to be the me- 
dium of these communications than that 
of any other of the apostles — even if they 
had been then alive. There is almost 
no one whose mental characteristics are 
less correctly understood than those of 
the apostle John. Among the most gen- 
tle and amiable of men ; with a heart so 
fitted for love as to be known as "the 
beloved disciple" — he yet had mental 
characteristics which made it proper that 
he should be called " a son of Thunder" 
(Mark iii. 17); a mind fitted to preserve 
and record the profound thoughts in his 
gospel; a mind of high poetic order, 
fitted for the magnificent conceptions in 
this book. 

3. Blessed is he that readeth. That 
is, it is to be regarded as a privilege at- 
tended with many blessings, to be per- 
mitted to mark the disclosures to be 
made in this book ; the important reve- 
lations respecting future times. Prof. 
Stuart supposes that this refers to a pub- 
lic reading, and that the phrase " those 
who hear the words of this prophecy" 
refers to those who listened to the public 
reader, and that both the reader and 
hearer should regard themselves as highly 
favored. It is, however, more in accord- 



A.. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER I. 



55 



this prophecy, and keep those 
things which are written therein: 
for the time e is at hand. 

4 John to the seven s churches 
which are in Asia : Grace be unto 
e Ja. 5. 8, 9. g ver. 11. 



ance with the usual meaning of the word 
rendered "read," to suppose that it refers 
to the act of one's reading for himself; 
to learn by reading. So Robinson (Lex.) 
understands it. The Greek word, indeed, 
would bear the other interpretation (see 
Luke iv. 16; Acts xiii, 27; xv. 21; 
2 Cor. iii. 15), but as this book was sent 
abroad to be read by Christians, and not 
merely to be in the hands of the minis- 
ters of religion to be read by them to 
others, it is more natural to interpret the 
word in the usual sense, And hear 
the words of this prophecy. As they 
shall be declared or repeated by others ; 
or perhaps the word hear is used in a 
sense that is not uncommon, that of 
giving attention to; taking heed to. 
The general sense is, that they were 
to be regarded as highly favored who 
became acquainted in any way with 
what is here communicated. The writer 
does not say that they were blessed who 
understood it, or that they who read or 
heard it vjould fully understand it ; but 
it is clearly implied, that there would be 
so far an understanding of its meaning 
as to make it a felicitous condition to 
have been mad£ acquainted with it. 
An author could not be supposed to say 
that one should regard his condition as 
a favored one who merely heard w,prds 
that he could not understand, or who 
had placed before him magnificent sym- 
bols that had to him no meaning. The 
word prophecy is used here in its more 
strict sense as denoting the disclosure of 
future events — a large portion of the 
book being of this nature. It is here 
synonymous with Revelation, in ver. 1. 
^ And keep these things which are written 
therein. Keep in mind those things 
which relate to the future; and obey 
those things which are required as truth 
and duty. The blessing which results 
from having in possession the revealed 
truth of God is not merely in reading it, 
or in hearing it : it results from the fact 
that the truth is properly regarded, and 
exerts a suitable influence over our lives. 
Comp. Ps. xix. 1 1 " And in keeping 



you, and peace, from him h which 
is, and which was, and which is to 
come ; and from the seven k Spirits 
which are before his throne. 

h ver. 8. k Zee. 4. 10. c. 3. 1. and 4. 5. 



of them, there is great reward." For 
the time is at hand. See ver. 1. Th* 
word here used — iyytig — has the same 
signification substantially as the word 
"shortly" in ver. 1. It would apply to 
any event whose beginning was soon to 
occur, though the end might be remote, 
for the series of events might stretch far 
into the future. It cannot be doubted, 
however, that the writer meant to press 
upon them the importance of attending 
to these things, from the fact that either 
entirely or in part these things were soon 
to happen. — It may be inferred from 
this verse, that it is possible so to under- 
stand this book, as that it may convey 
useful instruction. This is the only book 
in the Bible of which a special blessing 
is pronounced on him who reads it ; but 
assuredly a blessing would not be pro- 
nounced on the perusal of a book which 
is entirely unintelligible. "While, there- 
fore, there may be many obscurities in 
this book, it is also to be assumed that it 
may be so far understood as to be useful 
to Christians, in supporting their faith, 
and giving them elevated views of the 
final triumph of religion, and of the glory 
of the world to come. Any thing is a 
blessing which enables us with well- 
founded hope and joy to look forward to 
the heavenly world. 

4. John to the seven churches which 
are in Asia. The word Asia is used in 
quite different senses by different writers. 
It is used (1.) as referring to the whole 
eastern continent now known by that 
name; (2.) Hither Asia, or Asia Minor; 
(3.) That part of Asia which Attalus III, 
king of Pergamos gave to the Romans, 
viz : Mysia, Phrygia, Lycaonia, Lydia, 
Caria, Pisidia, and the Southern coast; 
that is, all in the Western, South-western, 
and Southern parts of Asia Minor ; and 
(4.) in the New Testament, usually, the 
South-western part of Asia Minor, of 
which Ephesus was the capital. See 
Notes, Acts ii. 9. The word Asia is not 
found in the Hebrew Scriptures, but it 
occurs often in the books of Maccabees, 
and in the New Testament. In the New 



55 



REVELATION, 



[A. D 96. 



Testament it is not used in the large 
sense in which it is now as applied to the 
whole continent, but in its largest signi- 
fication it would include only Asia Minor. 
It is also used, especially by Luke, as 
denoting the country that was called 
Ionia, or that which embraced the pro- 
vinces of Caria and Lydia. Of this re- 
gion Ephesus was the principal city, and 
it was in this region that the " seven 
churches'' were situated. Whether there 
were more than seven churches in this 
region is not intimated by the writer of 
this book, and on that point we have no 
certain knowledge. It is evident that 
these seven were the principal churches, 
even if there were more, and that there 
was some reason why they should be 
particularly addressed. There is men- 
tion of some other churches in the neigh- 
borhood of these. Colosse was near to 
Laodicea, and from Col. iv. 13, it would 
seem not improbable that there was a 
church also at Hierapolis. But there 
may have been nothing in their circum- 
stances that demanded particular in- 
struction or admonition, and they may 
have been on that account omitted. 
There is, also, some reason to suppose, 
that, though there had been other 
churches in that vicinity besides the 
seven mentioned by John, they had 
become extinct at the time when he 
wrote the Book of Revelation. It ap- 
pears from Tacitus ( Annal. xiv. 27, comp. 
also Pliny N. H. v. 29), that in the time 
of Nero, A. D. 61, the city of Laodicea 
was destroyed by an earthquake, in which 
earthquake, according to Eusebius, the 
adjacent cities of Colosae and Hierapolis 
were involved. Laodicea was, indeed, 
immediately rebuilt, but there is no evi- 
dence of the re-establishment of the 
church there, before the time when John 
wrote this book. The earliest mention 
we have of a church there, after the one 
referred to in the New Testament by 
Paul (Col. ii. 1; iv. 13, 15, 16), is in the 
time of Trajan, when Papias was bishop 
there, sometime between A. D. 98, and 
117. It would appear, then, to be not 
improbable that at the time when the 
Apocalypse was written, there were in fact 
but seven churches in the vicinity. Prof. 
Stuart (i. 219) supposes that " seven, and 
only so many, may have been named, 
because the seven-fold divisions and 
groups of various objects, constitute a 
eonspieuous feature in the Apocalypse 



throughout." But this reason seems too 
artificial, and it can hardly be supposed 
that it would influence the mind of 
John, in the specification by name of the 
churches to which the book was sent, 
If no names had been mentioned, and if 
the statement had occurred in glowing 
poetic description, it is not inconceivable 
that the number seven might have been 
selected for some such purpose, f Grace 
be unto you and peace. The usual form 
of salutation in addressing a church. See 
Notes on Horn. i. 7. % From him which 
is, and which was, and which is to come. 
From him who is everlasting — embracing 
all duration, past, present, and to come. 
No expression could more strikingly de- 
note eternity than this. He now exists ; 
he has existed in the past ; he will ex- 
ist in the future. There is an evident 
allusion here to the name Jehovah, the 
name by which the true God is appro- 
priately designated in the Scriptures. 

That name — HI IT — from HTI to be, to 

exist, seems to have been adopted be- 
cause it denotes existence, or being, 
and as denoting simply one who ex- 
ists ; and has reference merely to the 
fact of existence. The word has no 
variation of form, and has no reference 
to time, and would embrace all time : — 
that is, it is as true at one time as 
another that he exists. Such a word 
would not be inappropriately paraphrased 
by the phrase " who is, and who was, 
and who is to come," or who is to 
be ; and there can be no doubt that John 
referred to him here as being himself the 
eternal and uncreated existence, and as 
the great and original fountain of all 
being. They who desire to find a full 
discussion in regard to the origin of the 
name Jehovah, may consult an article 
by Prof. Tholuck, in the Biblical Reposi- 
tory, vol. iv. pp. 89-108. It is remark- 
able that there are some passages in 
heathen inscriptions and writings which 
bear a very strong resemblance to the 
language here used by J ohn respecting 
God. Thus Plutarch (De Is. et Osir. p. 
354), speaking of a temple of Isis, at 
Sais, in Egypt, says, " It bore this in- 
scription — 'I am all that was, and is, 
and shall be, and my vail no mortal can 
remove' " — 'Eyw dpi nav to yzyov6q, kw 
ov, Kai eaSfisvov ' teal rbv ifxbv TTfirXov oiSeii 
7tw Svrirbg av£Kd\v\p£v. So Orpheus (in 
Auctor. Lib. de Mundo), " Jupiter is thti 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAP 



TEE I. 



57 



nead, Jupiter is the middle, and all 
things are made by Jupiter." So in 
Pausanias (Phocic. 12), "Jupiter was; 
Jupiter is ; Jupiter shall be." The re- 
ference in the phrase before us is to 
God as such, or to God considered as the 
Father. And from the seven spirits 
which are before his throne. After all 
that has been written on this very diffi- 
cult expression, it is still impossible to 
determine with certainty its meaning. 
The principal opinions which have been 
held in regard to it are the following : 
L That it refers to God, as such. This 
opinion is held by Eichhorn, and is 
favored by Ewald. No arguments de- 
rived from any parallel passages are 
urged for this opinion, nor can any such 
be found, where God is himself spoken 
of under the representation of a seven- 
fold Spirit. But the objections to this 
view are so obvious as to be insuper- 
able. (1) If it refers to God as such, 
then it would be mere tautology, for the 
writer had just referred to him in the 
phrase "from him who was," &c. (2) 
It is difficult to perceive in what, sense 
" seven spirits" could be ascribed to 
God, or how he could be described as a 
being of " Seven Spirits." At least, if 
he could be spoken of as such, there 
would be no objection to applying the 
phrase to the Holy Spirit. (3) How 
could it be said of God himself that he 
was "before the throne?" He is every- 
where represented as sitting on the 
throne, not as before it. It is easy to 
conceive of angels as standing before the 
throne; and of the Holy Spirit it is 
more easy to conceive as being repre- 
sented thus as ready to go forth and 
convey a heavenly influence from that 
throne, but it is impossible to conceive 
in what sense this could be applied to 
God as such. II. The opinion held by 
Grotius and by John Henry Heinrichs 
that it refers to "the multiform Provi- 
dence of God," or to God considered as 
operating in seven or many different 
ways. In support of this, Grotius ap- 
peals to chs. v. 12, vii. 12. But this 
opinion is so far-fetched, and it is so 
destitute of support, as to have found, it 
is believed, no other advocates, and to 
need no further notice. It cannot be 
supposed that John meant to personify 
the attributes of the Deity, and then to 
unite them with God himself, and with 
the Lord Jesus Clirist, and to represent 



them as real subsistences from which 
important blessings descend to men. It 
is clear that as by the phrase "who i3, 
and who was, and who is to come," 
and by "Jesus Christ, the faithful and 
true witness," he refers to real sub- 
sistences, so he must here. Besides, 
if the attributes of God, or the modea 
of divine operation, are denoted, why ia 
the number seven chosen ? And why 
are they represented as standing before 
the throne ? III. A third opinion is, 
that the reference is to seven attending 
and ministering presence-angels ; angels 
represented as standing before the throne 
of God, or in his presence. This opinion 
was adopted among the ancients by 
Clemens, of Alexandria; Andreas, of 
Cesarea, and others; among the mo- 
derns by Beza, Drusius, Hammond, 
Wetstein, Rosenmuller, Clarke, Prof. 
Stuart, and others. This opinion, how- 
ever, has been held in somewhat dif- 
ferent forms; some maintaining that 
the seven angels are referred to because 
it was a received opinion among the 
Hebrews that there were seven angels 
standing in the presence of God, as 
seven princes stood in the Persian 
court before the king; others, that 
the angels of the seven churches are 
particularly referred to, represented now 
as standing in the presence of God ; 
others, that seven angels, represented 
as the principal angels employed in 
the government of the world, are re- 
ferred to ; and others, that seven 
archangels are particularly designated. 
Compare Poole, Synop. in loc. The 
arguments which are relied on by 
those who suppose that seven angels 
are here referred to, are briefly these : — 
(1) The nature of the expression here 
used. The expression, it is said, is such 
as would naturally denote beings who 
were before his throne — beings who were 
different from him who was on the 
throne — and beings more than one in 
number. That it could not refer to one 
on the throne, but must mean those dis- 
tinct and separate from one on the 
throne, is argued from the use of the 
phrases " before the throne," and " be- 
fore God," in Rev. iv. 5, vii. 9, 15, viii. 
2, xi. 4, 16, xii. 10, xiv. 3, xx. 12; in all 
which places the representation denote* 
those who were in the presence of God, 
and standing before him. ' (2) It is 
argued from ether passages in the Book 



58 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



of Revelation which, it is said (Prof. 
JBtuart), go directly to confirm this 
opinion. Thus in Rev. viii. 2 : " And I 
saw the seven angels which stood before 
God." So Rev. iv. 5 : the seven lamps 
of fire burning before the throne, are 
said to be " the seven Spirits of God." 
In these passages, it is alleged that the 
article " the" designates the well-known 
angels ; or those which had been before 
specified, and that this is the first 
mention of any such angels after the 
designation in the passage before us. 
(3) It is said that this is in accordance 
with what was usual among the He- 
brews, who were accustomed to speak of 
seven presence-angels, or angels stand- 
ing in the presence of Jehovah. Thus 
in the Book of Tobit (xii. 15), Raphael 
is introduced as using this language, 
" I am Raphael, one of the seven holy 
jmgels, which present the prayers of the 
saints, and which go in and out before 
the glory of the Holy One." The 
apocryphal Book of Enoch (ch. xx.) 
gives the names of the seven angels who 
watch; that is, of the watchers (comp. 
Notes on Daniel iv. 13, 17) who stand 
in the presence of God waiting for the 
divine commands, or who watch over 
the affairs of men. So in the Zendavesta 
of Zoroaster, seven amshaspends, or 
archangels, are mentioned. See Prof. 
Stuart, in loc. 

To these views, however, there are 
objections of great weight, if they are 
not in fact quite insuperable. They are 
such as the following : (1) That the 
same rank should be given to them as 
to God, as the source of blessings. Ac- 
cording to the view which represents 
this expression as referring to angels, 
\hey are placed on the same level, so far 
ts the matter before us is concerned, 
H'^ "him who was, and is, and is to 
t &AQ," and with the Lord Jesus Christ — 
6 doctrine which does not elsewhere 
occur in the Scriptures, and which we 
cannot suppose the writer designed to 
teach. (2) That blessings should be 
invoked from angels — as if they could 
impart "grace and peace." It is evi- 
dent that whoever is referred to here 
by the phrase "the seven spirits." he 
is placed on the same level with the 
others mentioned as the source of 
"grace and peace." But it cannot be 
supposed that an inspired writer would 
tevoke that grao3 and peace from any 



but a divine being. (3) That as two 
persons of. the Trinity are here men- 
tioned, it is to be presumed that the 
third would not be omitted,- or to put 
this argument in a stronger form, it 
cannot be supposed that an inspired 
writer would mention two of the persons 
of the Trinity in this connexion, and 
then not only not mention the third, 
but refer to angels — to creatures — as 
bestowing that which would be appro- 
priately sought from the Holy Spirit. 
The incongruity would be not merely in 
omitting all reference to the Spirit — 
which might indeed occur, as it often 
does in the Scriptures — but in putting 
in the place which that Spirit would 
naturally occupy an allusion to angels 
as conferring blessings. (4) If this refer 
to angels, it is impossible to avoid the 
inference that angel-worship, or invoca- 
tion of angels, is proper. To all intents 
and purposes, this is an act of worship; 
for it is an act of solemn invocation. It 
is an acknowledgment of the "seven 
spirits" as the source of "grace and 
peace." It would be impossible to re- 
sist this impression on the popular mind ; 
it would not be possible to meet it if 
urged as an argument in favor of the 
propriety of angel-invocation, or angel- 
worship. And yet, if there is anything 
clear in the Scriptures, it is that God 
alone is to be worshipped. For these 
reasons, it seems to me that this in- 
terpretation cannot be well founded. 
IV. There remains a fourth opinion, 
that it refers to the Holy Spirit, and in 
favor of that opinion it may be urged, 
(1) that it is most natural to suppose that 
the Holy Spirit would be invoked on 
such an occasion, in connexion with 
him ( i who was, and is, and is to come," 
and with "Jesus Christ." If two of the 
persons of the Trinity were addressed on 
such an occasion, it would be properly 
supposed that the Holy Spirit would not 
be omitted, as one of the persons from 
whom the blessing was to descend. 
Comp. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. "The grace of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of 
God, and the communion of the Holy 
Ghost, be with you all." (2) It would be 
unnatural and improper, in such an in- 
vocation, to unite angels with God as 
imparting blessings, or as participating 
with God and with Christ, in commu- 
nicating blessings to man. An invoea 
tion to God to send his angils, or t* 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTEE I. 



69 



impart grace and fai or through angelic 
help, would be in entire accordance with 
the usage in Scripture, but it is not in 
accordance with such usage to invoke 
such blessings from angels. (3) It can- 
not be denied that an invocation of 
grace from "him who is, and was, and 
is to come," is of the nature of worship. 
The address to him is as God, and the 
attitude of the mind in such an address 
is that of one who is engaged in an act 
of devotion. The effect of uniting any 
other being with him in such a case, 
would be to lead to the worship of one 
thus associated with him. In regard to 
the Lord Jesus, " the faithful and true 
witness," it is from such expressions as 
these that we are led to the belief that he 
is divine, and that it is proper to worship 
him as such. The same effect must be 
produced in reference to what is here 
called " the seven spirits before the 
throne." We cannot well resist the im- 
pression that some one with divine 
attributes is intended ; or, if it refer to 
angels, we cannot easily show that it is 
not proper to render divine worship to 
them. If they were thus invoked by an 
apostle, can it be improper to worship 
them now? (4) The word used here is 
not angels but spirits ; and though it is 
true that angels are spirits, and that the 
word spirit is applied to them (Heb. i. 7), 
yet it is also true that that is not a word 
*vhich would be understood to refer to 
them without designating that angels 
were meant. If angels had been intended 
here, that word would naturally have 
been used, as is the case elsewhere in 
this book. (5) In Rev. iv. 5, where 
there is a reference to " the seven lamps 
before the throne," it is said of them 
that they "are," that is, "they repre- 
sent, "the seven spirits of God." This 
passage may be understood as referring 
to the same thing as that before us, but 
it cannot be well understood of angels, 
for (a) if it did, it would have been 
natural to use that language for the 
reason above mentioned; (b) the angels 
are nowhere called " the spirits of God" 
nor would such language be proper. 
The phrase "Spirit of God" naturally 
implies divinity, and could not be applied 
to a creature. For these reasons, it 
seems to me that the interpretation which 
applies the phrase to the Holy Spirit is 
to be preferred; and though that inter- 
pretation is not free from difficulties, yet 



there are fewer difficulties in that than 
in either of the others proposed. Though 
it may not be possible wholly to re- 
move the difficulties involved in that 
interpretation, yet perhaps something 
may be done to diminish their force. 
(1) First, &s to the reason why the 
number seven skould be applied to the 
Holy Spirit. (^) There would be as 
much propriety certainly in applying it 
to the Holy Spirit as to God as such. 
And yet Grotius, Eiehhorn, Ewald, and 
others saw no difficulty in such an ap- 
plication considered as representing a 
seven-fold mode of operation of Gcd, or 
a manifold divine agency. (b) The 
word seven often denotes a full or com- 
plete number, and maybe used to denote 
that which is full, complete, or manifold ; 
and might thus be used in reference to 
an All-perfect Spirit, or to a spirit which 
was manifold in its operations, (c) The 
number seven is evidently a favorite 
number in the book of Revelation, and 
it might be used by the author in places, 
and in a sense, such as it would not be 
likely to be used by another writer. 
Thus there are seven epistles to the 
seven churches ; there are seven seals, 
seven trumpets, seven vials of the wrath 
of God, seven last plagues ; there are 
seven lainps, and seven Spirits of God; 
the Lamb has seven horns and seven 
eyes. In ch. i. 16, seven stars are men- 
tioned ; in ch. v. 12, seven attributes of 
God; ch. xii. 3, the dragon has seven 
heads; ch. xiii. 1, the beast has seven 
heads, (d) The number seven, there- 
fore, may have been given to the Holy 
Spirit with reference to the diversity or 
the fulness of his operations on the 
souls of men, and to his manifold agency 
on the affairs of the world, as further 
developed in this book. (2) As to 
his being represented as " before the 
throne," this may be intended to desig- 
nate the fact that the Divine Spirit was, 
as it were, prepared to go forth, or to bo 
sent forth, in accordance with a com- 
mon representation in the Scriptures, 
to accomplish important purposes on 
human affairs. The posture does not 
necessarily imply inferiority of nature, 
any more than the language does re- 
specting the Son of God, when he is 
represented as being sent into the world 
to execute an important commission 
from the Father. 



60 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



5 And from Jesus Christ, who is 
the faithful witness, ° and the * 
jirst-begotten of the dead, and the 
Prince of the kings of the earth. 

a Jno. 8. 14. b Col. 1. 18. 



5. And from Jesus Christy who is the 
faithful witness. See Notes on ver. 2. 
He is faithful in the sense that he is one 
on whose testimony there may be entire 
reliance, or who is entirely worthy to 
be believed. From him "grace and 
peace" are appropriately sought, as one 
who bears such a testimony, and as the 
first-begotten from the dead, and as 
reigning over the kings of the earth. 
Thus grace and peace are invoked from 
the infinite God in all his relations and 
operations: — as the Father, the Source 
of all existence; as the Sacred Spirit, 
going forth in manifold operations upon 
the hearts of men ; and as the Son of 
God, the one appointed to bear faithful 
testimony to the truth respecting God 
and future events, And the first- 
begotten of the dead. The same Greek 
expression — rpurdroKos — occurs in Col. i. 
18. See it explained in the Notes on 
that passage. Comp. Notes 1 Cor. xv. 
20. f And the Prince of the kings of 
the earth. Who has over all the kings 
of the earth the preeminence which 
kings have over their subjects. He is 
the Ruler of rulers ; King of kings. In 
oh. xvii. 14, xix. 16, the same thought is 
expressed by saying that he is the 
"King of kings." No language could 
more sublimely denote his exalted cha- 
racter, or his supremacy. Kings and 
princes sway a sceptre over the millions 
of the earth, and the exaltation of the 
Saviour is here expressed by supposing 
;hat all those kings and princes consti- 
tute a community over which he is the 
head. The exaltation of the Redeemer 
is elsewhere expressed in different lan- 
guage, but the idea is one that every- 
where prevails in regard to him in the 
Scriptures. Comp. Matt, xxviii. 18, xi. 
27 ; John xvii. 2; Eph. i. 20-22; Phil. ii. 
Ml; Col. i. 15-18. The word Prince 
— b apx<*v — means properly ruler, leader, 
the first in rank. ' We often apply the 
word prince to an heir to a throne who is 
not invested with absolute sovereignty. 
The word here, however, denotes that he 
actually exercises dominion over the 
rulers of the earth. As this is an autho- 



Unto him that loved c us, and 
washed d us from our sins in his 
own blood, 

c Jno. 13. 1. d He. 9. 14. 



rity which is claimed by God (comp. Isa. 
x. 5, seq. ; xlv. 1, seq. ; Ps. xlvii. 2, xcix. 
1, ciii. 19, Dan. iv. 34), and which caa 
only appertain to God, it is clear that in 
ascribing this to the Lord Jesus it is 
implied that he is possessed of divine 
attributes. As much of the revelations 
of this book pertained to the assertion 
of power over the princes and rulers of 
this world, there was a propriety that, 
in the commencement, it should be 
asserted that he who was to exert that 
power was invested with the prerogative 
of a ruler of the nations, and that he 
had this right of control, TJnto him 
that loved us. This refers undoubtedly 
to the Lord Jesus, whose love for men 
was so strong that nothing more was 
necessary to characterize him than to 
speak of him as the one " who loved u?." 
It is manifest that the division in the 
verses should have been made here, for 
this commences a new subject, not 
having any special connexion with that 
which precedes. In ver. 4, and the first 
part of this verse, the writer had invoked 
grace from the Father, the Spirit, and 
the Saviour. In the latter clause of the 
verse there commences an ascription of 
praise to the Redeemer ; an ascription to 
him particularly, because the whole book 
is regarded as a revelation from him 
(ver. 1.); because he was the one who 
especially appeared to John in the 
visions of Patmos; and because he was 
to be the great agent in carrying into 
execution the purposes revealed in this 
book. 5[ And washed us from our sins 
in his own blood. He has removed the 
pollution of sin from our souls by his 
blood; that is, his blood has been applied 
to cleanse us from sin. Blood can be 
represented as having a cleansing power 
only a» it makes an expiation for sin, for 
considered literally its effect would be 
the reverse. The language is such as 
would be used only on the supposition 
that he had made an atonement, and 
that it was by the atonement that we are 
cleansed ; for in what sense could it be 
said of a martyr that he ' had washed 
us from our sins in his blood V Hov/ 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER I. 



61 



6 And hath made us kings a and I 
priests unto God and his father ; to 
him b be glory and dominion for 
ever and ever. Amen. 

7 Behold, he cometh with clouds ; c 

a Ex- 19. 6. 1 Pe. 2. 5. 9. b He. 13. 21. 
e Da. 7. 13. Mat. 26. 64. 

could this language be used of Paul or 
Poly carp ; of Ridley or Cranmer ? The 
doctrine that the blood of Christ cleanses 
us from sin, or purifies us, is one that is 
common in the Scriptures. Comp. 1 John 
i. 7 ; Heb. ix. 14. The specific idea of 
washing, however, — representing that 
blood as washing sin away — is one which 
does not elsewhere occur. It is evidently 
used in the sense of cleansing or purify- 
ing, as we do this by washing, and as 
the blood of Christ accomplishes in 
respect to our souls, what washing with 
water does in respect to the body. 

6. And hath made us kings and priests 
unto God. In 1 Pet. ii. 9, the same 
idea is expressed by saying of Christians 
that they are " a royal priesthood." See 
Notes on that verse. The quotation in 
both places is from Ex. xix. 6 : " And ye 
shall be unto me a kingdom of priests." 
This idea is expressed here by saying 
that Christ had made us in fact kings 
and priests ; that is, Christians are exalt- 
ed to the dignity, and are invested with 
the office, implied in these words. The 
word kings, as applied to them, refers to 
the exalted rank and dignity which they 
will have ; to the fact that they, in com- 
mon with their Saviour, will reign 
triumphant over all enemies ; and that, 
having gained a victory over sin and 
death and hell, they may be represented 
as reigning together. The word priests 
refers to the fact that they are engaged 
in the holy service of God, or that they 
^\ffer to him acceptable worship. See 
litotes on 1 Pet. i. 5. And his Father. 
Even his Father ; that is, the Saviour has 
redeemed them, and elevated them to this 
exalted rank, in order that they may thus 
be engaged in the service of his Father. 
*[ To him he glory. To the Redeemer ; 
for so the construction (ver. 5) demands. 
The word " glory" here means praise, or 
honor, implying a wish that all honor 
should be shown him. And dominion. 
This word means literally, strength — 
xpdros; — but it here means the strength, 
power, or authority which is exercised 



and every eye shall see him, and 
they d also which pierced him : and 
all kindreds of the earth shall 
wail e because of him. Even so, f 
Amen. 

d Zee. 12. 10. e Mat. 24. 30. / c. 22. 2a 



over others, and the expression is equiv- 
alent to a wish that he may reign. 

7. Behold, he cometh with clouds. 
That is, the Lord Jesus when he re- 
turns will come accompanied with clouds. 
This is in accordance with the uniform 
representation respecting the return of 
the Saviour. See Notes on Matt. xxiv. 
30. Comp. Matt. xxvi. 64; Mark xiii 
26, xiv. 62; Acts i. 9, 11. Clouds are 
appropriate symbols of Majesty, and 
God is often represented as appearing 
in that manner. See Ex. xix. 18; Ps. 
xviii. 11, seq. ; Isa. xix. 1. So, among 
the heathen, it was common to repre- 
sent their divinities as appearing clothed 
with a cloud: 

"tandem venias, precamur, 
Nube candentes humeros amictus 

Augur Apollo." 

The design of introducing this repre- 
sentation of the Saviour, and of the man- 
ner in which he would appear, seems to 
be to impress the mind with a sense oi 
the majesty and glory of that being from 
whom John received his revelations. 
His rank, his character, his glory were 
such as to demand respect ; all should 
reverence him, and all should feel that 
his communications about the future were 
important to them, for they must soon 
appear before him. ff And every eye 
shall see him. He will be made visible 
in his glory to all that dwell upon the 
earth ; to all the children of men. Every 
one, therefore, has an interest in what he 
says ; every one has this in certain pros- 
pect that he shall see the Son of God 
coming as a Judge. ^ And they also 
which pierced him. When he died ; that 
is, they who pierced his hands, his feet, 
and his side. There is probably an allu- 
sion here to Zech. xii. 10 : " They shall 
look upon me whom they have piercedj 
and they shall mourn." The language 
here is so general that it may refer to any 
act of looking upon the pierced Saviour, 
and might be applied to those who 
would see him on the cross and to their 
I compunctious visitings then ; or to their 



62 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



subsequent reflections, as they might 
look by faith on him whom they had 
crucified; or to the feeling of any sin- 
ners who should reflect that their sins 
had been the cause of the death of the 
Lord Jesus ; or it might be applied, as it 
is here, more specifically to the feelings 
which his murderers will have when 
they shall see him coming in his glory. 
All sinne?s who have pierced his heart 
by their crimes will then behold him, 
and will mourn over their treatment of 
him ; they, in a special manner, who 
imbrued their hands in his blood will 
then remember their crime, and be 
overwhelmed with alarm. The design 
of what is here said seems to be, to show 
that the coming of the Saviour will be 
an event of great interest to all mankind. 
None can be indifferent to it, for all will 
see him. His friends will hail his ad- 
vent (comp. ch. xxii. 20), but all who 
were engaged in putting him to death, 
and all who in any manner have pierced 
his heart by sin and ingratitude, unless 
they shall have repented, will have oc- 
casion of bitter lamentation when he 
shall ccme. There are none who have 
a more fearful doom to anticipate than 
the murderers of the Son of God, in- 
cluding those who actually put him to 
death, and those who would have en- 
gaged in such an act had they been 
present, and those who, by their con- 
duct, have done all they could to pierce 
and wound him by their ingratitude. 
5f And all kindreds of the earth, Gr., 
'All the tribes — \pv\ai — of the earth.' 
This language is the same which the 
Saviour uses in Matt. xxiv. 30. See 
Notes on that passage. The word tribes 
is that which is commonly applied to 
the twelve tribes of Israel, and thus 
used, it would describe the inhabitants 
of the holy land ; but it may be 
used to denote nations and people in 
general, as descended from a common 
ancestor, and the connexion requires 
that it should be understood in this 
sense here, since it is said that " every 
eye shall see him;" that is, all that 
dwell on the face of the earth. ^ Shall 
wail because of him. On account of 
him; on account of their treatment of 
him. The word rendered wail — k6ktu) — 
means properly to beat, to cut; then to 
beat or cut one's self in the breast as an 
expression of sorrow ; and then to 
am ant, to cry aloud in intense grief. 



The coming of the Saviour will be an 
occasion of this, (a) because it will be an 
event which will call the sins of men to 
remembrance; and (6) because they 
will be overwhelmed with the appre- 
hension of the wrath to come. Nothing 
would fill the earth with greater con- 
sternation than the coming of the Son 
of God in the clouds of heaven ; nothing 
would produce so deep and universal 
alarm. This fact, which no one can 
doubt, is proof that men feel that they 
8,re guilty, since, if they were innocent, 
they would have nothing to dread by his 
appearing. It is also a proof that they 
believe in the doctrine of future punish- 
ment, since, if they do not, there is no 
reason why they should be alarmed at 
his coming. Surely men would not 
dread his appearing if they really 
believed that all will be saved. Who 
dreads the coming of a benefactor to 
bestow favors on him ? "V^ho dreads the 
appearing of a jailor to deliver him from 
prison ; of a physician to raise him up 
from a bed of pain ; of a deliverer ,to 
knock off the fetters of slavery ? And 
how can it be that men should be 
alarmed at the coming of the Saviour 
unless their consciences tell them that 
they have much to fear in the future ? The 
presence of the Redeemer in the clouds 
of heaven would destroy all the hopes of 
those who believe in the doctrine of uni- 
versal salvation — as the approach of 
death now often does. Men believe that 
there is much to be dreaded in the future 
world, or they would not fear the 
coming of him who shall wind up the 
affairs of the human race, Even so, 
A men — vai, dixrjv. " A double expression 
of so be it, assuredly, certainly, one in 
Greek and the other in Hebrew." Prof 
Stuart. Comp. Rom. viii. 16, "Abba, 
Father" — 'a/?/3a, b irar^p. The idea 
which John seems to intend to convey 
is, that the coming of the Lord Jesus, 
and the consequences which he says 
will follow, are events which are alto- 
gether certain. This is not the ex^ 
pression of a wish that it may be so, as 
our common translation would seem to 
imply, but a strong affirmation that it 
will be so. In some passages, however, 
the word {val) expresses assent to what 
is said, implying approbation of it as 
true, or as desirable. Matt. xi. 26, 
" Even §o, Father, for so it seems good 
in thy sight." Luke x. 21. So in Rev. 



A. D. 96.] CHAPTER I. 63 

8 1° am Alpha and Omega, the was, and which is to come, the A1- 
beginning and the ending, saith mighty.* 

the Lord, which is, and which 9 I John, who also am your bro« 

a Is. 41. 4. b Is. 9. 6. 



xvi. 7, "Even so (vai), Lord God Al- 
mighty." So in Rev. xxii. 20, "Even 
so (vai), Come Lord Jesus." The word 
Amen here seems to determine the mean- 
ing of the phrase, and to make it the 
affirmation of a certainty, rather than 
the expression of a wish. 

8. I am Alpha and Omega. These 
are the first and the last letters of the 
Greek alphabet, and denote properly 
the first and the last. So in Rev. xxii. 
13, when the two expressions are united, 
" I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning 
and the end, the first and the last." So 
in ch. i. 17, the speaker says of himself, 
" I am the first and the last." Among 
the Jewish Rabbins it was common to 
use the first and the last letters of the 
Hebrew alphabet to denote the whole of 
any thing, from beginning to end. Thus 
it is said, " Adam transgressed the whole 
law from ^ to p\ " — from Aleph to Tav. 
" Abraham kept the whole law from K 
to ft." The language here is that which 
would properly denote eternity in the 
being to whom it is applied, and could be 
used in reference to no one but the true 
God. It means that he is the beginning 
and the end of all things ; that he was 
at the commencement and will be at the 
close ; and it is thus equivalent to saying 
that he has always existed, and that he 
will always exist. Comp. Isa. xli. 4, 
"I the Lord, the first, and with the 
last ;" — xliv. 6, " I am the first, and I 
am the last; and beside me there is no 
God;" — xlviii. 12, "I am he; I am the 
first, I also am the last." There can 
be no doubt that the language here 
would be naturally understood as im- 
plying divinity, and it could be properly 
applied to no one but the true God. 
The obvious interpretation here would 
be to apply this to the Lord Jesus, 
for (a) it is he who is spoken of in 
the verses preceding; and (6) there 
can be no doubt that the same lan- 
guage is applied to him in ver. 11. 
As there is, however, a difference of 
reading in this place in the Greek 
text, and as it cannot be absolutely 
certain that the writer meant to refer 
to the Lord Jesus specifically here,, 



this cannot be adduced with propriety as 
a proof-text to demonstrate his divinity. 
Many MSS., instead of "Lord/ 9 — Kvpios 
— read " God" — -S-co's, and this reading 
is adopted by Griesbach, Tittman, and 
Hahn, and is now regarded as the correct 
reading. There is no real incongruity 
in supposing, also, that the writer here 
meant to refer to God as such, since the 
introduction of a reference to him would 
not be inappropriate to his manifest 
design. Besides, a portion of the lan- 
guage here used, " which is, and was, and 
"is to come," is that which would more 
naturally suggest a reference to God as 
such than to the Lord Jesus Christ. See 
ver. 4. The object for which this passage 
referring to the "first and the last; to 
him who was, and is, and is to come," 
is introduced here, evidently is, to show 
that as he was clothed with omnipotence, 
and would continue to exist through all 
ages to come as he had existed in all 
ages past, there could be no doubt about 
his ability to execute all which it is said 
he would execute. ^[ Saith the Lord. 
Or, saith God, according to what is now 
regarded as the correct reading, Which 
is, and which was, &c. See Notes on 
ver. 4. The Almighty. An appella- 
tion often applied to God, meaning that 
he has all power, and used here to 
denote that he is able to accomplish 
what is disclosed in this book. 

9. I, John, who am your brother. 
Your Christian brother ; who am a fellow- 
Christian with you. The reference here 
is doubtless to the members of the seven 
churches in Asia, to whom the epistles 
in the following chapters were addressed, 
and to whom the whole book seems to 
have been sent. In the previous verse, 
the writer had closed the salutation, and 
he here commences a description of the 
circumstances under which the vision 
appeared to him. He was in a lonely 
island, to which he had been banished 
on account of his attachment to religion ; 
he was in a state of high spiritual enjoy- 
ment on the day devoted to the sacred 
remembrance of the Redeemer ; he sud- 
denly heard a voice behind him, and 
turning saw the Son of Man himself in 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



ther, and companion in tribulation, 
and in the kingdom and patience 
of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that 



glorious form in the midst of seven 
golden lamps, and fell at his feet as 
dead, And companion in tribulation. 
Your partner in affliction. That is, he 
and they were suffering substantially 
the same kind of trials on account of 
their religion. .It is evident from this, 
that some form of persecution was then 
raging in which they were also sufferers, 
though in their case it did not lead to 
banishment. The leader, the apostle, 
the aged and influential preacher, was 
banished ; but there were many other 
forms of trial which they might be called 
to endure who remained at home. What 
they were we have not the means of 
knowing with certainty. \And in the 
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. 
The meaning of this passage is, that he, 
and those whom he addressed, were not 
oi)^y companions in affliction, but were 
fellow-partners in the kingdom of the 
.Redeemer : that is, that they shared the 
honor and the privileges pertaining to 
that kingdom ; and also that they were 
fellow-partners in the patience of Jesus 
Christ : that is, in enduring with patience 
whatever might follow from their being 
his friends and followers. The general 
idea is, that alike in privileges and suf- 
ferings they were united. They shared 
alike in the results of their attachment 
to the Saviour, \ Was in the isle that 
is called Patmos. Patmos is one of the 
cluster of islands in the iEgean Sea, 
anciently called the Sporades, It lies 
between the island of Icaria and the 
promontory of Miletus. It is merely 
mentioned by the ancient geographers, 
Plin. His. Nat. 4, 23 ; Strabo 10, 488. 
It is now called Patino, or Patmosa. It 
is some six or eight miles in length, and 
not more than a mile in breadth, being 
about fifteen miles in circumference. It 
has neither trees nor rivers ; nor has it 
any land for cultivation, except some 
little nooks among the ledges of rocks. 
On approaching the island, the coast is 
high, and consists of a succession of 
capes, which form so many ports, some 
of which are excellent. The only one 
in use, however, is a deep bay, sheltered 
by high mountains on every side but 
one, whe r e it is protected by a project- 



is called Patmos, for the word of 
God, and for the testimony of Jesus 
Christ. 



ing cape. The town attached to this 
port is situated upon a high rocky 
mountain, rising immediately from the 
sea, and this with the Scala below upon 
the shore, consisting of some ships and 
houses, forms the only inhabited site of 
the island. Though Patmos is deficient 
in trees, it abounds in flowery plants 
and shrubs. Walnuts and other fruit 
trees are raised in the orchards, and the 
wine of Patmos is the strongest and the 
best flavored in the Greek islands. 
Maize and barley are cultivated, but not 
in a quantity sufficient for the use of the 
inhabitants, and for a supply of their 
own vessels, and others which often put 
into their good harbor for provisions. 
The inhabitants now do not exceed four 
or five thousand, many of whom are 
emigrants from the neighboring conti- 
nent. About half-way up the mountain, 
there is shown a natural grotto in a 
rock, where John is said to have seen 
his visions, and to have written this book. 
Near this is a small church, connected 
with which is a school or college, where 
the Greek language is taught, and on 
the top of the hill, and in the centre of 
the island, is a monastery, which from its 
situation has a very majestic appear- 
ance. Kitto's Cyclopedia of Bib. Lit. 
The cut placed on the next page u 
supposed to give a good representa- 
tion of the appearance of the island. 
It is commonly supposed that John was 
banished to this island by Domitian, 
about A. D. 94. No place could have 
been selected for banishment which would 
accord better with such a design than 
this. Lonely, desolate, barren, unin- 
habited, seldom visited, it had all the 
requisites which could be desired for a 
place of punishment, and banishment to 
that place would accomplish all that a 
persecutor could wish in silencing an 
apostle, without putting him to death. 
It was no uncommon thing in ancient 
times to banish men from their country ; 
either sending them forth at large, or 
specifying some particular place to which 
they were to go. The whole narrative 
leads us to suppose that this place was 
designated as that to which John was to 
be sent. Banishment to an island was 



66 



RE DELATION, 



[A. D , 96. 



10 I was in the Spirit a on the 6 

a 2 Co. 12. 2. b Jno. 20. 20. Ac. 20. 7. 

I Co. 16. 2. 

a common mode of punishment; and 
there was a distinction made by this act 
in favor of those who were thus banished. 
The more base, low and vile of criminals 
were commonly condemned to work in 
the mines ; the more decent and respect- 
able were banished to some lonely 
island. See the authorities quoted in 
Wetstein, in loc. For the word of God. 
On account of the word of God ; that is, 
for holding and preaching the gospel. 
See Notes on ver. 2. It cannot mean 
that he was sent there with a view to 
his 'preaching the word of God ; for it 
is inconceivable that he should have 
been sent from Ephesus to preach in 
such a little, lonely, desolate place, 
where indeed there is no evidence that 
ihere were any inhabitants ; nor can it 
mean that he was sent there by the 
Spirit of God to receive and record this 
revelation, for it is clear that the reve- 
lation could have been made elsewhere, 
and such a place afforded no peculiar 
Advantages for this. The fair interpre- 
tation is, in accordance with all the testi- 
mony of antiquity, that he was sent 
there < in a time of persecution as a 
punishment for preaching the gospel. 

And for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 
Notes, ver. 2. He did not go there to 
bear testimony to Jesus Christ on that 
island, either by preaching or recording 
the visions in this book, but he went 
because he had preached the doctrines 
which testified of Christ. 

10. / was in the Spirit. This cannot 
refer to his own spirit — for such an ex- 
pression would be unintelligible. The 
language then must refer to some un- 
usual state, or to some influence that 
had been brought to bear upon him 
from without, that was appropriate to 
such a day. The word Spirit may refer 
either to the Holy Spirit, or to some 
state of mind such as the Holy Spirit 
produces — a spirit of elevated devotion ; 
a state of high and uncommon religious 
enjoyment. It is clear that John does 
not mean here to say that he was under 
the influence of th3 Holy Spirit in such 
a sense as that he was inspired, for the 
command to make a record, as well as 
the visions, came subsequently to the 
time referred to The fair meaning of 



Lord's day, and heard behind me 
a great voice, as of a trumpet. 



the passage is, that he was at at that 
time favored in a large measure with 
the influences of the Holy Split — the 
spirit of true devotion ; that he had a 
high state of religious enjoyment, and 
was in a condition not inappropriate to 
the remarkable communications which 
were made to him on that day. The state 
of mind in which he was at the time here 
referred to, is not such as the prophets 
are often represented to have been in 
when under the prophetic inspiration 
(comp. Ezek. i. 1, viii. 3, xl. 2; Jer. 
xxiv. 1), and which was often accom- 
panied with an entire prostration of 
bodily strength (comp. Num. xxiv. 4; 
Ezek. i. 28; Dan. x. 8-10; 1 Sam. xix. 
24; Jer. xx. 7; Rev. i. 17;, but such 
as any Christian may experience when 
in a high state of religious enjoyment. 
He was not yet under the prophetic 
ecstacy (comp. Acts x. 10, xi. 5, xxii. 
17), but was, though in a lonely and 
barren island, and far away from the 
privileges of the sanctuary, permitted to 
enjoy in a high degree the consolations 
of religion : an illustration of the great 
truth that God can meet his people any 
where; that, when in solitude and in 
circumstances of outward affliction, when 
persecuted and cast out, when deprived 
of the public means of grace, and the 
society of religious friends, he can meet 
them with the abundant consolations 
of his grace, and pour joy and peace 
into their souls. This state was not 
inappropriate to the revelations which 
were about to be made to J ohn, but this 
itself was not that state. It was a state 
which seems to have resulted from the 
fact, that on that desert island he devoted 
the day to the worship of God, and by 
honoring the day dedicated to the 
memory of the risen Saviour, found, 
what all will find, that it was attended 
with rich spiritual influences on his 
soul, ^ On the Lord's day. The word 
here rendered Lord's — KvpiaKds — occurs 
only in this place and in 1 Cor. xi. 20, 
where it is applied to the Lord's Supper. 
It properly means pertaining to the 
Lord ; and, so far as this word is con- 
cerned, it might mean a day pertaining 
to the Lord ft any sense, or for any 
reason — either because he claimed it «/J 



A. D. 90 J 



CHAPTER 1. 



67 



his own and had set it apart for his own ' a prevailing custom, set apart this day 



service; or because it was designed to 
commemorate some important event 
pertaining to him ; or because it was 
observed in honor of him. It is clear 
(1) that this refers to some day which 
was distinguished from all other days of 
the week, and which would be suffi- 
ciently designated by the use of this 
term. (2) That it was a day which was 
for some reason regarded as peculiarly 
a day of the Lord, or peculiarly 
devoted to him. (3) It would further 
. appear that this was a day particularly 
devoted to the Lord Jesus, for (a) that 
is the natural meaning of the word Lord 
as used in the New Testament (comp. 
Notes on Acts i. 24), and (b) if the 
Jewish Sabbath were intended to be 
designated, the word Sabbath would 
have been used. The term was used 
generally by the early Christians to 
denote the first day of the week. It 
occurs twice in the Epistle of Ignatius 
to the Magnesians (about A. D. 101), 
who calls the Lord's day, "the queen 
and prince of all days." Chrysostom 
(on Ps. cxix.) says, "It was called the 
Lord's day because the Lord rose from 
the dead on that day." Later Fathers 
make a marked distinction between the 
Sabbath and the Lord's day ; meaning 
by the former, the Jewish Sabbath, or 
the seventh day of the week, and by the 
latter, the first day of the week kept 
holy by Christians. So Theodoret (Fab. 
Haeret. ii. 1), speaking of the Ebionites, 
says, a They keep the Sabbath according 
to the Jewish law, and sanctify the 
Lord's day in like manner as we do." 
Prof. Stuart. The strong probability 
is, that the name was given to this day 
in honor of the Lord Jesus, and because 
he rose on that day from the dead. No 
one can doubt that it was an appellation 
given to the first day of the week, and 
the passage therefore proves (1) That 
that day was thus early distinguished 
in some peculiar manner, so that the 
mere mention of it would be sufficient to 
identify it in the minds of those to whom 
the apostle wrote; (2) that it was in 
some sense regarded as devoted to the 
Lord Jesus, or was designed, in some 
way, to commemorate what he had done ; 
and (3) that if this book were written 
by the Apostle John, the observance 
of that day has the apostolic sanction. 
He had manifestly, in accordance with 



in honor of the Lord Jesus. Though 
alone, he was engaged on that day in 
acts of devotion. Though far away from 
the sanctuary, he enjoyed what all 
Christians hope to enjoy on such a day 
of rest, and what not a few do in fact 
enjoy in its observance. We maj re- 
mark in view of this statement, (a) ;hat 
when away from the sanctuary, and 
deprived of its privileges, we should 
nevertheless not fail to observe the 
Christian Sabbath. If on a bod of 
sickness ; if in a land of strangers ; if on 
the deep ; if in a foreign clime ; if on a 
lonely island, as John was, where we 
have none of the advantages of public 
worship, we should yet honor the Sab- 
bath. We should worship G-od alone if 
we have none to unite with us; we 
should show to those around us, if we 
are with strangers, by our dress and our 
conversation; by a serious and devout 
manner; by abstinence from labor, and 
by a resting from travel, that we 
devoutly regard this day as set apart 
for God. (b) We may expect, in such 
circumstances, and with such a devout 
observance of the day, that God will 
meet with us and bless us. It was on a 
lonely island, far away from the sanc- 
tuary and from the society of Christian 
friends, that the Saviour met "the be- 
loved disciple," and we may trust it will 
be so with us. For on such a deseri 
island ; in a lonely forest ; on the deep, 
or amid strangers in a foreign land, h<. 
can as easily meet us as in the sanctuary 
where we have been accustomed to wor- 
ship, and when surrounded by all the 
privileges of a Christian land. No man, 
at home or abroad; among friends or 
strangers; enjoying the privileges of the 
sanctuary, or deprived of those privi- 
leges, ever kept the Christian Sabbath 
in a devout manner without profit to his 
own' soul ; and when deprived of the 
privileges of public worship, the visita- 
tions of the Saviour to the soul may be 
more than a compensation for all our 
privations. Who would not be willing 
to be banished to a lonely island like 
Patmos, if he might enjoy such a gloriouc 
vision of the Redeemer as John was 
favored with there ? And heard be- 
hind me a great voice. A loud voice. 
This was of course sudden, and took 
him by surprise, As of a trumpet. 
Loud as a trumpet. This is evidently 



68 



HEVEL 



ATION, 



$ . D. 90. 



11 Saying, I am Alpha and 
Omega, the first and the last : and, 
What thou seest, write in a book, 
and send it unto the seven churches 
which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, ° 
a c. 2. l. 



the only point in the comparison. It 
does not mean that the tones of the 
voice resembled a trumpet, but only that 
it was clear, loud, and distinct like a 
trumpet. A trumpet is a well-known 
wind instrument distinguished for the 
clearness of its sounds, and was used for 
calling assemblies together, for marshal- 
ling hosts for battle, &c. The Hebrew 
word employed commonly to denote a 

trumpet — 131$, shopher — means bright 

and clear, and is supposed to have been 
given to the instrument on account of 
its clear and shrill sound, as we now give 
the name " clarion" to a certain wind in- 
strument. The Hebrew trumpet is often 
referred to as employed, on account of 
its clearness, to summon people toge- 
ther. Ex. xix. 13 ; Num. x. 10 ; Judges 
vii. 18 ; 2 Sam. xv. 10. 

11. Saying. That is, literally, "the 
trumpet saying." It was, however, 
manifestly the voice that addressed tnese 
words to John, though they seemed to 
come through a trumpet, and hence the 
trumpet is represented as uttering them, 
f I am Alpha and Omega, Ver. 8. 
% The first and the last. An explana- 
tion of the terms Alpha and Omega. 
Notes on ver. 8. And what thou 
seest. The voice, in addition to the 
declaration " I am Alpha and Omega," 
gave this direction that he should record 
what he saw. The phrase " what thou 
seest," refers to what would pass before 
him in vision : — what he there saw, and 
what he would see in the extraordinary 
manifestations which were to be made 
to him. ^ Write in a book. Make a 
fair record of it all — evidently meaning 
that he should describe things as they 
occurred, and implying that the vision 
would be held so long before the eye of 
his mind that he would be able to 
transfer it to the " book." The fair and 
obvious interpretation of this is, that he 
was to make the record in the island of 
Patmos, and then send it to the churches. 
Though Patmos was a lonely and barren 
pi&ee , and though probably there were 



and unto Smyrna, 6 and unto Per- 
gamos, c and unto Thyatira, d and 
unto Sardis, e and unto Philadel- 
phia, f and unto Laodicea. s 

b c. 2. 8. c c. 2. 12. d c. 2. 18. e c. 3. 1. 
/c. 3. 7. gc.3.U. 



few or no inhabitants there, yet there is 
no improbability in supposing that Jchn 
could have found writing materials there, 
nor even that he may have been per r 
mitted to take such materials with him. 
He seems to have been banished for 
preaching, not for writing ; and there is 
no evidence that the materials for 
writing would be withheld from him. 
John Bunyan in Bedford jail found 
materials for writing the Pilgrim's Pro- 
gress ; and there is no evidence that the 
Apostle John was denied the means of 
recording his thoughts when in the 
island of Patmos. The word booh here 
— jSt/3X('ov — would more properly mean 
a roll or scroll, that being the form in 
which books were anciently made. See 
Notes on Luke iv. 17. And send it 
unto the seven churches which are in 
Asia. The churches which are imme- 
diately designated, not implying that 
there were no other churches in Asia, 
but that there were particular reasons 
for sending it to these. He was to send 
all that he should " see," to wit, all that 
is recorded in this volume or book of 
" Revelation." Part of this (chs. ii. iii.) 
would appertain particularly to them; 
the remainder (chs. iv.-xxii.) would ap- 
pertain to them no more than to others, 
but still they would have the common 
interest in it which all the church would 
have, and, in their circumstances of trial, 
there might be important reasons why 
they should see the assurance that the 
church would ultimately triumph over 
all its enemies. They were to derive 
from it themselves the consolation which 
it was fitted to impart in time of trial, 
and to transmit it to future times for the 
welfare of the church at large, \ Unto 
Ephesus. Perhaps mentioned first as 
being the capital of that portion of 
Asia Minor,* the most important city 
of the seven; the place where John 
had preached, and whence he had been 
banished. For a particular description 
of these seven churches, see the Notes 
on the epistles addressed to them in 
chs. ii. iii. 



A.. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER I. 



6U 



12 And I turned to see the voice 
that spake with me. And being 
turned, I saw seven ° golden can- 
dlesticks. 

13 And in the midst of the seven 

a Ex. 25. 37. Zek. 4. 2. 

12. And 1 turned to see the voice that 
$pake with me. He naturally turned 
ro^nd to see who it was that spake to 
him in this solitary and desolate place, 
whero he thought himself to be alone. 
To see the voice here means to see the 
person who spake, And being turned, 
1 saw seven golden candlesticks. These 
were the first things that met his eye. 
This must have been in vision, of 
course ; and the meaning is, that there 
teemed, to be there seven such lamps or 
eandelabras. The word rendered can- 
dlesticks — \v%via — means properly a 
light-stand ; lamp-stand ; — something to 
bear up a light. It would be applied to 
any thing that was used for this purpose ; 
and nothing is intimated, in the use of 
the word, in regard to the form or 
dimensions of the light-bearers. Lamps 
ivere more commonly used at that time 
than candles, and it is rather to be sup- 
posed that these were designed to be 
<amp-bearers, or lamp-sustainers, than 
tandle- sticks. They were seven in num- 
ber, not one branching into seven ; but 
seven standing apart, and so far from 
each other that he who appeared to 
John could stand among them. The 
la.mp-bearers evidently sustained each a 
light, and these gave a peculiar bril- 
liancy to the scene. It is not improbable 
that, as they were designed to represent 
the seven churches of Asia, they were 
arranged in an order resembling these 
churches. The scene is not laid in the 
temple, as many suppose, for there is 
nothing that resembles the arrange- 
ments in the temple except the mere 
fact of the lights. The scene as yet is 
in Patmos, and there is no evidence that 
J ohn did not regard himself as there, or 
that he fancied for a moment that he 
was translated to the temple in Jerusa- 
lem. There can be no doubt as to the 
design of this representation, for it is 
expressly declared (ver. 20) that the 
seven lamp-bearers were intended to 
represent the seven churches. Light is 
often used in the Scriptures as an 
emblem of true religion ; Christians are 



candlesticks one h like unto the Son 
of man, clothed with a garment 
down to the foot, and girt about 
the paps with a golden girdle. 

b Eze. 1. 26-28. 



represented as "the light of the world" 
(Math. v. 14; comp. Phil. ii. 15; John 
viii. 12) ; and a Christian church may 
be represented as a light standing in the 
midst of surrounding darkness. 

13. And in the midst of the seven 
golden candlesticks. Standing among 
them, so as to be encircled with them. 
This shows that the representation could 
not have been like that of the vision of 
Z-echariah (Zech. iv. 2), where the 
probhet sees " a candlestick all of gold 
with a bowl upon the top of it, and his 
seven lamps thereon." In the vision as 
it appeared to John, there was not 
one lamp-bearer with seven lamps or 
branches, but there were seven lamp- 
bearers so arranged that one in the 
likeness of the Son of man could stand 
in the midst of them, One like unto 
the Son of man. This was evidently the 
Lord Jesus Christ himself, elsewhere so 
often called " the Son of man." That it 
was the Saviour himself, is apparent 
from ver. 18. The expression rendered 
"like unto the Son of man," should 
have been " like unto a son of man 
that is, like a man — a human being, or 
in a human form. The reasons for so 
interpreting it are (a) that the Greek is 
without the article ; and (6) that, as it is 
rendered in our version, it seems to 
make the writer say that he was like 
himself — since the expression " the Son 
of man" is in the New Testament but 
another name for the Lord Jesus. The 
phrase is often applied to him in the 
New Testament, and always, except in 
three instances (Acts vii. 56; Rev. i. 13, 
xiv. 14), by the Saviour himself, evi- 
dently to denote his warm interest in 
man, or his relationship to man ; to sig- 
nify that he was a man, and wished to 
designate himself eminently as such. 
See Notes on Matt. viii. 20. In the use 
of this phrase in the New Testament, 
there is, probably, an allusion to Dan. 
vii. 13. The idea would seem to be that 
he whom he saw resembled " the Son of 
man" — the Lord Jesus as he had seen 
him in the days of his flesh, though it 



70 



REVELATION. 



[A. D. 96 



14 His head and his hairs ivere 
white like wool, as white as snow ; 

would appear that he did not know that 
it was he until he was informed of it. 
Ver. 18. Indeed, the costume in which 
he appeared was so unlike that in which 
John had been accustomed to see the 
Lord Jesus in the days of his flesh, that 
it cannot be well supposed that he 
would at once recognise him as the same. 
% Clothed with a garment down to the 
feet. A robe reaching down to the feet, 
or to the ankles, yet so as to leave the 
feet themselves visible. The allusion 
here, doubtless, is to a long, loose, 
flowing robe, such as was worn by kings. 
Comp. Notes on Isa. vi. 1. And girt 
about the paps. About the breast. It 
was common, and is still, in the East, 
to wear a girdle to confine the robe, as 
well as to form a beautiful ornament. 
This was commonly worn about the 
middle of the person, or " the loins 
but it would seem also that it was 
sometimes worn around the breast. See 
Notes on Matt. v. 38-41. ^ With a 
golden girdle. Either wholly made of 
gold, or more probably richly orna- 
mented with gold. This would natu- 
rally suggest the idea of one of rank — 
probably one of princely rank. The 
raiment here assumed was not that 
of a priest, but that of a king. It was 
very far from being that in which the 
Redeemer appeared when he dwelt upon 
the earth, and was rather designed to 
denote his royal state as he is exalted 
in heaven. He is not indeed represented 
with a crown and sceptre here, and 
perhaps the leading idea is that of one 
of exalted rank ; of unusual dignity ; of 
one fitted to inspire awe and respect. 
In other circumstances, in this book, 
this same Redeemer is represented as 
wearing a crown, and going forth to 
conquest. See ch. xix. 12-16. Here the 
representation seems to have been 
designed to impress the mind with a 
sense of the greatness and glory of the 
personage who thus suddenly made his 
appearance. 

14. His head and his hairs were white 
like wool, as white as snow. Exceed- 
ingly, or perfectly white — the first sug- 
gestion to the mind of the apostle being 
that of wool, and then the thought oc- 
curring of its extreme whiteness resem- 



and his eyes a ivere as a flame of 
fire ; 

a c. 2. 18. 19. 12. 



bling snow — the purest white of which 
the mind conceives. The comparison 
with wool and snow to denote any thing 
peculiarly white, is not uncommon. See 
Isa. i. 18. Prof. Stuart supposes that 
this means, not that his hairs were 
literally white, as if with age, which he 
says would be incongruous to one just 
risen from the dead, clothed with im- 
mortal youth and vigor, but that it 
means radiant, bright, resplendent — 
similar to what occurred on the trans- 
figuration of the Saviour. Matth. xvii. 2. 
But to this it may be replied (a) that 
this would not accord well with that 
with which his hair is compared — snow 
and wool, particularly the latter. (6) The 
usual meaning of the word is more 
obvious here, and not at all inappro- 
priate. The representation was fitted to 
signify majesty and authority; and 
this would be best accomplished by the 
image of one who was venerable in 
years. Thus in the vision that appeared 
to Daniel (ch. vii. 9), it is said of him 
who is there called the " Ancient of 
Days," that his " garment was white as 
snow, and the hair of his head like 
the pure wool." It is not improbable 
that John had that representation in 
his eye, and that therefore he would 
be impressed with the conviction that 
this was a manifestation of a divine 
person. We are not necessarily to 
suppose that this is the form in which 
the Saviour always appears now in 
heaven, any more than we are to sup- 
pose that God appears always in the 
form in which he was manifested to 
Isaiah (ch. vi. 1), to Daniel (ch. vii. 9), 
or to Moses and Aaron, Nadab and 
Abihu in the mount. Ex. xxiv. 10, 11. 
The representation is, that this form was 
assumed for the purpose of impressing 
the mind of the apostle with a sense of 
his majesty and glory, And h*s eyes 
were as aflame of fire. Bright, sharp, 
penetrating ; as if every thing was light 
before them, or they would penetrate 
into the thoughts of men. Such a repre- 
sentation is not uncommon. We speak 
of a lightning-glance; a fiery look, &c. 
In Daniel x. 6, it is said of the man who 
appeared to the prophet on the banks of 
the river Hiddekel, that his eyes were 



A.. P.. 96.] 



CHAPTEE I. 



71 



15 And his feet a like unto fine 
brass, as if they burned in a fur- 
nace ; and his voice b as the sound 
of many waters. 

16 And he had in his right hand 

a Eze. 1. 7. b Eze. 43. 2. 



" as lamps of fire." Numerous instances 
of this comparison from the Greek and 
Latin classics may be seen in Wetstein, 
in loc. 

15. And his feet like unto fine brass. 
Comp. Dan. x. 6, "And his arms and 
his feet like in color to polished brass." 
See also Ezek. i. 7, "And they" [the 
feet of the living creatures] " sparkled 
like the color of burnished brass." The 
word here used — %a\Ko\i t 6avov — occurs 
in the New Testament only here and in 
ch. ii. 18. It is not found in the Septu- 
agint. The word properly means white 
brass (probably compounded of %a\i<6s, 
brass, and Xipavos, whiteness, from the 

Hebrew to be white). Others re- 
gard it as from ^aA/coV, brass, and 
Xinapov, clear. The metal referred to 
was undoubtedly a species of brass dis- 
tinguished for its clearness or white- 
ness. Brass is a compound metal, com- 
posed of copper and zinc. The color 
varies much according to the different 
proportions of the various ingredients. 
The vulgate here renders the word 
Qurichalcum, a mixture of gold and of 
brass — perhaps the same as the %\EKTpov 
— the electrum of the ancients, composed 
of gold and of silver, usually in the pro- 
portion of four parts gold and one part 
silver, and distinguished for its brilliancy. 
See Robinson, Lex. and Wetstein, in loc. 
The kind of metal here referred to, 
however, would seem to be some com- 
pound of brass — of a whitish and bril- 
liant color. The exact proportion of 
the ingredients in the metal here re- 
ferred to, cannot now be determined. 

As if they burned in a furnace. That 
is, his feet were so bright that they 
seemed to be like a beautiful metal 
glowing intensely in the midst of a 
furnace. Any one who has looked upon 
the dazzling and almost insupportable 
brilliancy of metal in a furnace, can 
form an idea of the image here pre- 
sented. \ And his voice as the sound 
of many waters. As the roar of the 
ocean, or of a cataract. Nothing could 



seven stars ; and out of his mouth 
went a c sharp two-edged sword : 
and his countenance was as the 
sun d shineth in his strength. 

c Is. 49. 2. He. 4. 12. d Ac.26. 13. c. 26. 
13. 



be a more sublime description of majesty 
and authority than to compare the voice 
of a speaker with the roar of the ocean. 
This comparison often occurs in the 
Scriptures. See Ezek. xliii. 2, "And 
behold the glory of the God of Israel 
came from the east, and his voice was 
like the sound of many waters, and the 
earth shined with his glory." So Rev. 
xiv. 2, xix. 6 ; comp. Ezek. i. 24 Dan. 
x. 6. 

16. And he had in his right hand 
seven stars. Emblematic of the angels 
of the seven churches. How he held 
them is not said. It may be that they 
seemed to rest on his open palm ; or it 
may be that he seemed to hold them ai 
if they were arranged in a certain order, 
and with some sort of attachment, so 
that they could be grasped. It is not 
improbable that, as in the case of the 
seven lamp-bearers (Notes ver. 13), they 
were so arranged as to represent the 
relative position of the seven churcheo. 
If And out of his mouth went a sharp 
two-edged sword. On the form of the 
ancient two-edged sword, aee Notes 
on Ephesians, vi. 17. The two edges 
were designed to cut both ways; and 
such a sword is a striking emblem of the 
penetrating power of truth, or of words 
that proceed from the mouth, and this is 
designed undoubtedly to be the repre- 
sentation here — that there was some 
symbol which showed that his words, 
or his truth, had the power of cutting 
deep, or penetrating the soul. So in 
Isa. xlix. 2, it is said of the same 
personage, "And he hath made my 
mouth like a sharp sword." See Notes 
on that verse. So in Heb. iv. 12, 
" The word of God is quick and 
powerful, sharper than any two-edged 
sword," &c. So it is said of Pericles by 
Aristophanes, 

" His powerful speech 
Pierced the hearer's soul, and left behind 
Deep in his bosom its keen point infixt." 

A simil :ir figure often occurs in Arabia 
poetry. "As arrows his words enter 
into the heart." S^e Gosonius, comm. 



72 



REVELATION, 



[A. 1). 96. 



17 And when I saw him, I fell 
at his feet as dead. And he laid 
his right hand upon me, saying 

zu Isa. xlix. 2. The only difficulty 
here is in regard to the apparently 
incongruous representation of a sword 
seeming to proceed from the mouth ; but 
it is not, perhaps, necessary to suppose 
that John means to say that he saw 
such an image. He heard him speak : 
he felt the penetrating power of his 
words ; and they were as if a sharp 
sword proceeded from his mouth. They 
penetrated deep into the soul, and as 
he looked on him it seemed as if a sword 
came from his mouth. Perhaps it 
is not necessary to suppose that there 
was even any visible representation of 
this — either of a sword or of the breath 
proceeding from his mouth appearing to 
tu,ke this form, as Prof. Stuart supposes. 
It may be wholly a figurative repre- 
sentation, as Henrichs and Ewald sup- 
pose. Though there were visible and 
impressive symbols of his majesty and 
glory presented to the eyes, it is not 
necessary to suppose that there were 
visible symbols of his words. % And 
his countenance. His face. There had 
been before particular descriptions of 
some parts of his face — as of his eyes — 
but this is a representation of his whole 
aspect ; of the general splendor and 
brightness of his countenance, Was 
as the sun shineth in his strength. In 
his full splendor when unobscured by 
clouds ; where his rays are in no way 
intercepted. Comp. Judges v. 31 ; " But 
let th^m that love him [the Lord] be 
as the snr. when he goeth forth in his 
might.''' 2 Sam. xxiii. 4, " And he shall 
be as the light of the morning, when the 
sun ariseth, even a morning without 
clouds." Ps. xix. 5, " Which [the sun] 
is as a bridegroom coming out of his 
chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man 
to run a race." There could be no more 
striking description of the majesty and 
glory of the countenance than to com- 
pare it with the overpowering splendor 
of the sun. — This closes the description 
of the personage that appeared to John. 
The design was evidently to impress 
him with a sense of his majesty and 
glory, and to prepare the way for the 
authoritative nature of the communi- 
cations which he was to make. It is 
fthvious to remark that this appearance 



nnto me, Fear not ; I am the first 

and the last : 



must have been assumed. The repre- 
sentation is not that of the Redeemer ag 
he rose from the dead — a middle-aged 
man : nor is it clear that it was the same as 
on the mount of transfiguration — where, 
for any thing that appears, he retained 
h±a usual aspect and form though tem- 
porarily invested with extraordinary 
brilliancy ; nor is it the form in which we 
may suppose he ascended to heaven — 
for there is no evidence that he was thus 
transformed when he ascended; nor is it 
that of a priest — for all the peculiar 
habiliments of a Jewish priest are want- 
ing in this description. The appearance 
assumed is, evidently, in accordance 
with various representations of God as 
he appeared to Ezekiel, to Isaiah, and 
to Daniel — that which was a suitable 
manifestation of a divine being — of one 
clothed in the majesty and power of 
God. We are not to infer from this, 
that this is in fact the appearance of the 
Redeemer now in heaven, or that this 
is the form in which he will appear when 
he comes to judge the world. Of his 
appearance in heaven we have no know- 
ledge; of the aspect which he will 
assume when he comes to judge men we 
have no certain information. We are 
necessarily quite as ignorant of this as 
we are of what will be our own form 
and appearance after the resurrection 
from the dead. 

17. And when I saw him, 1 fell at 
his feet as dead. As if I were dead ; 
deprived of sense and consciousness. 
He was overwhelmed with the sudden- 
ness of the vision ; he saw that this was 
a divine being; but he did not as yet 
know that it was the Saviour. It is not 
probable that in this vision he would 
immediately recognize any of the familiar 
features of the Lord Jesus as he had 
been accustomed to see him some sixty 
years before ; and if he did, the effect 
would have been quite as overpowering 
as is here described. But the subse- 
quent revelations of this divine person- 
age would rather seem to imply that 
John did not at once recognize him as 
the Lord Jesus. The effect here de- 
scribed is one that often occurred to 
those who had a vision of God. See 
Daniel viii- 18, " Kow as he was spe^k* 



^. D. 96,] 



CHAP 



TER I. 



73 



18 lam he that liveth, b and was I 
lead ; and, behold, I am alive for 
6 Ro. 6. 9. 

ing with me, I was in a deep sleep on 
my face toward the ground; but he 
touched me, and set me upright." Ver. 
27, " And I Daniel fainted, and was 
sick certain days; afterwards I rose up, 
and did the king's business." Comp. 
Ex. xxxiii. 20; Isa. vi. 5; Ezek. i. 28, 
xliii. 3; Dan. x. 7-9, 17. % And he laid 
his right hand upon me. For the pur- 
pose of raising him up. Comp. Dan. 

viii. 17, "He touched me, and set me 
upright." We usually stretch out the 
right hand to raise up one who is fallen. 

Saying unto me, Fear not. Comp. 
Matt. xiv. 27, "It is I, be not afraid." 
The fact that it was the Saviour, though 
he appeared in this form of overpower- 
ing majesty, was a reason why John 
should not be afraid. Why that was a 
reason, he immediately adds ; — that he 
'was the first and the last; that though 
he had been dead he was now alive, and 
would continue ever to live, and that he 
had the keys of hell and of death/ It 
is evident that John was overpowered 
with that awful emotion which the 
human mind must feel at the evidence 
of the presence of God. Thus men feel 
when G-od seems to come near them by 
the impressive symbols of his majesty — 
as in the thunder, the earthquake, and 
the tempest. Comp. Hab. iii. 16, Luke 

ix. 34. Yet amidst the most awful 
manifestations of divine power, the 
simple assurance that our Redeemer is 
near us, is enough to allay our fears 
and diffuse calmness through the soul. 
<[[ lam the first and the last. Notes ver. 8. 
This is stated to be one of the reasons 
why he should not fear — that he was 
eternal: — '1 always live; have lived 
through all the past, and will live 
through all which is to come, and there- 
fore I can accomplish all my promises, 
and execute all my purposes/ 

18. I am he that liveth, and was dead. 
'1 was indeed once dead, but now I 
live, and shall continue to live for 
ever. This would at once identify him 
who thus appeared as the Lord Jesus 
Christ, for to no one else could this 
apply. He had been put to death ; but 
he had risen from the grave. This also 
is given as a reason why John should 
oot fear ; and nothing would allay his 
7 



evermore, Amen ; and have the 
key3 e of hell and of death. 

c Ps. 6S. 20. c. 20. 1. 2. 

fears more than this. He now saw that 
he was in the presence of that Saviour 
whowi more than half a century before 
he had so tenderly loved when in the 
flesh, and whom, though now long- 
absent, he had faithfully served, and 
for whose cause he was now in this 
lonely island. His faith in his resur- 
rection had not been a delusion ; he saw 
the very Redeemer before him who had 
once been laid in the tomb. ^ Behold, 
1 am alive for evermore. I am to live 
forever. Death is no more to cut me 
down, and I am never again to slumber 
in the grave. As he was always to live, 
he could accomplish all his promises, 
and fulfil all his purposes. The Saviour 
is never to die again. He can, there- 
fore, always sustain us in our troubles; 
he can be with us in our death. Who- 
ever of our friends die, he will not die ; 
when we die, he will still be on the 
throne. % Amen. A word here of 
strong affirmation : as if he had said, it 
is truly, or certainly so. See Notes 
on ver. 7. This expression is one that 
the Saviour often used when he wished 
to give emphasis, or to express any 
thing strongly. Comp. John iii. 3, v. 25. 

And have the keys of hell and of death. 
The word rendered hell — a&vs — hades, 
refers properly to the under- world; the 
abode of departed spirits ; the region of 
the dead. This was represented as dull 
and gloomy; as enclosed with walls; as 
entered through gates which were fast- 
ened with bolts and bars. For a descrip- 
tion of the views which prevailed among 
the ancients on this subject, see Notes on 
Luke xvi. 23, and Job x. 21, 22. To 
hold the key of this, was to hold the power 
over the invisible world. It was the 
more appropriate that the Saviour should 
represent himself as having this autho- 
rity, as he had himself been raised from 
the dead by his own power (comp. J ohn x. 
18), thus showing that the dominion over 
this dark world was entrusted to him. 
f A*id of death. A personification. 
Death reigns in that world. But to his 
wide-extended realms the Saviour holds 
the key, and can have access to his em- 
pire when he pleases, releasing all whom 
he chooses, and confining there still such 
as he shall please. It is probably in 



74 



REVELATION, 



fA. D. 96 



19 Write the things which thou 
hast seen, and the things which 
are, and the the things which shall 
be hereafter ; 

part from such hints as these that Milton 
drew his sublime description of the 
gates of hell in the Paradise Lost. As 
Christ always lives ; as he always retains 
this power over the regions of the dead, 
and the whole world of spirits, it may 
be further remarked that we have 
nothing to dread if we put our trust in 
him. We need not fear to enter a world 
which he has entered and from which 
he has emerged, achieving a glorious 
triumph; we need not fear what the 
dread king that reigns there can do to 
us, for his power extends not beyond 
the permission of the Saviour, and in 
his own time that Saviour will call us 
forth to life to die no more. 

19. Write the things which thou hast 
seen. An account of the vision which 
thou hast had. Ver. 10-18. And the 
things that are. Give an account of 
those things which thou hast seen as 
designed to represent the condition of 
the seven churches. He had seen not 
only the Saviour, but he had seen seven 
lamp-stands, and seven stars in the 
hand of the Saviour, and he is now com- 
manded to record the meaning of these 
symbols as referring to things then 
actually existing in the seven churches. 
This interpretation is demanded by ver. 
20. \ And the things which shall be 
hereafter. The Greek phrase rendered 
hereafter — fisrd ravra — means "after 
these things ;" that is, he was to make a 
correct representation of the things which 
then were, and then to record what would 
occur "after these things:" — to wit, of 
the images, symbols, and truths, which 
would be disclosed to him after what he 
had already seen. The expression re- 
fers to future times. He does not say 
for how long a time ; but the revelations 
which were to be made referred to 
events which were to occur beyond those 
which were then taking place. Nothing 
can be argued from the use of this 
language in regard to the length of 
time embraced in the revelation — whe- 
ther it extended only for a few years, or 
whether it embraced all coming time. 
The more natural interpretation, how- 
ever, would seem to be, that it would 



20 The mystery of the seven * 
stars which thou sawest in 
right hand, and the seven golden 

a ver. 16. 



stretch far into future years, and that it 
was designed to give at least an outline 
of what would be the character of the 
future in general. 

20. The mystery of the seven stars. 
On the word mystery, see Notes on 
Eph. i. 9. The word means properly, 
that which is hidden, obscure, un- 
known — until it is disclosed by one 
having the ability to do it, or by the 
course of events. When disclosed it 
may be as clear, and as capable of com- 
prehension, as any other truth. The 
meaning here as applied to the seven 
stars, is, that they were symbols, and 
that their meaning as symbols, without 
a suitable explanation, would remain 
hidden or unknown. They were de- 
signed to represent important truths, 
and John was directed to write down 
what they were intended, in the circum- 
stances, to signify, and to send the ex- 
planation to the churches. It is evi- 
dently implied that the meaning of 
these symbols would be beyond the 
ordinary powers of the human mind to 
arrive at with certainty, and hence John 
was directed to explain the symbol. The 
general and obvious truths which they 
would serve to convey would be that 
the ministers of the churches, and the 
churches themselves, were designed to 
be lights in the world, and should burn 
clearly and steadily. Much important 
truth would be couched under these 
symbols, indeed, if nothing had been 
added in regard to their signification as 
employed here by the Saviour ; but there 
were particular truths of great import- 
ance in reference to each of theee " stars" 
and " lamp-bearers," which J ohn was 
more fully to explain, \ Which thou 
sawest in my right hand. Gr. "upon 
my right hand" — tm rrjg h^iag fxsv: — 
giving some support to the opinion that 
the stars, as they were seen, appeared to 
be placed on his hand — that is, on the 
palm of his hand as he stretched it out. 
The expression in ver. 16, is, that they 
were " in (iv) his right hand ;" but the 
language here used is not decisive as to 
the position of the stars. They may 
have been held in some way by tha 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER I. 



15 



candlesticks. The seven stars are 
the angels of the ■ seven churches : 



hand, or represented as scattered on the 
open hand. ^ The seven golden candle- 
sticks. The truth which these emble- 
matic representations are designed to 
convey. <[ The seven stars are. That 
is, they represent, or they denote — in 
accordance with a common usage in the 
Scriptures. See Notes on Matt. xxvi. 
26. The angels of the seven churches. 
Gr. U Angels of the seven churches :" — 
the article being wanting. This does 
not refer to them as a collective or 
associated body, for the addresses are 
made to them as individuals — an epistle 
being directed to "the anger' of each 
particular church. Ch. ii. 1, 12, &c. 
The evident meaning, however, is, that 
what was recorded should be directed 
to them not as pertaining to them ex- 
clusively as individuals, but as presiding 
over, or representing the churches, for 
what is recorded pertains £othe churches, 
and was evidently designed to be laid 
before them. It was for the churches, 
but was committed to the "anger' as 
representing the church, and to be com- 
municated to the church under his care, j 
There has been much diversity of 
opinion in regard to the meaning of the 
word angels here. By the advocates of 
Episcopacy, it has been argued that the 
use of this term proves that there was a 
presiding bishop over a circle or group 
of churches in Ephesus, in Smyrna, <fcc, 
since it is said that it cannot be sup- 
posed that there was but a single 
church in a city so large as Ephesus, or 
in the other cities mentioned. A full 
examination of this argument may be 
seen in my work on the "Apostolic 
Church," pp. 118-127. The word angel, 
properly means a messenger, and is 
thus applied to celestial beings as mes- 
sengers sent forth from God to convey 
or to do his will. This being the com- 
mon meaning of the word, it may be 
employed to denote any one who is a 
messsenger, and hence, with propriety, 
any one who is employed to communi- 
cate the will of another; to transact his 
business, or, more remotely, to act in 
his place — to be a representative. In 
order to ascertain the meaning of the 
word as used in this place, and in 
reference to these churches, it may be 



and the seven candlesticks a vy Inch 
thou sawest, are the seven churches. 

a Mat. 5. 15, 16. 

remarked (1) that it cannot mean lite 
rally an angel, as referring to a heavenly 
being, for no one can suppose that such 
a being presided over these churches ; 
(2) it cannot be shown to mean, as 
j Lord (in loc.) supposes, messengers that 
the churches had sent to John, and 
; that these letters were given to them to 
be returned by them to the churches, foi 
(a) there is no evidence that any such mes- 
sengers had been sent to John ; (5) there 
is no probability that while he was a 
banished exile in Patmos such a thing 
would be permitted ; (c) the message 
was not sent by them, it was sent to 
them — " Unto the angel of the church 
in Ephesus, write," &c. (3) It cannot 
\ be proved that the reference is to a 
I prelatical bishop presiding over a group 
or circle of churches, called a diocese, 
for (a) there is nothing in the word 
angel, as used in this connection, which 
would be peculiarly applicable to such 
a personage — it being as applicable to 
a pastor of a single church as to a 
bishop of many churches ; (6) there is 
no evidence that there were any such 
groups of churches then as constitute 
an episcopal diocese; (c) the use of the 
word "church" in the singular, as ap- 
plied to Ephesus, Smyrna, &c, rather 
implies that there was but a single 
church in each of those cities. Conip. 
ch. ii. 1, 8, 12, IS : see also similar 
language ia. regard to the church in 
Corinth, 1 Cor. i. 1, 2; in Antioch, 
Acts xiii. 1 ; at Laodicea, Col. iv. 16. 
and at Ephesus, Acts xx. 28 ; (d) there 
is no evidence, as Episcopalians must 
suppose, that a successor to John had 
been appointed at Ephesus, if. as they 
suppose, he was " bishop" of Ephesus, 
and there is no probability that they 
would so soon after his banishment 
show him such a want of respect as 
to regard the see as vacant, and ap- 
point a successor; (e) there is no im- 
probability in supposing that there was 
a single church in each of these cities — • 
as at Antioch, Corinth, Rome; (/) if 
John was a prelatical "bishop," it is 
probable that he was " bishop" of the 
whole group of churches embracing the 
seven — yet here, if the word '•angel" 
means "bishop," we have no less than 



76 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



seven such bishops immediately ap- 
pointed to succeed him ; and (g) the 
supposition that this refers to prelatical 
bishops is so forced and unnatural that 
many Episcopalians are compelled to 
abandon it. Thus Stillingfleet, than 
whom an abler man, or one whose praise 
is higher in Episcopal churches, as an 
advocate of Prelacy, is not to be found, 
says of these angels : " If many things 
in the epistles be directed to the angels, 
but yet so as to concern the whole body, 
then, of necesssity, the angel must be 
taken as a representative of the whole 
body ; and then why may not the angel 
be taken by way of representation of the 
body itself, either of the whole church, 
or, which is far more probable, of the 
concessors, or order of presbyters in this 
church?" (4) If the word does not 
mean literally an angel ; if it does not 
refer to messengers sent to John in 
Patmos by the churches ; and if it does 
not refer to a prelatical bishop, then it 
follows that it must refer to some one 
who presided over the church as its 
pastor, and through whom a message 
might be properly sent to the church. 
Thus understood, the pastor or " angel" 
would be regarded as the representative 
of the church ; that is, as delegated by 
the church to manage its affairs, and as 
the authorized person to whom com- 
munications should be made in matters 
pertaining to it — as pastors are now. 
A few considerations will further con- 
firm this interpretation, and throw ad- 
ditional light on the meaning of the 
word, (a) The word angel is employed 
in the Old Testament to denote a pro- 
phet ; that is, a minister of religion 
as sent by God to communicate his 
will. Thus in Haggai (i. 13), it is said, 
" Then spake Haggai, the Lord's mes- 
senger [Heb. angel — TVXV IJtfSo, Sept. 

ayyeXog Kvpiov,] in the Lord's message 
unto the people," &c. (b) It is applied 
to a priest, as one sent by God to exe- 
cute the functions of that office, or to 
act in the name of the Lord. Mai. ii. 7, 
" For the priest's lips should keep know- 
ledge, for he is the messenger of the Lord 

of hosts"— niam rrirr }xSe> — that 

is, " angel of the Lord of hosts." "" (c) The 
name prophet is often given in the New 
Testament to the ministers of religion, 
as being appointed by God to proclaim 



or communicate his will to his people, 
and as occupying a place resembling, in 
some respects, that of the prophets in 
the Old Testament, (d) There was no 
reason why the word might not be thus 
employed to designate a pastor of a 
Christian church, as well as to designate 
a prophet or a priest under the Old 
Testament dispensation, (e) The sup- 
position that a pastor of a church is 
intended, will meet all the circumstances 
of the case : — for, (1) it is an appro- 
priate appellation j (2) there is no reason 
to suppose that there was more than one 
church in each of the cities referred to ; 

(3) it is a term which would designate 
the respect in which the office was held; 

(4) it would impress upon those to whom 
it was applied a solemn sense of their re- 
sponsibility. Further, it would be more 
appropriately applied to a pastor of a 
single church than to a prelatical bishop : 
— to the tender, intimate, and endearing 
relation sustained by a pastor to his 
people, — to the blending of sympathy, 
interest, and affection, where he is with 
them continually, meets them frequently 
in the sanctuary, administers to them 
the bread of life, goes into their abodes 
when they are afflicted, and attends 
their kindred to the grave, than to the 
union subsisting between the people of 
an extended diocese and a prelate — the 
formal, unfrequent, and, in many in- 
stances, stately and pompous visitations 
of a diocesan bishop ; to the unsympa- 
thising relation between him and a 
people scattered in many churches, who 
are visited at distant intervals by one 
claiming a " superiority in ministerial 
rights and powers," and who must be a 
stranger to the ten thousand ties of 
endearment which bind the hearts of a 
pastor and people together. The con- 
clusion, then, to which we have come is 
that the " angel of the church" was the 
pastor or the presiding presbyter in the 
church ; the minister who had the pas- 
toral charge of it, and who was there- 
fore a proper representative of it. He 
was a man who, in some respects, per- 
formed the functions which the angels 
of God do ; that is, who was appointed 
to execute his will, to communicate his 
message, and to convey important inti- 
mations of his purposes to his people. 
To no one could the communications 
in this book, intended for the churches, 
be more properly entrusted than to such 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EE II. 



77 



CHAPTER II. 

U NTO the angel of the church 
of Ephesus write ; These things 



an one ; for to no one now would a com- 
munication be more properly entrusted 
than to a pastor. 

Such is the sublime vision under 
which this book opens ; such the solemn 
commission which the penman of the 
book received. No more appropriate 
introduction to what is contained in the 
book could be imagined; no more appro- 
priate circumstances for making such a 
sublime revelation could have existed. 
To the most beloved of the apostles — 
now the only surviving one of the num- 
ber; to him who had been a faithful 
laborer for a period not far from sixty 
years after the death of the Lord Jesus, 
who had been the bosom friend of the 
Saviour when in the flesh, who had seen 
him in the mount of transfiguration, 
who had seen him die, and who had 
seen him ascend into heaven; to him 
who had lived while the church was 
founded, and while it had spread into 
all lands; and to him who was now 
suffering persecution on account of 
the Saviour and his cause, it was 
appropriate that such communications 
should be made. In a lonely island; 
far away from the abodes of men ; sur- 
rounded by the ocean, and amid barren 
rocks; on the day consecrated to the 
purposes of sacred repose and the holy 
duties of religion — the day observed 
in commemoration of the resurrection 
of his Lord, it was most fit that the 
Redeemer should appear to the " beloved 
disciple" in the last Revelation which he 
was ever to make to mankind. No more 
appropriate time or circumstance could 
be conceived for disclosing, by a series 
of sublime visions, what would occur in 
future times : — for sketching out the his- 
tory of the church to the consummation 
of all things. 

CHAPTER II. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter comprises four of the 
seven epistles addressed to the seven 
churches : — those addressed to Ephesus, 
Smyrna, Pergamos, and Thyatira. A 
particular view of the contents of the 
epistles will be more appropriate as they 
coine separately to be considered, than in 
I* 



saith he that a holdeth the seven 
stars in his right hand, who walk- 
eth in the midst of the seven golden 
candlesticks ; 

a c. 1. 16. 20. 

this place. There are some general 
remarks in regard to their structure, 
however, which may be properly made 
here. 

(1.) They all begin with a reference to 
some of the attributes of the Saviour, in 
general some attribute that had been 
noted in the first chapter; and while 
they are all adapted to make a deep im- 
pression on the mind, perhaps each one 
was selected in such a way as to have a 
special propriety in reference to each 
particular church. Thus in the address 
to the church at Ephesus (ch. ii. 1) the 
allusion is to the fact that he who speaks 
to them "holds the seven stars in his 
right hand, and walks in the midst of 
the seven golden candlesticks ;" in the 
epistle to the church at Smyrna (ch. ii. 
8), it is he who "is the first and the 
last, who was dead and is alive ;" in the 
epistle to the church at Pergamos (ch. ii. 
12), it is he "which hath the sharp 
sword with the two edges;" in the 
epistle to the church at Thyatira (ch. ii. 
18), it is " the Son of God, who hath 
his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his 
feet like fine brass f in the epistle to 
the church at Sardis (ch. iii. 1), it is he 
who "hath the seven Spirits of God, 
and the seven stars ;" in the epistle to 
the church at Philadelphia (ch. iii. 7), it 
is "he that is holy, he that is true, 
he that hath the key of David, he that 
openeth and no man shutteth, and shut- 
teth and no man openeth ;" in the 
epistle to the church at Laodicea (ch. iii. 
14), it is he who is the "Amen, the 
faithful and true witness, the beginning 
of the creation of God." 

(2.) These introductions are followed 
with the formula, " I know thy works." 
The peculiar characteristics then of each 
church are referred to, with a sentiment 
of approbation or disapprobation ex- 
pressed in regard to their conduct. Of 
two of the churches, that at Smyrna 
(ii. 9) and that at Philadelphia (iii. 10), 
he expresses his entire approbation ; to 
the churches of Sardis (iii. 3) and Lao- 
dicea (iii. 15-18), he administers a 
decided rebuke; to the churches of 
Ephesus (ii. 3-6), Pergamos (ii. 13-16), 



78 



KEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



and Thyatira (iii. 19, 20. 24, 25), he 
intermingles praise and rebuke, for he 
saw much to commend, but, at the same 
time not a little that was reprehensible. 
In all cases, however, the approbation 
precedes the blame: — showing that he 
was more disposed to find that which 
was good than that which was evil. 

(3.) After the statement of their cha- 
racteristics, there follows in each case, 
counsel, advice, admonition, or promises, 
such as their circumstances demanded — 
encouragement in trial, and injunctions 
to put away their sins. The admonitions 
are addressed to the churches as if 
Christ were at hand, and would ere 
long come and sit in judgment on them 
and their deeds. 

(4.) There is a solemn admonition to 
hear what the Spirit has to say to the 
churches. This is in each case expressed 
in the same manner, " He that hath an 
ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith 
unto the churches," ch. ii. 7, 11, 17, 29, 
iii. 6, 13, 22. These admonitions were 
designed to call the attention of the 
churches to these things, and at the 
same time they seem designed to show 
that they were not intended for them 
alone. They are addressed to any one 
who "has an ear," and therefore had 
some principles of general application to 
others, and to which all should attend 
who were disposed to learn the will of 
the Redeemer. What was addressed to 
one church, at any time, would be equally 
applicable to all churches in the same 
circumstances ; what was adapted" to 
rebuke, elevate, or comfort Christians in 
any one age or land, would be adapted 
to be useful to Christians of all ages and 
lands. 

(5.) There then is, either following or 
preceding that call on all the churches to 
hear, some promise or assurance de- 
signed to encourage the church, and 
urge it forward in the discharge of duty 
or in enduring trial. This is found in 
each one of the epistles, though not 
always in the same relative position. 

THE EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH AT 
EPHESUS. 

The contents of the epistle to the 
church at Ephesus — the first addressed 
— are these: — (1) The attribute of the 
Saviour referred to is, that he " holds 
the stars in his right hand, and walks 
in the midst of the golden candlesticks," 
eh. ii 1. (2) He commends them for 



their patience, and for their opposition 
to those who are evil, and for their zeal 
and fidelity in carefully examining into 
the character of some who claimed to be 
apostles, but who were in fact impostors ; 
for their perseverance in bearing up 
under trial, and not fainting in his 
cause, and for their opposition to the 
Nicolaitanes, whom he says he hates, 
vs. 2, 3, 6. (3) He reproves them for 
having left their first love to him, ver. 4 ; 
(4) he admonishes them to remember 
whence they had fallen, to repent, and 
to do their first works, ver. 5 ; (5) he 
threatens them that if they do not re- 
pent he will come and remove the can- 
dlestick out of its place, ver. 5 ; and 
(6) he assures them and all others that 
whosoever overcomes, he will " give him 
to eat of the tree of life which is in the 
midst of the paradise of G od," ver. 7. 

1. Unto the angel. The minister ; 
the presiding presbyter; the bishop — in 
the primitive sense of the word bishop — 
denoting one who had the spiritual 
charge of a congregation. See Notes 
on ch. i. 20. % Of the church. Not of 
the churches of Ephesus, but of the one 
church of that city. There is no evi- 
dence that the word is used in a collec- 
tive sense to denote a group of churches, 
like a diocese ; nor is there any evidence 
that there was such a group of churches 
in Ephesus, or that there was more than 
one church in that city. It is probable 
that all who were Christians there were 
regarded as members of one church — ■ 
though for convenience they may have 
met for worship in different places. Thus 
there was one Church in Corinth (1 Cor. 
i. 1) ; one church in Thessalonica (1 
Thess. i. 1), &c. % Of Ephesus. On 
the situation of Ephesus, see Notes on 
Acts xviii. 19, and the Intro, to the 
Notes on the Epistle to the Ephesians, 
$ L, and the engravings there. It was 
the capital of Ionia; was one of the twelve 
Ionian cities of Asia Minor in the Mythic 
times, and was said to have been founded 
by the Amazons. It was situated on the 
river Cayster, not far from the Icarian 
Sea, between Smyrna and Miletus. It 
was one of the most considerable cities of 
Asia Minor, and while, about the epoch 
when Christianity was introduced, other 
cities declined, Ephesus rose more and 
more. It owed its prosperity, in part, to 
the favor of its governors, for Lysimaehua 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER II. 



1 



2 I know ° thy works, and thy 

a Ps. 1. 6. Yer. 9. 13, 19. c. 3. 1. S, 15. 

named the city Arsinoe, in honor of his 
second wife, and Attains Philadelphia 
furnished it with splendid wharves and 
docks. Under the Romans it was the 
capital not only of Ionia, but of the 
entire province of Asia, and bore the 
honorable title of the first and greatest 
metropolis of Asia. John is supposed 
to have resided in this city, and to have 
preached the gospel there for many 
years,* and on this account perhaps it 
was, as well as on account of the 
relative importance of the city, that the 
first epistle of the seven was addressed 
to that church. On the present con- 
dition of the ruins of Ephesus, see Notes 
on ver. 5. We have no means whatever 
of ascertaining the size of the church 
when John wrote the book of Revela- 
tion. From the fact, however, that Paul, 
as is supposed (see Intro, to the Epistle 
to the Ephesians, § 2), labored therefor 
about three years ; that there was a body 
of " elders" who presided over the church 
there (Acts xx. 17) ; and that the Apostle 
John seems to have spent a considerable 
part of his life there in preaching the 
gospel, it may be presumed that there 
was a large and flourishing church in 
that city. The epistle before us shows 
also that it was characterized by dis- 
tinguished piety. If These things saith 
he that holdeth the seven stars in his 
right hand. See Notes on- ch. i. 16. The 
object here seems to be to turn the 
attention of the church in Ephesus 
to some attribute of the Saviour which 
deserved their special regard, or which 
constituted a special reason for attending 
to what he said. To do this, the atten- 
tion is directed in this case to the fact 
that he held the seven stars — emblematic 
of the ministers of the churches — in his 
hand, and that he walked in the midst 
of the lamp-bearers — representing the 
churches themselves, intimating that 
they are dependent on him ,* that he had 
power to continue or remove the minis- 
try, and that it was by his presence only 
that those lamp-bearers would continue 
to give light. The absolute control over 
the ministry, and the fact that he walked 
amidst the churches, and that his pre- 
sence was necessary to their perpetuity 
and their welfare, seem to be the prin- 
cipal ideas implied in this representation. 



| labor, and thy patience, and ho^i 
thou canst not bear them which are 

I These truths he would impress on theii 
minds in order that they might feel how 
easy it would be for him to punish any 
disobedience, and in order that they 
might do what was necessary to secure 
his continual presence among them. 
These views seem to be sanctioned by 
the character of the punishment threat- 
ened (ver. 5), 'that he would remove the 
candlestick representing their church 
out of its place/ See Notes on ver. 5. 
f Who walketh in the midst, &c. In 
ch. i. 13, he is represented ■ simply as 
being seen amidst the golden candle- 
sticks. See Notes on that place. Here 
there is the additional idea of his 
" walking" in the midst of them, im- 
plying perhaps constant and vigilant 
supervision. He went from one to 
another, as one who inspects and sur- 
veys what is under his care ; perhaps 
also with the idea that he went among 
them as a friend to bless them. 

2. I know thy works. The common 
formula with which all the epistles to 
the seven churches are introduced. It 
is designed to impress upon them deeply 
the conviction that he was intimately 
acquainted with all that they did, good 
and bad, and that, therefore, he was 
abundantly qualified to dispense re- 
wards or administer punishments ac- 
cording to truth and justice. It ma}' bs 
observed that, as many of the things 
referred to in these epistles were things 
pertaining to the heart — the feelings, 
the state of the mind — it is implied that 
he who speaks here has an intimate 
acquaintance with the heart of man — a 
prerogative which is always attributed 
to the Saviour. See John ii. 25. But 
no one can do this who is not divine ; 
and this declaration, therefore, furnishes 
a strong proof of the divinity of Christ. 
See Ps. vii. 9; Jer. xi. 20, xvii. 10; 
1 Sam. xvi. 7 ; 1 Kings viii. 39. <[ And 
thy labor* The word here used — koxos — 
means properly a beating, hence wailing, 
grief, with beating the breast j and then 
it means excessive labor or toil adapted 
to produce grief or sadness, and is com- 
monly employed in the New Testament 
in the latter sense. It is used in the 
sense of trouble in Matt. xxvi. 10 : 
" Why trouble ye [literally, why give ye 
trouble to] the woman," Comp. alst 



80 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



evil: and thju hast tried ° them 
which say they are apostles, and 

a 1 Jno. 4. 1. 



Mark xiv. 6 ; Luke xi. 7, xviii. 5 ; Gal. 
vi. 17 ; and in the sense of labor, or 
wearisome toil, in John iv. 38 ; 1 Cor. 
iiL 8, xv. 58 ; 2 Cor. vi. 5, x. 15, xi. 23, 
27, el al. The connexion here would 
admit of either sense. It is commonly 
understood, as in our translation, in the 
sense of labor, though it would seem 
that the other signification — that of 
trouble — would not be inappropriate. If 
it means labor, it refers to their faithful 
service in his cause, and especially in 
opposing error. It seems to me, how- 
ever, that the word trouble would better 
suit the connexion, f And thy pat ience. 
Under these trials ; to wit, in relation to 
the efforts which had been made by the 
advocates of error to corrupt them, and 
to turn them away from the truth. 
They had patiently borne the opposition 
made to the truth ; they had manifested 
a spirit of firm endurance amidst many 
arts of those opposed to them to draw 
them off from simple faith in Christ, 
f And how thou canst not bear them that 
are evil. Canst not endure, or tolerate 
them. Comp. Notes on 2 John 10, 11. 
That is, they had no sympathy with 
their doctrines or their practices ; they 
were utterly opposed to them. They 
had lent them no countenance, but had 
in every way shown that they had no 
fellowship with them. The evil per- 
sons here referred to were doubtless 
those mentioned in this verse as claim- 
ing that " they were apostles," and those 
mentioned in ver. 6, as the Nicolaitanes. 
If And thou hast tried them which say 
they are apostles. Thou hast thoroughly 
examined their claims. It is not said 
in what way they had done this, but it 
was probably by considering attentively 
and candidly the evidence on which 
they relied, whatever that may have 
been. Nor is it certainly known who 
these persons were, or on what grounds 
they advanced their pretensions to the 
apostolic office. It cannot be supposed 
that they claimed to have been of the 
number of apostles selected by the 
Saviour, for that would have been too 
absurd; and the only solution would 
seem to be that they claimed either 
(1) that they had been called to that 
q>ffice after the Saviour ascended, as 



are not, b and hast found them 
liars : 

b 2 Co. 11. 13. 



Paul was ; or (2) that they claimed the 
honor due to this name or office in virtue 
of some election to it; or (3) that they 
claimed to be the successors of the 
apostles, and to possess and transmit 
their authority. If the first of these, it 
would seem that the only ground of 
claim would be that they had been called 
in some miraculous way to the rank of 
apostles, and, of course, an examination 
of their claims would be an examination 
of the alleged miraculous call, and of the 
evidence on which they would rely that 
they had such a call. If the second, 
then the claim must have been founded 
on some such plea as that the apostolic 
office was designed to be elective, as in 
the case of Matthias (Acts i. 23-26), and 
that they maintained that this arrange- 
ment was to be continued in th« church ; 
and then an examination of their claims 
would involve an investigation of the 
question whether it was contemplated 
that the apostolic office was designed to 
be perpetuated in that manner, or whe- 
ther the elec tion of Matthias was only a 
temporary arrangement, designed to 
answer a particular purpose. If the 
third, then the claim must have been 
founded on the plea that the apostolic 
office was designed to be perpetuated 
by a regular succession, and that they, 
by ordination, were in the line of that 
succession; and then the examination 
and refutation of the claim mus* have 
consisted in showing, from the nature of 
the office, and the necessary qualifica- 
tions for the office of apostle, that it was 
designed to be temporary, and that there 
could be properly no successors of the 
apostles as such. On either of these 
suppositions such a line of argument 
would be fatal to all claims to any suc- 
cession in the apostolic office now. If 
each of these points should fail, of 
course their claims to the rank of 
apostles would cease — just as all claims 
to the dignity and rank of apostles must 
fail now. The passage becomes thus a 
strong argument against the claims of 
any persons to be " apostles/' or to be 
the " successors" of the apostles in the 
peculiarity of their office, And are 
not. There were never any apostles of 
Jesus Christ but the original twelve 



A. B. 96.] 



CHAPTER II. 



81 



3 And hast borne, and hast pa- 
tience, and for my name's sake hast 
labored, and hast not fainted. a 

a Ga. 6. 9. 

whom he chose ; Matthias, who was 
chosen in the place of Judas (Acts i. 26); 
and Paul, who was specially called to 
the office by the Saviour after his resur- 
rection. On this point, see my work on 
the "Apostolic Church," pp. 47-58. 
^[ And hast found them liars. Hast 
discovered their pretensions to be un- 
founded and false. In 2 Cor. xi. 13, 
" false apostles" are mentioned ; and in 
an office of so much honor as this, it is 
probable that there would be not a few 
claimants to it in the world. To set up 
a claim to what they knew they were 
not entitled to, would be a falsehood ; 
and as this seems to have been the cha- 
racter of these men, the Saviour in the 
passage before us does not hesitate to 
designate them by an appropriate term, 
and to call them liars. The point here 
commended in the Ephesian church is, 
that they had sought to have a pure 
ministry — a ministry whose claims were 
well founded. They had felt the im- 
portance of this ; had carefully examined 
the claims of pretenders; and had refused 
to recognize those who could not show 
in a proper manner that they had been 
designated to their work by the Lord 
Jesus. The same zeal in the same 
cause would be commended by the 
Saviour now. 

3. And hast borne* Hast borne up 
under trials ; or hast borne with the 
evils with which you have been assailed. 
That is, you have not given way to mur- 
muring or complaints in trial ; you have 
not abandoned the principles of truth 
and yielded to the prevalence of error. 
*[ And hast patience. That is, in this 
connexion, hast shown that thou canst 
bear up under these things with patience, 
is a repetition of what is said in ver. 2, 
but in a somewhat different connexion. 
There, it rather refers to the trouble 
which they had experienced on account 
of the pretensions of false apostles — and 
the patient, persevering, and enduring 
spirit which they had shown in that 
form of trial ; here, the expression is 
more general, denoting a patient spirit 
in regard to all forms of trial, \ And 
for my name's sake hast labored. On 
account of me, and in my cause. That 



4 Nevertheless I have somewhat 
against thee, because thou hast left 
thy first love. 



is, the labor here referred to, whatever 
it was, was to advance the cause of the 
Redeemer. In the word rendered " hast 
labored" — KSKoiriaKas — there is a refe- 
rence to the word used in the previous 
verse — "thy labor" — kottov aov; and the 
design is to show that the " labor" or 
trouble there referred to was on account 
of him. ^[ And hast not fainted. Hast 
not become exhausted, or wearied out, 
so as to give over. The word here 
used — KdfjLvu) — occurs in only three places 
in the New Testament: — Heb. xii. 3, 
"Lest ye be wearied, and faint;" James 
v. 15, "the prayer of faith shall save 
the sick;" and in the passage before us. 
It means properly to become weary 
and faint from toil, &c, and the idea 
here is, that they had not become 
so wearied out as to give over from ex- 
haustion. The sense of the whole pas- 
sage is thus rendered by Prof. Stuart : 
"Thou canst not bear with false teach- 
ers, but thou canst bear with troubles 
and perplexities on account of me ; thou 
hast undergone wearisome toil, but thou 
art not wearied out thereby." The 
state of mind, considered as the state of 
mind appropriate to a Christian, here 
represented, is, that we should not 
tolerate error and sin, but that we 
should bear up under the trials which 
they may incidentally occasion us ; that 
we should have such a repugnance to 
evil that we cannot endure it, as evil, 
but that we should have such love to 
the Saviour and his cause as to be willing 
to bear any thing, even in relation to 
that, or springing from that, that we 
may be called to suffer in that cause; 
that while we may be weary in his 
work — for our bodily strength may 
become exhausted (Comp. Matt. xxvi. 
41) — we should not be weary of it ; and 
that though we may have many per- 
plexities, and may meet with much op- 
position, yet we should not relax our 
zeal, but should persevere with an ardor 
that never faints, until our Saviour calls 
us to our reward. 

4. Nevertheless I have somewhat 
against thee. Notwithstanding this 
general commendation, there are things 
which I cannot approve. ^ Because 



82 



EE VELATION, 



[A.D. 96. 



5 Remember therefore from 
whence thou art fallen ; and repent 

thou hast left thy first love. Thou hast 
remitted — «0^/ca? — or let down thy early 
love j that is, it is less glowing and 
ardent than it was at first. The love 
here referred to is evidently love to the 
Saviour; and the idea is, that, as a 
church, they had less of this than 
formerly characterized them. In this 
respect they were in a state of declen- 
sion ; and though they still maintained 
the doctrines of his religion, and opposed 
the advocates of error, they showed less 
ardor of affection towards him directly 
than they had formerly done. In regard 
to this, we may remark, (1) that what is 
here stated of the Church at Ephesus is 
not uncommon, (a) Individual Chris- 
tians often lose much of their first love. 
It is true, indeed, that there is often an 
appearance of this which does not exist 
in reality. Not a little of the ardor of 
young converts is often nothing more 
than the excitement of animal feeling, 
which will soon die away of course, 
though their real love may not be 
diminished, or may be constantly grow- 
ing stronger. When a son returns home 
after a long absence, and meets his 
parents and brothers and sisters, there 
is a glow, a warmth of feeling, a joyous- 
ness of emotion, which cannot be ex- 
pected to continue always, and which 
he may never be able to recall again, 
though he may be ever growing in real 
attachment to his friends and to his 
home. (6) Churches remit the ardor of 
their first love. They are often formed 
Under the reviving influences of the 
Holy Spirit when many are converted, 
and are warm-hearted and zealous young 
converts. Or they are formed from other 
churches that have become cold and 
dead, from which the new organization, 
embodying the life of the church, was 
constrained to separate. Or they are 
formed under the influence of some strong 
and mighty truth that has taken pos- 
session of the mind, and that gives a 
peculiar character to the church at first. 
Or they are formed with a distinct 
reference to promoting some one great 
object in the cause of the Redeemer. 
So the early Christian churches were 
formed. So the church in Germany, 
France, Switzerland and England came 
out from the Roman communion under I 



and do the first works; ° or else 

a Je. 2. 2, 3. 



the influence of the doctrine of justifi- 
cation by faith. So the Nestorians in 
former ages, and the Moravians in 
modern times, were characterized by 
warm zeal in the cause of missions. So 
the Puritans came out from the esta- 
blished church of England at one time, 
and the Methodists at another, warmed 
with a holier love to the cause of evan- 
gelical religion than existed in the body 
from which they separated. So many a 
church is formed now amidst the exciting 
scenes of a revival of religion, and in the 
early days of its history puts to shame 
the older and the slumbering churches 
around them. But, it need scarcely be 
said that this early zeal may die away, 
and that the church, once so full of life 
and love, may become as cold as those 
that went before it, or as those from 
which it separated, and that there may 
be a necessity for the formation of new 
organizations that shall be fired with 
ardor and zeal. One has only to look at 
Germany, at Switzerland, at various 
portions of the Reformed churches else- 
where ; at the Nestorians — whose zeal 
for missions long since departed, or even 
at the Moravians, among whom it has 
so much delined ; at various portions of 
the Puritan churches ; and at many an 
individual church formed under the 
warm and exciting feelings of a revival 
of religion, to see that what occurred at 
Ephesus may occur elsewhere. (2) The 
same thing that occurred there, may be 
expected to follow in all similar cases. 
The Saviour governs the church always 
on essentially the same principles ; and 
it is no uncommon thing that when a 
ehurch has lost the ardor of its first love, 
it is suffered more and more to decline, 
until "the candlestick is removed" — 
until either the church becomes wholly 
extinct, or until vital piety is wholly 
gone, and all that remains is the reli- 
gion of forms. 

5. Remember therefore from whence 
thou art fallen. The eminence which 
you once occupied. Call to remem- 
brance the state in which you once 
were. The duty here enjoined is, when 
religion has declined in our hearts, or in 
the church, to call to distinct recollec- 
tion the former state — the ardor, the 
zeal, the warmth of love which onoe 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER II. 



83 



I will come unto thee quickly, 
and will remove a thy candlestick 

a Mat. 21. 41, 43. 

characterized us. The reason for this 
is, that such a recalling of the former 
state will be likely to produce a happy 
influence on the heart. Nothing is 
better adapted to affect a backsliding 
Christian, or a backsliding church, than 
to call to distinct recollection the former 
condition — the happier days of piety. 
The joy then experienced; the good 
done ; the honor reflected on the cause 
of religion ; the peace of mind of that 
period, will contrast strongly with the 
present, and nothing will be better fitted 
to recall an erring church or an erring 
individual from their wanderings than 
such a reminiscence of the past. The 
advantages of thus " remembering" their 
former condition would be many — for 
some of the most valuable impressions 
which are made on the mind, and some 
of the most important lessons learned, 
are from the recollections of a former 
state. Among those advantages, in this 
case, would be such as the following: 
(a) It would show how much they might 
have enjoyed if they had continued as 
they began — how much more real hap- 
piness they would have had than they 
actually have enjoyed. (6) How much 
good they might have done, if they had 
only persevered in the zeal with which 
they commenced the Christian life. 
How much more good might most 
Christians do than they actually accom- 
plish, if they would barely, even without 
increasing it, continue with the degree 
of zeal with which they begin cheir 
course, (c) How much greater attain- 
ments they might have made in the 
divine life, and in the knowledge of 
religion, than they have made : — that is, 
how much more elevated and enlarged 
might have been their views of religion, 
and their knowledge of the word of 
God. And (d) such a recollection of 
their past state, as contrasted with what 
they now are, would exert a powerful 
influence in producing true repentance — 
for there is nothing better adapted to 
do this than a just view of what we 
might have been, as compared with what 
we now are. If a man has become cold 
towards his wife, nothing is better fitted 
to reclaim him than to recall to his recol- 
lection the time when he led her to the 



out of his place except thou 
repent. 



altar ,* the solemn vow then made ; and 
the rapture of his heart when he pressed 
her to his bosom and called her his 
own. % And repent. The word here 
used means to change one's mind and 
purposes, and, along with that, the con- 
duct or demeanor. The duty of repent- 
ance here urged would extend to all the 
points in which they had erred. %And 
do the first works. The works which 
were done when the church was first 
established. That is, manifest the zeal 
and love which were formerly evinced 
in opposing error, and in doing good. 
This is the true counsel to be given 
to those who have backslidden, and 
have " left their first love," now. Often 
such persons, sensible that they have 
erred, and that they have not the 
enjoyment in religion which they once 
had, profess to be willing and desirous to 
return, but they know not how to do it 
— how to revive their ardor — how to re- 
kindle in their bosom the flame of ex- 
tinguished love. They suppose it must 
be by silent meditation, or by some 
supernatural influence, and they wait 
for some visitation from above to call 
them back, and to restore to them their 
former joy. The counsel of the Saviour 
to all such, however, is, to do their first 
works. It is to engage at once in doing 
what they did in the first and best* 
days of their piety — the days of their 
"espousals" (Jer. ii. 2) to God. Let 
them read the Bible as they did then ; 
let them pray as they did then ; let them 
go forth in the duties of active benevo- 
lence as they did then ; let them engage 
in teaching a Sabbath-school as they 
did then ,• let them relieve the distressed, 
instruct the ignorant, raise up the fallen, 
as they did then ; let them open their 
heart, their purse, and their hand to 
bless a dying world. As it was in this 
way that they manifested their love 
then, so this would be better fitted than 
all other things to rekindle the flame of 
love when it is almost extinguished 
The weapon that is used keeps bright; 
that which has become rusty will be- 
come bright again if it is used. ^ Or 
else I will come unto thee quickly 
On the word rendered quickly — ra^t— < 
see Notes on ch. i. 1. The meaning is» 



84 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



that he would come as a Judge, at no dis- 
tant period, to inflict punishment in the 
manner specified — by removing the can- 
dlestick out of its place. He does not 
say in what way it would be done — 
whether by some sudden judgment, by 
a direct act of power, or by a gradual 
j rocess that would certainly lead to that 
result, And will remove thy candle- 
stick out of his place, except thou repent. 
On the meaning of the word candlestick, 
see Notes on ch. i. 12. The meaning is, 
that the church gave light in Ephesus ; 
and that what he would do in regard 
to that place, would be like removing 
a lamp, and leaving a place in dark- 
ness. The expression is equivalent to 
saying that the church there would 
cease to exist. The proper idea of the 
passage is, that the church would be 
wholly extinct, and it is observable that 
this is a judgment more distinctly dis- 
closed in reference to this church than 
to any other of the seven churches. 
There is not the least evidence that the 
church at Ephesus did repent, and the 
threatening has been most signally 
fulfilled. Long since the church has 
become utterly extinct, and for ages 
there was not a single professing Chris- 
tian there. Every memorial of there 
having been a church there has departed, 
and there are nowhere, not even in 
Nineveh, Babylon, or Tyre, more affect- 
ing demonstrations of the fulfillment of 
ancient prophecy than in the present 
state of the ruins of Ephesus. A re- 
mark of Mr. Gibbon (Bee. & Fall, iv. 
260) will show with what exactness the 
prediction in regard to this church has 
been accomplished. He is speaking of 
the conquests of the Turks. " In the 
loss of Ephesus, the Christians deplored 
the fall of the first angel, the extinction 
of the first candlestick of the Revela- 
tions ; the desolation is complete ; and 
the temple of Diana, or the Church of 
Mercy, will equally elude the search of 
the curious traveller." Thus the city, 
with the splendid Temple of Diana, and 
the church that existed there in the 
time of John, has disappeared, and 
nothing remains but unsightly ruins. 
These ruins lie about ten days' journey 
from Smyrna, and consist of shattered 
walls, and remains of columns and 
temples. The soil on which a large 
part of the city is supposed to have 
■tood, naturally rich, is covered with a 



rank, burnt-up vegetation, and is every 
where deserted and solitary, though 
bordered by picturesque mountains. A 
few corn-fields are scattered along th| 
site of the ancient city. Towards the 
sea extends the ancient port, a pesti- 
lential marsh. Along the slope of the 
mountain, and over the plain, are scat* 
tered fragments of masonry and detached 
ruins, but nothing can now be fixed on 
as the great Temple of Diana. There 
are ruins of a theatre ; there is a circus, 
or stadium, nearly entire ,• there are frag- 
ments of temples and palaces scattered 
around, but there is nothing that marks 
the site of a church in the time of John; 
there is nothing to indicate even that 
such a church then existed there. About 
a mile and a half from the principal 
ruins of Ephesus, there is indeed now a 
small village called Asalook — a Turkish 
word, which is associated with the same 
idea as Ephesus, meaning, The City of 
the Moon. A church, dedicated to 
John, is supposed to have stood near, 
if not on the site of, the present Mosque. 
Dr. Chandler (p. 150, 4to.) gives us a 
striking description of Ephesus as he 
found it in 1764 : "Its population con- 
sisted of a few Greek peasants, living in 
extreme wretchedness, dependence, and 
insensibility, the representatives of an il- 
lustrious people, and inhabiting the wreck 
of their greatness. Some reside in the 
substructure of the glorious edifices which 
they raised ; some beneath the vaults of 
the stadium, and the crowded scenes of 
these diversions ; and some in the abrupt 
precipice, in the sepulchres which re- 
ceived their ashes. Its streets are 
obscured and overgrown. A herd of 
goats was driven to it for shelter from 
the sun at noon, and a noisy flight of 
crows from the quarries seemed to insult 
its silence. We heard the partridge 
call in the area of the theatre and of the 
stadium." " Its fate is that of the 
entire country — a garden has become a 
desert. Busy centres of civilization, 
spots where the refinements and delights 
of the age were collected, are now a 
prey to silence, destruction, and death. 
Consecrated first of all to the purposes 
of idolatry, Ephesus next had Christian 
temples almost rivalling the Pagan in 
splendor, wherein the image of the great 
Diana lay prostrate before the cross; 
after the lapse of some centuries, Jesus 
gives way to Mohammed, and the ores- 



i 



QHAPTEE II. 85 



6 But this thou hast, that thou 

a ver. 15. 



c-jnt glittered on the dome of the 
recently Christian church. A few more 
3 cores of years, and Ephesus has neither 
temple, cross, crescent, nor city, but is 
desolation, a dry land, and a wilder- 
ness." See the article Ephesus in 
Kitto's Cyclop, and the authorities there 
referred to. What is affirmed here of 
Ephesus has often been illustrated in 
the history of the world, that when a 
church has declined in piety and love, 
and has been called by faithful ministers 
to repent, and has not done it, it has 
been abandoned more and more until 
the last appearance of truth and piety 
has departed, and it has been given up 
to error and to ruin. And the same 
principle is as applicable to individuals 
— for they have as much reason to dread 



hatestthe deeds of the Nicolaitanes. 
a which I also hate. 

the frowns of the Saviour as ehurehef 
have. If they who have " left their first 
love" will not repent at the call of the 
Saviour, they have every reason to ap- 
prehend some fearful judgment — some 
awful visitation of his Providence that 
shall overwhelm them in sorrow as a 
proof of his displeasure. Even though 
they should finally be saved, their days 
may be without comfort, and perhaps 
their last moments without a ray of con- 
scious hope. The following cut, repre- 
senting the present situation of Ephesus, 
will bring before the eye a striking illus- 
tration of the fulfilment of this prophecy 
that the candlestick of Ephesus would 
be removed from its place. See also the 
engravings prefixed to the Notes on tho 
Epistle to the Ephesians, pp. 6, 7. 



EPHESUS. 



6. But this thou hast. This thou hast 
that I approve of, or that I can com- 
mend. That thou hatest the deeds of 
the Nicolaitanes. Gr. works — ra 'ipya. 
The word Nicolaitanes occurs only in 
this place, and in the 15th verse of this 
chapter. From the reference in the 
latter place, it is clear that the doctrines 
8 



which they held prevailed at Pergamoa 
as well as at Ephesus, but from neither 
place can any thing now be inferred in 
regard to the nature of their doctrines or 
their practices, unless it be supposed 
that they held the same doctrine that 
was taught by Balaam. See Notes on 
ver. 15. From the two passages com- 



•> 



8G 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



pared with sarh other, it would seem 
that they were alike corrupt in doctrine 
and in practice, for in the passage 
before us their deeds are mentioned, 
and in ver. 15, their doctrine. Various 
conjectures, however, have been formed 
respecting this class of people, and the 
reasons why the name was given to 
them. I. In regard to the origin of the 
name, there have been three opinions : 
(1) That mentioned by Irengeus, and by 
some of the other of the fathers, that 
the name was derived from Nicolas, one 
of the deacons ordained at Antioch, 
Acts vi. 5. Of those who have held this 
opinion, some have supposed that it was 
given to them because he became apos- 
tate and was the founder of the sect, 
and others because they assumed his 
name, in order to give the greater credit 
to their doctrine. But neither of these 
suppositions rests on any certain evi- 
dence, and both are destitute of proba- 
bility. There is no proof whatever, that 
Nicolas the deacon ever apostatized from 
the faith and became the founder of a 
sect; and if a name had been assumed 
in order to give credit to a sect, and 
extend its influence, it is much more 
probable that the name of an apostle 
would have been chosen, or of some 
other prominent man, than the name of 
an obscure deacon of Antioch. (2) Vi- 
tringa, and most commentators since 
nis time, have supposed that the name 
Nicolaitanes was intended to be symbol- 
ical, and was not designed to designate 
any sect of people, but to denote those 
who resembled Balaam, and that this 
word is used in the same manner as the 
word Jezebel, in ch. ii. 20, which is sup- 
posed to be symbolical there. Vitringa 
supposes that the word is derived from 
v\ko$, victory, and Xaos, people, jmd that 
thus it corresponds with £he name 

Balaam, as meaning either D# 
lord of the people, or DJ? he de- 

stroyed the people, and that, as the same 
effect was produced by their doctrines 
as by those of Balaam, that the people 
were led to commit fornication and to 
join in idolatrous worship, they might 
be called Balaamites or Nicolaitanes ; 
that is, corruption of the people. But 
to this it may be replied, (a) that it is 
far-fetched, and is adapted only to 
remove a difficulty; (6) that there is 



every reason to suppose that the word 
here used refers to a class of people who 
bore that name, and who were well- 
known in the two churches specified; 
(c) that in ch. ii. 15, they are expressly 
distinguished from those who held the 
doctrine of Balaam (ver. 14), " So hast 
thou also (koi) those that hold the doc- 
trine of the Nicolaitanes/' (3) It has 
been supposed that some person now 
unknown, probably of the name Nicolas, 
or Nicolaus, was their leader, and laid 
the foundation of the sect. This is by 
far the most probable opinion, and to 
this there can be no objection. It is 
in accordance with what usually occurs 
in regard to sects, orthodox or heretical, 
that they derive their origin from some 
person whose name they continue to 
bear, and as there is no evidence that 
this sect prevailed extensively, or was 
indeed known beyond the limits of these 
churches, and as it soon disappeared, it 
is easily accounted for that- the character 
and history of the founder were so soon 
forgotten. II. In regard to the opinions 
which they held, there is as little cer- 
tainty. Irenaeus, (Adv. Haeres. i. 26), 
says that their characteristic tenets were 
the lawfulness of promiscuous inter- 
course with women, and of eating things 
offered to idols. Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. 
iii. 29), states substantially the same 
thing, and refers to a tradition respect- 
ing Nicolaus, that he had a beautiful 
wife, and was jealous of her, and being 
reproached with this, renounced all in- 
tercourse with her, and made use of an 
expression which was misunderstood, as 
implying that illicit pleasure was proper. 
Tertullian speaks of the Nicolaitanes as 
a branch of the Gnostic family, and as, 
in his time, extinct. Mosheim (De Re- 
bus Christian. Ante Con. g 69) says that 
"the questions about the Niolaitanes 
have difficulties which cannot be solved." 
Neander (History of the Christian Reli- 
gion, as translated by Torrey, L pp. 452, 
453), numbers them with Antinomians ; 
though he expresses some doubt whether 
the actual existence of such a sect can 
be proved, and rather inclines to an 
opinion noticed above, that the name is 
symbolical, and that it is used in a 
mystical sense, according to the usual 
style of the book of Revelation, to de- 
note corrupters or seducers of the 
people, like Balaam. He supposes that 
the passage relates simply to a class of 




A. D. 96.] 

7 He ° that hath an ear, let him 

a Matt. 11. 15. ver. 11. 17, 29. 

persons who were in the practice of 
seducing Christians to participate in the 
sacrificial feasts of the heathens, and in 
the excesses which attended them — just 
as the Jews were led astray of old by 
the Moabites, Numb. xxv. What was 
the origin of the name, however, Nean- 
der does not profess to be able to 
determine, but suggests that it was the 
custom of such sects to attach them- 
selves to some celebrated name of an- 
tiquity, in the choice of which they were 
often determined by circumstances quite 
aocidental. He supposes also that the 
sect may have possessed a life of Nico- 
las of Antioch, drawn up by themselves 
or others from fabulous accounts and 
traditions, in which what had been im- 
puted to Nicolas was embodied. Every 
thing, however, in regard to the origin 
of this sect, and the reason of the name 
given to it, and the opinions which they 
held, is involved in great obscurity, and 
there is now no hope of throwing light 
on the subject. It is generally agreed, 
among the writers of antiquity who have 
mentioned them, that they were dis- 
tinguished for holding opinions which 
countenanced gross social indulgences. 
This is all that is really necessary to be 
known in regard to the passage before 
us, for this will explain the strong 
language of aversion and condemnation 
used by the Saviour respecting the sect 
in the epistles to the churches of Ephesus 
and Pergamos. Which I also hate. 
If the view above taken of the opinions 
and practices of this people is correct, 
the reasons why he hated them are 
obvious. Nothing can be more opposed 
to the personal character of the Saviour, 
or to his r«iigion, than such doctrines 
and deeds. 

^7. He that hath an ear let him hear, &o. 
This expression occurs at the close of 
each of the epistles addressed to the 
seven churches, and is substantially a 
mode of address often employed by the 
Saviour in his personal ministry, and 
quite characteristic of him. See Matt, 
xi. 15 ; Mark iv. 23, vii. 16. It is a form 
of expression designed to arrest the 
attention, and to denote that what was 
said was of special importance, ^ What 
the Spirit saith unto the churches. Evi- 
dently what the Holy Spirit says — for 



hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches ; To him that overcometh 

he is regarded in the Scriptures as the 
Source of inspiration, and as appointed 
to disclose truth to man. The " Spirit" 
may be regarded either as speaking 
through the Saviour (comp. John iii. 
34), or as imparted to John through 
whom he addressed the churches. In 
either case it is the same Spirit of inspi- 
ration, and in either case there would be 
a claim that his voice should be heard. 
The language here used is of a general 
character — " He that hath an ear that 
is, what was spoken was worthy of the 
attention not only of the members of 
these churches, but of all others. The 
truths were of so general a character as 
to deserve the attention of mankind at 
large, ^ To him that overcometh. Gr., 
" To him that gains the victory, or is a 
conqueror" — rw vacZvn. This may re- 
fer to any victory of a moral character, 
and the expression used would be 
applicable to one who should triumph in 
any of these respects : — (a) over his own 
easily-besetting sins ; (6) over the world 
and its temptations ,* (c) over prevalent 
error ,• (d) over the ills and trials of life, 
so as, in all these respects, to show that 
his Christian principles are firm and 
unshaken. Life, and the Christian life 
especially, may be regarded as a war- 
fare. Thousands fall in the conflict 
with evil ; but they who maintain a 
steady warfare, and who achieve a 
victory, shall be received as conquerors 
in the end. Will I give to eat of the 
tree of life. As the reward of his 
victory. The meaning is, that he would 
admit him to Heaven, represented as 
Paradise, and permit him to enjoy its 
pleasures — represented by being per- 
mitted to partake of its fruits. The 
phrase " the tree of liV refers undoubt- 
edly to the language used respecting the 
Garden of Eden (Gen. ii. 9, iii. 22), 
where the " tree of life ' is spoken of as 
that which was adapted to make the life 
of man perpetual. Of the nature of that 
tree nothing is known, though it would 
seem probable that, like the tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil, it was 
a mere emblem of life — or a tree 
that was set before man in connexion 
with the tree of the knowledge of good 
and evil, and that his destiny turned on 
the question whether he partook of the 



88 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



will I give to eat of the tree a of 

a Ge. 2. 9. c. 22. 2, 14. 



one or the other. That God should 
make the question of life or death 
depend on that, is no more absurd or 
improbable than that he should make it 
depend on what man does now — it being 
a matter of fact that life and death, 
happiness and misery, joy and sorrow, 
are often made to depend on things 
quite as arbitrary apparently, and quite 
as unimportant, as an act of obedience 
or disobedience in partaking of the fruit 
of a designated tree. Does it not appear 
probable that in Eden there were two 
trees designated to be of an emblematic 
character, of life and death, and that as 
man partook of the one or the other he 
would live or die? Of all the others 
he might freely partake without their 
affecting his condition ; of one of these 
— the tree of life — he might have par- 
taken before the fall, and lived forever. 
One was forbidden on pain of death. 
When the law forbidding that was 
violated, it was still possible that he 
might partake of the other — but, since 
the sentence of death had been passed 
upon him, that would not now be 
proper, and he was driven from the 
garden, and the way was guarded by 
the flaming sword of the Cherubim. 
The reference in the passage before us 
is to the celestial paradise — to heaven — 
spoken of under the beautiful image of 
a garden ; meaning that the condition 
of man, in regard to life, will still be 
the same as if he had partaken of the 
tree of life in Eden. Comp. Notes on 
ch. xxii. 2. f Which is in the midst of 
the paradise of God. Heaven, repre- 
sented as paradise. To be permitted to 
eat of that tree, that is, of the fruit of 
that tree, is but another expression im- 
plying the promise of eternal life, and 
of being happy forever. The word 
paradise is of Oriental derivation, and 
is found in several of the Eastern 
languages. In the Sanscrit the word 
paradesha and paradisha is used to 
denote a land elevated and cultivated; 
in the Armenian the word pardes denotes 
a garden around the house planted with 
grass, herbs, trees for use and ornament; 
and in the Hebrew form 0112, and 
Greek irapdSuaos, it is applied to the 
pleasure gardens and parks, with wild 



life, which is in the midst of the 
paradise of God. 



animals, around the country residences 
of the Persian monarchs and princes, 
Neh. ii. 8 ; comp. Eccl. ii. 5 ; Cant. iv. 
13 ; Xen. Cyro. i. 3, 14, Bob. Lex. Here 
it is used to denote heaven — a world 
compared in beauty with a richly cul- 
tivated park or garden. Comp. 2 Cor. 
xii. 4. The meaning of the Saviour is, 
that he would receive him that over- 
came to a world of happiness ; that he 
would permit him to taste of the fruit 
that grows there imparting immortal 
life, and to rest in an abode fitted up in 
a manner that would contribute in every 
way to enjoyment. Man, when he fell, 
was not permitted to reach forth his 
hand and pluck of the fruit of the tree of 
life in the first Eden, as he might have 
done if he had not fallen ; but he is now 
permitted to reach forth his hand and 
partake of the tree of life in the paradise 
above. He is thus restored to what he 
might have been if he had not trans- 
gressed by eating of the fruit of the tree 
of the knowledge of good and evil ; and 
in the Paradise Regained, the blessings 
of the Paradise Lost will be more than 
recovered — for man may now live for- / 
ever in a far higher and more blessed J 
state than his would have been in/ 
Eden. • — ^ 

THE EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH AT 
SMYRNA. 

The contents of the epistle to the 
church at Smyrna are these:] (1) A 
statement, as in the address to the 
church at Ephesus, of some of the attri- 
butes of the Saviour, ver. 8. The 
attributes here referred to are, that he 
was "the first and the last," that "he 
had been dead, but was alive" — attri- 
butes fitted to impress the mind deeply 
with reverence for him who addressed 
them, and to comfort them in the trials 
which they endured. (2) A statement 
(ver. 9), as in the former epistle, that he 
well knew their works, and all that per- 
tained to them — their tribulation, their 
poverty, and the opposition which they 
met with from wicked men. (3) At ex- 
hortation not to be afraid of any of those 
things that were to come upon them, 
for, although they were to be persecuted, 
and some of them were to be imprisoned, 
yet, if they were faithful, they should 
have a crown of life, ver. 10. (4) A com- 



A. D. 96.] 



HAPTER II. 



89 



mand to hear ^r-j.' t p. ^t^aid to the 
churches, as qoia^t j ma^xr of in- 
terest to all pei^r/i-,, jr'j\ ,in assurance 
that any who would " j^cjome" in these 
trials would not be b.dic by the second 
death, ver. 11. The language addressed 
to the church at Smyrna is throughout 
that of commiseration and comfort. 
There is no intimation that the Saviour 
disapproved of what they had done; 
there is no threat that he would 
remove the candlestick out of its place. 
Smyrna was a celebrated commercial 
town of Ionia (Ptolem. v. 2), situated 
near the bottom of that gulf of the iEgean 
Sea which received its name from it 
(Mela i. 17, 3), at the mouth of the 
small river Meles, 320 stadia, or about 
forty miles north of Ephesus. Strabo 
2v. p. 632. It was a very ancient city, 
but having been destroyed by the 



Lydians, it lay waste four hundred 
years to the time of Alexander the 
Great, or, according to Strabo, to that of 
Antigonus. It was rebuilt at the dis- 
tance of twenty stadia from the ancient 
city, and^in the time of the first Roman 
emperor it was one of the most flourish- 
ing cities of Asia. It was destroyed by 
an earthquake, A. D. 177, but the em- 
peror Marcus Aurelius caused it to be re- 
built with more than its former splendor. 
It afterwards, however, suffered greatly 
from earthquakes and conflagrations, 
and has declined from these causes, 
though, from its commercial advantages, 
it has always been a city of importance 
as the central emporium of the Levantine 
trade, and its relative rank among the 
cities of Asia Minor is probably greater 
than it formerly bore. The following 
cut will give a representation of Smyrna 



SMYRNA. 



The Turks now call it Izmir. It is 
better built than Constantinople, and 
its population is computed at about 
130,000, of which the Franks compose a 
greater proportion than in any other town 
in Turkey, and they are generally in good 
circumstances. Next to the Turks, the 
Greeks form the most numerous por- 
tion of the inhabitants, and they have a 
bishop and two churches. The un- 
8* 



usually large portion of Christians in 
the city renders it peculiarly unclean 
in the eyes of strict Moslems, and they 
call it Giaour Izmir, or the Infidel 
Smyrna. There are in it about 20,008 
Greeks, 8,000 Armenians, 1,000 Euro 
peans, and 9,000 Jews. It is n^w th4 
seat of important Missionary operaiiont 
in the East, and much has been dona 
there to spread the gospel in modem 



RE VELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



8 And unto the angel of the 
church in Smyrna write ; These 
things saith the first a and the last, 
which was dead, and is alive ; 
a c. l. 8, 17. 



times. Its history during the long tract 
of time since John wrote, is not indeed 
minutely known, but there is no reason 
to suppose that the light of Christianity 
. there has ever been wholly extinct. 
Polycarp suffered martyrdom there, and 
the place where he is supposed to have 
died is still shown. The Christians of 
Smyrna hold his memory in great vene- 
ration, and go annually on a visit to his 
supposed tomb, which is at a short dis- 
tance from the place of his martyrdom. 
See the article Smyrna in Kitto's 
Cyclop, and the authorities referred 
to there. 

8. And unto the angel of the church in 
Smyrna write. On the meaning of the 
word angel, see Notes on ch. i. 20. 

These things saith the first and the 
last. See Notes on ch. i. 8, 17. % Which 
was dead, and is alive. See Notes on 
ch. i. 18. The idea is, that he is a 
living Saviour; and there was a pro- 
priety in referring to that fact here from 
the nature of the promise which he was 
about to make to the church at Smyrna; 
" He that overcometh shall not be hurt 
of the second death," ver 11. As he 
had himself triumphed over death in all 
its forms, and was now alive forever, it 
was appropriate that he should promise 
to his true friends the same protection 
from the second death.' He who was 
wholly beyond the reach of death could 
give the assurance that they who put 
their trust in him should come off 
victorious. 

9. / know thy works. The uniform 
method of introducing these epistles, 
implying a most intimate acquaintance 
with all that pertained to the church. 
See Notes on ver. 2. ^[ And tribulation. 
This word is of a general signification, 
and probably includes all that they suf- 
fered in any form, whether from perse- 
cution, poverty, or the blasphemy of 
opposers. ^ And poverty. It would 
seem that this church at that time, 
was eminently poor, for this is not spe- 
cified in regard to any one of the others. 
No reason is suggested why they were 



9 I know thy works and tribu- 
lation and poverty, (but thou art 
rich*) and I know the blasphemy 
of them which say they are Jews, c 

b 1 Ti. 6, 18. c Ro. 2. 28, 29. 



particularly poor. It was not, ir deed, 
an uncommon cnaracteristic of early 
Christians (comp. 1 Cor. i. 26-28), but 
there might have been some special rea- 
sons why that church was eminently so. 
It is, however, the only church of the 
seven which has survived, and perhaps in 
the end its poverty was no disadvantage. 
% But thou art rich. Not in this world's 
goods, but in a more important respect 
— in the grace and favor of God. These 
things are not unfrequently united. Po- 
verty is no hindrance to the favor of 
God, and there are some things in 
it favorable te the promotion of a 
right spirit towards God which are not 
found where there is abundant wealth. 
The Saviour was eminently poor, and 
not a few of his most devoted and useful 
followers have had as little of this 
world's goods as he had. The poor 
should always be cheerful and happy, if 
they can hear their Saviour saying unto 
them, "I know thy poverty— but thou 
art rich." However keen the feeling 
arising from the reflection " I am a poor 
man/' the edge of the sorrow is taken 
off if the mind can be turned to a 
brighter image — "but thou art rich." 
\ And I know the blasphemy. The re- 
proaches; the harsh and bitter revilings. 
On the word blasphemy, see Notes on 
Matt. ix. 3, xxvi. 65. The word here 
does not seem to refer to blasphemy 
against God, but to bitter reproaches 
against themselves. The reason of these 
reproaches is not stated, but it was 
doubtless on account of their religion, 
f Of them which say they are Jews. 
Who profess to be Jews. The idea 
seems to be, that though they w&re 
of Jewish extraction, and professed to 
be Jews, they were not true Jews; they 
indulged in a bitterness of reproach, and 
a severity of language, which showed 
that they had not the spirit of the Jew- 
ish religion ; they had nothing which 
became those who were under the guid- 
ance of the spirit of their own Scriptures. 
That would have inculcated and fostered 
a milder temper ; and the meaning hew 
is, that although tbey were <*i Jewish 



M D. 96.] 



CHAPTER II. 



91 



a,nd are not, but are the synagogue 
• of Satan. 

10 Fear none of those things 

a c. 3. 9. 



origin, they were not worthy of the 
name. That spirit of bitter opposition 
was indeed often manifested in their 
treatment of Christians, as it had been 
of the Saviour, but still it was foreign 
to the true nature of their religion. 
There were Jews in all parts of Asia 
Minor, and the apostles often encoun- 
tered them in their journeyings, but it 
would seem that there was something 
which had particularly embittered those 
of Smyrna against Christianity. What 
this was, is now unknown. It may 
throw some light on the passage, how- 
ever, to remark that at a somewhat later 
period — in the time of the martyrdom 
of Poly carp — the Jews of Smyrna were 
among the most bitter of the enemies of 
Christians, and among the most violent 
in demanding the death of Polycarp. 
Eusebius (Eccl. Hist. iv. 15), says, that 
when Polycarp was apprehended, and 
brought before the Proconsul at Smyrna, 
the Jews were the most furious of all in 
demanding his condemnation. When 
the mob, after his condemnation to 
death, set about gathering fuel to burn 
him, "the Jews," Bays he, "being espe- 
cially zealous, as was their custom — 
fidXiara TtpoSvuuts, u><s eSog avrols — ran to 
procure fuel/' And when, as the burn- 
ing failed, the martyr was transfixed 
with weapons, the Jews urged and be- 
sought the magistrate that his body 
might not be given up to Christians. 
Possibly at the time when this epistle 
was directed to be sent to Smyrna, there 
were Jews there who manifested the 
same spirit which those of their country- 
men did afterwards, who urged on the 
death of Polycarp. But are the syna- 
gogue of Satan. Deserve rather to be 
called the synagogue of Satan. The 
synagogue was a Jewish place of wor- 
ship (comp. Notes on Matt. iv. 23), but 
the word originally denoted the assem- 
bly or congregation. The meaning here 
is plain, that though they worshipped in 
a synagogue, and professed to be the 
worshippers of God, yet they were not 
worthy of the name, and deserved rather 
to be regarded as in the service of Satan. 
—Satan is the word that is properly 



which thou shalt suffer : behold, the 
devil shall cast some of you into 
prison, that ye may be tried : and 
ye shall have tribulation ten days : 



applied to the great evil spirit, elsewhere 
called the devil. See Notes on Luke 
xxii. 3, and Job i. 6. 

10. Fear none of those things which 
thou shalt suffer. He did not promise 
them exemption from suffering. He saw 
that they were about to suffer, and he 
specifies the manner in which their af- 
fliction would occur. But he entreats 
and commands them not to be afraid. 
They were to look to the "crown of 
life," and to be comforted with the as- 
surance that if they were faithful unto 
death, that would be theirs. We need 
not dread suffering if we can hear the 
voice of the Redeemer encouraging us, 
and if he assures us that in a little while 
we shall have the erown of life, Be- 
hold the devil shall cast some of you into 
prison. Or, shall cause some of you to 
be cast into prison. He had just said 
that their persecutors were of the " syn- 
agogue of Satan." He here represents 
Satan, or the devil — another name of 
the same being, as about to throw them 
into prison. This would be done un- 
doubtedly by the hands of men, but 
still Satan vras the prime mover, or the 
instigator in doing it. It was common 
to cast those who were persecuted into 
prison. See Acts xii. 3, 4, xvi. 23. It 
is not said on what pretence, or by what 
authority, this would be done, but, as 
John had been baniehed to Patmos from 
Ephesus, it is probable that this persecu- 
tion was raging in the adjacent places, 
and there is no improbability in sup- 
posing that many might be thrown into 
prison. <[[ That ye may be tried. That 
the reality of your faith may be subjected 
to a test to show whether it is genuine. 
The design in the case is that of the 
Saviour, though Satan is allowed to do 
it. It was common in the early periods 
of the church to suffer religion to be 
subjected to trial amidst persecutions, 
in order to show that it was of heavenly 
origin, and to demonstrate its value in 
view of the world. This is, indeed, one 
of the designs of trial at all times, but 
this seemed eminently desirable when 
a rew system of religion was about to 
be given to mankind. Comp. Notes on 



92 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



be thou faithful d unto death, and 
I will give thee a crown * of life. 
11 He that hath an ear, let him 

a Mat. 10. 22. b Ja. 1. 12. 

1 Peter i. 6, 7. % And ye shall have 
tribulation ten days. A short time; a 
brief period ; a few days. It is possible, 
indeed, that this might have meant lite- 
rally ten days, but it is much more in 
accordance with the general character 
of this book in regard to numbers, to 
suppose that the word ten here is used 
to denote a few. Comp. Gen. xxiv. 55, 

1 Sam. xxv.* 38, Dan. i. 12, 14. We are 
wholly ignorant how long the trial ac- 
tually lasted, but the assurance was that 
it would not be long, and they were to 
allow this thought to cheer and sustain 
them in their sorrows. Why should not 
the same thought encourage us now? 
Affliction in this life, however severe, 
can be but brief; and in the hope that 
it will soon end why should we not 
bear it without murmuring or repining ? 
*[ Be thou faithful unto death. Imply- 
ing, perhaps, that though, in regard to 
the church, the affliction would be brief, 
yet that it might be fatal to some of 
them, and they who were thus about to 
die, should remain faithful to their Sa- 
viour until the hour of death. In rela- 
tion to all, whether they were to suffer 
a violent death or not, the same injunc- 
tion and the same promise was appli- 
cable. It is true of every one who is a 
Christian, in whatever manner he is to 
die, that if he is faithful unto death, a 
grown uf life awaits him. Comp. Notes 

2 Tim. iv. 8. And I will give thee a 
zrown of life. See Notes on James i. 12. 
Comp. 1 Pet. v. 4, 1 Cor. ix. 24-27.— 
The promise here is somewhat different 
from that which was made to the faith- 
ful in Ephesus (ver. 7), but the same 
thing substantially is promised them — 
happiness hereafter, or an admission into 
heaven. In the former case it is the 
peaceful image of those admitted into 
the scenes of Paradise; here it is the 
triumph of the crowned martyr. 

11. He that hath an ear, &c. See 
Notes on ver. 7. % He that overcometh. 
See N^tes on ver. 7. The particular pro- 
mise here is made to him that should 
" overcome;" that is, that would gain the 
victory in the persecutions which were 
to ome upon them. The reference is 



hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches ; He that overcometh shall 
not be hurt of the second c death. 



c c. 20. 14. 



to him who would show the sustaining 
power of religion in times of persecution; 
who would not yield his principles when 
opposed and persecuted ; who would be 
triumphant when so many efforts were 
made to induce him to apostatize and 
abandon the cause, Shall not be hurt 
of the second death. By a second death. 
That is, he will have nothing to fear in 
the future world. The punishment of 
hell is often called death, not in the 
sense that the soul will cease to exist, 
but (a) because death is the most fear- 
ful thing of which we have any know- 
ledge, and (b) because there is a striking 
similarity, in many respects, between 
death and future punishment. Death 
cuts off from life — and so the second 
death cuts off from eternal life; death 
puts an end to all our hopes here, and 
the second death to all our hopes for- 
ever; death is attended with terrors and 
alarms — the faint and feeble emblem of 
the terrors and alarms in the world of 
wo. The phrase, "the second death " 
is three times used elsewhere by John in 
this book (ch. xx. 6, 14, xxi. 8), but does 
noC occur elsewhere in the New Testa- 
ment. The words death and to die, 
however, are not unfrequently used to 
denote the future punishment of the 
wicked. 

The promise here made would be all 
that was necessary to sustain them in 
their trials. Nothing more is requisite 
to make the burdens of life tolerable 
than an assurance that, when we reach 
the end of our earthly journey, we have 
arrived at the close of suffering, and that 
beyond the grave there is no power that 
can harm us. Religion, indeed, does 
not promise to its friends exemption 
from death in one form. To none of 
the race has such a promise ever been 
made, and to but two has the favor been 
granted to pass to heaven without tast- 
ing death. It could have been granted 
to all the redeemed, but there were good 
reasons why it should not be ; that is, 
why it would be better that even they 
who are to dwell in heaven should re- 
turn to the dust, and sbep in the tomb, 
than that they should be removed by 



A. I). 96.] 



C H APT 



EK II. 



93 



perpetual miracle, translating them to 
heaven. Religion, therefore, does not 
come to us with any promise that we 
shall not die. But it comes with the as- 
surance that we shall be sustained in the 
dying hour ; that the Redeemer will ac- 
company us through the dark valley; 
that death to us will be a calm and 
quiet slumber in the hope of awaking in 
the morning of the resurrection; that 
we shall be raised up again with bodies 
incorruptible and undecaying ; and that 
beyond the grave we shall never fear 
death in any form. What more is need- 
ful to enable us to bear with patience 
the trials of this life, and to look upon 
death when it does come, disarmed as it 
is of its sting (1 Cor. xv. 55-57), with 
calmness and peace ? ^ 

THE EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH AT PER- 
GAMOS. 

The contents of this epistle (vs. 12-17) 
are as follows : (1) A reference, as is 
usual in these epistles, to some attribute 
of him who addressed them, fitted to 
inspire respect, and adapted to a state 
of things existing in the church, ver 12. 
That to which the Saviour here directs 
their attention is, that he has "the sharp 
sword with two edges "■ — implying (ver. 
16) that he had the power of punishing. 
(2) A statement, in the usual form, that 
he was thoroughly acquainted with the 
etate of the church; that he saw all 
their difficulties ; ail that there was to 
commend, and all that there was to re- 
prove, ver. 13. (3) A commendation of 
the church for its fidelity, especially in 
a time of «evere persecution, when one 
of her faithful friends was slain, ver. 13. 
(4) A reproof of the church for tolerating 
some who held false and pernicious doc- 
trines — doctrines such as were taught 
by Balaam, and the doctrines of the Ni- 
colaitanes, vs. 14, 15. (5) A solemn 
threat that, unless they repented, he 
would come against them, and inflict 
summary punishment on them, ver. 16. 
(6) The usual call upon all to hear what 
the spirit says to the churches, and a 
promise to those who should overcome, 
ver. 17. 

Pergamos was a city in the southern 
part of Mysia, the capital of a kingdom 
of that name, and afterwards of the Ro- 
man province of Asia Propria. It was 
on the Dank of the. river Caicus, which 
to formed V? the urion of two branches 



meeting thirty or forty miles above its 
mouth, and watering a valley not 
exceeded in beauty and fertility by any 
in the world. The city of Pergamos 
stood about twenty miles from the sea. 
It was on the northern bank of the 
river, at the base and on the declivity 
of two high and steep mountains. About 
two centuries before the Christian era, 
Pergamos became the residence of the 
celebrated kings of the family of Attains, 
and a seat of literature and the arts. 
King Eumenes, the second of the name, 
greatly beautified the town, and so in- 
creased the number of volumes in the 
library that they amounted to 200,000. 
This library remained at Pergamos after 
^he kingdom of the Attali had lost its 
independence, until Antony removed it 
to Egypt, and presented it to Queen 
Cleopatra. Pliny, Hist. Nat, iii. 2. It 
is an old tradition that, as the papyrus 
plant had not begun to be exported from 
Egypt (Kitto), or as Ptolemy refused to 
sell it to Eumenes {Prof. Stuart), sheep 
and goat skins, prepared for the purpose, 
were used for manuscripts, and as the 
art of preparing them was brought to 
perfection at Pergamos, they, from that 
circumstance, obtained the name of per- 
gameva (ncpyaixTjvr}) or parchment. The 
last king of Pergamos bequeathed his 
treasures to the Romans, who took pos- 
session of the kingdom also, and created 
it into a province by the name of Asia 
Propria, Under the Romans, it retained 
that authority over the cities of Asia 
which it had acquired under the suc- 
cessors of Attalus. The present name 
of the place is Bergamos, and it is of 
considerable importance, containing a 
population of about 14,000, of whom 
about 3000 are Greeks, 300 Armenians, 
and the rest Turks. Macfarlane de- 
scribes the approach to the town as very 
beautiful. " The approach to this an- 
cient and decayed city was as impressive 
as well might be. After crossing the 
Caicus, I saw, looking over three vast 
tumuli, or sepulchral barrows, similar to 
those on the plains of Troy, the Turkish 
city of Pergamos, with its tall minarets, 
and its taller cypresses, situated on the 
lower declivities and at the foot of the 
Acropolis, whose bold grey brow was 
crowned by the rugged walls of a bar- 
barous castle, the usurper of the site of 
a magnificent Greek temple. The town 
consists, for the most part, of small and 



94 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



12 And to the angel of the church 
in Pergamos write ; these things 



mean wooden houses, among which ap- 
pear the remains of early Christian 
churches. None of these churches have 
any scriptural or apocalyptic interest 
connected with them, having been erect- 
ed several centuries after the ministry 
of the apostles, and when Christianity 
was not an humble and despised creed, 
but the adopted religion of a vast em- 
pire. The Pagan temples have fared 
worse than these Christian churches. 
The fanes of Jupiter and Diana, of 2£s- 
culapius and Venus, are prostrate in the 



saith ° he which hath the sharp 
sword with two edges ; 

a c. 1. 16. 

dust; and where they have not been 
carried away by the Turks, to cut up 
into tombstones, or to pound into mor- 
tar, the Corinthian and Ionic columns, 
the splendid capitals, the cornices and 
the pediments, all in the highest orna- 
ment, are thrown into unsightly heaps." 
Visit to the Seven Apocalyptic Churches, 
1S32. Comp. Missionary Herald for 
1839, pp. 228-230. 

The following cut will furnish a view 
of the present appearance of the town. 





PERGAMOS. 



12. And to the angel of the church in 
Pergimos. See Notes on ch. i. 20. 
•jf These things saith he who hath the 
sharp sword, &c. See Notes on ch. i. 16. 
Comp. Heb. iv. 12, Eccl. xii. 11, Isa. 
xlix. 2. Prof. Stuart suggests that 
when the Saviour, as represented in the 



vision, "uttered words, as they proceed- 
ed from his mouth, the halitus which 
accompanied them assumed, in the vieT? 
of John, the form of an igneous two- 
edged sword." It is more probable, 
however, that the words which pro- 
ceeded from his mouth did not assum? 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER II. 



95 



13 I know thy works, and where 
thou d relies t, even where Satan's 
seat is : and thou holdest fast my 
name, and hast not denied b my 

e ver. 9. 6 2 Ti. 2. 12. 



any th'ng like a form or substance, but 
John means to represent them as if they 
were a sharp sword. His words cut and 
penetrate deejj, and it was easy to pic- 
ture him as having a sword proceeding 
from his muuth ; that is, his words were 
as piercing as a sharp sword. As he 
was about to reprove the church at Per- 
gamos, there was a propriety in referring 
to this power of the Saviour. Reproof 
cuts deep; and this is the idea repre- 
sented here. 

13. I know thy works. The uniform 
mode of addressing the seven churches 
in these epistles. See Notes on ch. ii. 2. 

And where thou dviellest. That is, I 
know all the temptations to which you 
are exposed ; all the allurements to sin 
by which you are surrounded ; all the 
apologies which might be made for what 
has occurred arising from those circum- 
stances j and all that could be said in 
commendation of you for having been as 
faithful as you have been. The sense 
of the passage is, that it does much to 
enable us to judge of character to know 
where men live. It is much more easy 
to be virtuous and pious in some cir- 
cumstances than in others, and in order 
to determine how much credit is due to 
a man for his virtues, it is necessary to 
understand how much he has been called 
to resist ; how many temptations he has 
encountered ; what easily-besetting sins 
he may have ; or what allurements may 
have been presented to his mind to draw 
him from the path of virtue and religion. 
In like manner, in order to judge cor- 
rectly of those who have embraced error, 
or have been led into sin, it is necessary 
to understand what there may have 
been in their circumstances that gave to 
error what was plausible, and to sin 
what was attractive ; what there was in 
their situation in life that exposed them 
to these influences, and what arguments 
may have been employed by the learned, 
the talented, and the plausible advocates 
of error, to lead them astray. We often 
judge harshly where the Saviour would 
be far less severe in his judgments ; we 
often commend much where in fact there 



faith, even in those days wherein 
Antipas teas my faithful martyr, 
who was slain among you, where 
Satan dwelleth. 



has been little to commend. It is pos- 
sible to conceive that in the strugglings 
against evil of those who have ultimately 
fallen, there may be more to commend 
than in cases where the path of virtue 
has been pursued as the mere result of 
circumstances, and where there never 
has been a conflict with temptation. 
The adjudications of the great day will 
do much to reverse the judgments of 
mankind. ^ Even where Satan's seat 
is. A place of peculiar wickedness, as 
if Satan dwelt there. Satan is, as it were, 
enthroned there. The influence of Satan 
in producing persecution, is that which 
is particularly alluded to, as is apparent 
from the reference which is immediately 
made to the case of Antipas, the " faithful 
martyr." And thou holdest fast my 
name. They had professed the name of 
Christ; that is, they had professed to be 
his followers, and they had steadfastly 
adhered to him and his cause in all the 
opposition made to him. The name 
Christian, given in honor of Christ, and 
indicating that they were his disciples, 
they had not been ashamed of or denied. 
It was this name that subjected the 
early Christians to reproach. See 1 Pet. 
iv. 14. ^ And hast not denied my faith. 
That is, hast not denied my religion. The 
great essential element in the Christian 
religion is faith, and this, since it is so 
important, is often put for the whole of 
religion. *[ Even in those days wherein 
Antipas was my faithful martyr. Of 
Antipas we know nothing more than is 
here stated. " In the Acta Sanctorum 
(II. pp. 3, 4) is a martyrology of Anti- 
pas from a Greek MS.; but it is full of 
fable and fiction, which a later age had 
added to the original story." Prof. 
Stuart, in loc. % Who was slain among 
you. It would seem from this, that, 
though the persecution had raged there, 
but one person had been put to death. 
It would appear also that the persecu- 
tion was of a local character, since Per- 
gamos is described as " Satan's seat ;" 
and the ieath of Antipas is mentioned 
in immediate connexion with that fact. 
All the circumstances referred to -would 



96 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



14 But I have a few things 
against thee, because thou hast 
there them that hold the doctrine 



lead us to suppose that this was a 
popular outbreak and not a persecution 
carried on under the authority of gov- 
ernment, and that Antipas was put to 
death in a popular excitement. So 
Stephen (Acts vii.) was put to death, 
and so Paul at Lystra was stoned until 
it was supposed he was dead. Acts, 
xiv. 19. ^ Where Sata?i dwelleth. The 
repetition of this idea — very much in 
the manner of John - — showed how in- 
tensely the mind was fixed on the 
thought, and how much alive the feel- 
ings were to the malice of Satan as 
exhibited at Pergamos. 

14. But I have a few things^ against 
thee. As against the church at Ephesus, 
ch. ii. 4. The charge against this 
church, however, is somewhat different 
from that against the church at Ephesus. 
The charge there was, that they had 
"left their first love," but it is spoken in 
commendation of them that they " hated 
the deeds of the Nicolaitanes" (ch. ii. 6),* 
here the charge is, that they tolerated 
that sect among them, and that they 
had among them also those who held 
the doctrine of Balaam. Their general 
sourse had been such that the Saviour 
could approve it ; he did not approve, 
however, of their tolerating those who 
held to pernicious practical error — error 
that tended to sap the very foundation 
of morals, *fj Because thou hast those 
ihere that hold the doctrine of Balaam. 
It is not necessary to suppose that they 
professedly held to the same opinion as 
Balaam, or openly taught the same 
doctrines. The meaning is, that they 
taught substantially the same doctrine 
which Balaam did, and deserved to be 
classed with him. What that doctrine 
was is stated in the subsequent part of 
the verse, Who taught Balac to cast 
a stumbling-block before the children of 
Israel. The word stumbling -block pro- 
perty means any thing over which one 
falls or stumbles, and then any thing 
over which any one may fall into sin, or 
which bee )ines the occasion of one's 
Tailing into sin. The meaning here is, 
that it was through the instructions of 
Balaam, that Balak learned the way by 
which the Israelites might be led into 



of Balaam, who a taught Balac to 
cast a stumbling-block before the 
children of Israel, to eat b things 

a Nu 31. 16. b Ac. 15. 29. 

sin, and might thus bring upon them- 
selves the divine malediction. The main 
circumstances in the case were these : — 
(1) Balak, king of Moab, when the child- 
ren of Israel approached his borders, felt 
that he could not contend successfully 
against so great a host, for his people 
were dispirited and disheartened at their 
numbers, Num. xxii. 3, 4. (2) In these 
circumstances he resolved to send for 
one who had a distinguished reputation 
as a prophet, that he might "curse" 
that people, or might utter a maledic- 
tion over them, in order at the same 
time to ensure their destruction, and to 
inspirit his own people in making war 
on them : in accordance with a prevalent 
opinion of ancient times, that prophets 
had the power of blighting any thing by 
their curse. Comp. Notes on Job iii. 8. 
For this purpose, he sent messengers to 
Balaam to invite him to come and per- 
form this service. Num. xxii. 5, 6. 
(3) Balaam professed to be a prophet of 
the Lord, and it was obviously proper 
that he should enquire of the Lord 
whether he should comply with this 
request. He did so, and was positively 
forbidden to go. Num. xxii. 12. (4) 
When the answer of Balaam was re- 
ported to Balak, he supposed that he 
might be prevailed to come by the offer 
of rewards, and he sent more dis- 
tinguished messengers, with an offer of 
ample honor if he would come. Num. 
xxii. 15-17. (5) Balaam was evidently 
strongly inclined to go, but, in accord- 
ance with his character as a prophet, he 
said that if Balak would give him his 
house full of silver and gold he could 
do no more, and say no more, than the 
Lord permitted, and he proposed again 
to consult the Lord to see if he could 
obtain permission to go with the mes- 
sengers of Balak. He obtained per- 
mission, but with the express injunction 
that he was only to utter what God 
should say, and when he came to Balak, 
notwithstanding his own manifest desire 
to comply with the wish of Balak, and 
notwithstanding all the offers which 
Balak made to him to induce him tc 
do the contrary, he only continued to 
bless the Hebrew people, until, in dig- 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER II. 



97 



sacrificed unto idols, and to com- 
mit fornication. a 

a 1 Co. 6. 13, 18. 

gust and indignation, Balak sent him 
away again to his own land. Num. 
xxii. xxiii. xxiv. 10, seq. (6) Balaam 
'eturned to his own house, but evidently 
with a desire still to gratify Balak. 
Being forbidden to curse the people of 
Israel ; having been overruled in all his 
purposes to do it ; having been, contrary 
to his own desires, constrained to bless 
them when he was himself more than 
willing to curse them,* and having still 
a desire -to comply with the wishes of 
the king of Moab, he cast about for 
some way in which the object might 
yet be accomplished ; that is, in which 
the curse of God might in fact rest 
upon the Hebrew people, and they 
might become exposed to the divine dis- 
pleasure. To do this, no way occurred 
so plausible, and that had such proba- 
bility of success, as to lead them into 
idolatry, and into the sinful and corrupt 
practices connected with idolatry. It 
was, therefore, resolved to make use of 
the charms of the females of Moab, that 
through their influence, the Hebrews 
might be drawn into licentiousness. 
This was done. The abominations of 
idolatry spread through the camp of 
Israel; licentiousness everywhere pre- 
vailed, and God sent a plague upon them 
to punish them. Num. xxv. 1, seq. 
That also this was planned and insti- 
gated by Balaam, is apparent from 
Num. xxxi. 16 : " Behold these [women] 
caused the children of Israel, through 
the counsel of Balaam, to commit tres- 
pass against the Lord, in the matter of 
Peor, and there was a plague among the 
congregation of the Lord/* The attitude 
of Balaam's mind in the matter was this : 
I. He had a strong desire to do that 
which he knew was wrong, and which 
was forbidden expressly by God. II. He 
was restrained by internal checks and 
remonstrances, and prevented from doing 
what he wished to do. III. He cast 
about for some way in which he might 
do it, notwithstanding these internal 
checks and remonstrances, and finally 
accomplished the same thing, in fact, 
though in form different from that which 
he had first prepared. This is not an 
unfair description of what often occurs 
9 



15 So hast thou also them that 
hold the doctrine of the Nico- 
laitanes, which thing I hate. 



in the plans and purposes of a wicked 
man. The meaning in the passage be- 
fore us is, that in the church at Per- 
gamos there were those who taught, 
substantially, the same thing that Balaam 
did; that is, the tendency of whose teach- 
ing was, to lead men into idolatry, and 
the ordinary accompaniment of idolatry 
— licentiousness, f To eat things sacri- 
jiced unto idols. Balaam taught the 
Hebrews to do this — perhaps in some 
way securing their attendance on the 
riotous and gluttonous feasts of idolatry 
celebrated among the people among 
whom they sojourned. Such feasts were 
commonly held in idol temples, and 
they usually led to scenes of dissipation 
and corruption. By plausibly teaching 
that there could be no harm in eating 
what had been offered in sacrifice — since 
an idol was nothing, and the flesh of 
animals offered in sacrifice was the same 
as if slaughtered for some other pur- 
pose — it would seem that these teachers 
at Pergamos had induced professing 
Christians to attend on those feasts — 
thus lending their countenance to idol- 
atry, and exposing themselves to all 
the corruption and licentiousness that 
commonly attended such celebrations. 
See the banefulness of thus eating the 
meat offered in sacrifice to idols, con- 
sidered in the Notes on 1 Cor. viii. 

And to commit fornication. Balaam 
taught this ; and that was the tendency 
of the doctrines inculcated at Pergamos. 
On what pretence this was done is not 
said; but it is clear that the church 
had regarded this^ in a lenient manner, 
So accustomed had the heathen world 
been to this vice, that many who had 
been converted from idolatry might be 
disposed to look on it with less severity 
than we do now, and there was a neces- 
sity of incessant watchfulness lest the 
members of the church should fall into 
it. Comp. Notes on Acts xv. 20. 

15. So hast thou also them, &c. That 
is, there are those among you who hold 
those doctrines. The meaning here 
may be, either that, in addition to those 
who held the doctrine of Balaam, they 
had also another class who held the 
doctrine of the Nicolaitanes ; or thattb« 




98 



EEVELATION, 



16 Eepont; or else I will come 
unto thee quickly, and a will fight 
against them with the sword of my 
mouth. 



at;o; 



[A. D. 96. 



a Is. 11. 4. 



Nicolaitanes held the same doctrine, and 
taught the same thing as Balaam. If 
but one class is referred to, and it is 
meant that the Nicolaitanes held the 
ioetrines of Balaam, then we know what 
constituted their teaching ; if two classes 
of false teachers are referred to, then we 
have no means of knowing what was the 
peculiarity of the teaching of the Nico- 
laitanes. The jnore natural and obvious 
construction, it seems to me, is, to sup- 
pose that the speaker means to say that 
the Nicolaitanes taught the same things 
which Balaam did: — to wit, that they 
led the people into corrupt and licen- 
tious practices. This interpretation 
seems to be demanded by the proper 
use of the word " so" — ourwj — meaning, 
in this manner, on this wise, thus; and 
usually referring to what precedes. If 
this be the correct interpretation, then 
we have, in fact, a description of what 
the Nicolaitanes held, agreeing with all 
the accounts given of them "by the 
ancient fathers. See Notes on ver. 6. 
If this is so, also, then it is clear that 
the same kind of doctrines was held at 
Smyrna, at Pergamos, and at Thyatira 
(ver. 20), though mentioned in somewhat 
different forms. It is not quite certain, 
however, that this is the correct inter- 
pretation, or that the writer does not 
mean to say that in addition to those 
who held the doctrine of Balaam, they 
had also another class of errorists who 
held the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. 
% Which thing 1 hatq. So the common 
Greek text — b /xiaio. ^But the best sup- 
ported reading, and the one adapted by 
Griesbach, Tittmann, and Hahn, is bpvltos 
— in like manner; that is, 'as Balak 
retained a false prophet who misled the 
Hebrews, so thou retainest those who 
teach things like to those which Balaam 
taught/ 

16. Repent. See ver. 5. \ Or else I 
will come unto thee quickly. On the word 
quickly, see Notes on ch. i. 1. The 
yeaning here is, that he would come 
against them in judgment, or to punish 
them, ^ And will fight against them. 
4gainst the Nicolaitanes, He would 



17 He * that hath an ear, let him 
hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches ; to him that overcometh 

b ver. 7. c. 3. 6, 13. 22. 



come against the church for tolerating 
them, but his opposition would be prin- 
cipally directed against the Nicolaitanes 
themselves. The church would excite 
his displeasure by retaining them in its 
bosom, but it was in its power to save 
them from destruction. If the church 
would repent, or if it would separate 
itself from the evil, then the Saviour 
would not come against them.. If this 
were not done, they would feel the 
vengeance of his sword, and be sub- 
jected to punishment. The church 
always suffers when it has offenders in 
its bosom ; it has the power of saving 
them if it will repent of its own unfaith- 
fulness, and will strive for their con- 
version. With the sword of my mouth. 
Notes, ch. i. 16, ii. 12. That is, he would 
give the order and they would be cut 
as if by a sword. Precisely in what way 
it would be done, he does not say ; but 
it might be by persecution, or by heavy 
judgments. To see the force of this, we 
are to remember the power which Christ 
has to punish the wicked by a word of 
his mouth. By a word in the last day 
he will turn all the wicked into hell. 
^tl. He that hath an ear, <fec. Notes 
*on ver. 7. If To him that overcometh. 
Notes on ver. 7. % Will I give to eat 
of the hidden manna. The true spiritual 
food the food that nourishes the soul. 
The idea is, that the souls of those who 
" overcame," or who gained the victory 
in theft conflict with sin, and in the 
persecutions and trials of the world, 
would be permitted to partake of that 
spiritual food which is laid up for the 
people of God, and by which they will 
be nourished forever. The Hebrews 
were supported by manna in the desert 
(Ex. xvi. 16-35) ; a pot of that manna 
was laid up in the most holy place to be 
preserved as a memorial (Ex. xvi. 32- 
34); it is called "angel's food" (Ps. 
lxxviii. 25), and " corn of heaven" (Ps. 
lxxviii. 24) ; and it would seem to have 
been emblematical of that spiritual food 
by which the people of God are to be 
fed from heaven, in their journey 
through this world, By the word " hid 



A. D. 96. j 



CHAPTER II. 



99 



will I give to eat of the hidden a 

a Ps. 25. 14. 

den,'" there would seem to be an allusion 
to that which was laid up in the pot 
before th3 Ark of the Testimony, and 
the blessing which is promised here is 
that they would be nourished as if they 
were sustained by that manna thus laid 
up before the ark : — by food from the 
immediate presence of God. The lan- 
guage thus explained would mean that 
they who overcome will be nourished 
through this life as if by that " hidden 
manna that is, that they will be sup- 
plied all along through the " wilderness 
of this world" by that food from the im- 
mediate presence of God which their 
souls require. As the parallel places 
in the epistles to the churches, however, 
refer rather to the heavenly world, and 
to the rewards which they who are vic- 
tors shall have there, it seems probable 
that this has immediate reference to that 
world also, and that the meaning is, 
that, as the Most Holy place was a type 
of heaven, they will be admitted into the 
immediate presence of God, and nou- 
rished forever by the food of heaven — 
that which the angels have ,• that which 
the soul will need to sustain it there. 
Even in this world their souls may be 
nourished with this "hidden manna;" 
in heaven it will be their constant food 
forever, ^ And I will give him a white 
stone. There has been a great variety 
of opinion in regard to the meaning of 
this expression, and almost no two ex- 
positors agree. Illustrations of its 
meaning have been sought from Grecian, 
Hebrew, and Roman customs, but none 
of these have removed all difficulty from 
the expression. The general sense of 
the language seems plain, even though 
the allusion on which it is founded is 
obscure or even unknown. It is, that 
the Saviour would give him who over- 
came, a token of his favor which would 
have some word or name inscribed on 
it, and which would be of use to him 
alone, or intelligible to him only : — that 
is, some secret token which would make 
him sure of the favor of his Redeemer, 
and which would be unknown to other 
men. The idea here would find a cor- 
respondence in the evidences of his favor 
granted to the soul of the Christian him- 
self; in the pledge of heaven thus made 
to him, and which he would understand, 



manna, and will give hi:n a white 



but which no one else would understand, 
The things, then, which we are to look 
for in the explanation of the emblem 
are two : — that which would thus be a 
token of his favor; and that which 
would explain the fact that it would be 
intelligible to no one else. The question 
is, whether there is any known thing 
pertaining to ancient customs which 
would convey these ideas. The word 
rendered stone — $rj(pos — means properly 
a small stone, as worn smooth by water 
— a gravel-stone, a pebble ; then any 
polished stone, the stone of a gem or 
ring. Hob. Lex. Such a stone was 
used among the Greeks for various pur- 
poses, and the word came to have a sig- 
nification corresponding to these uses. 
The following uses are enumerated by 
Dr. Robinson {Lex.) ; the stones or 
counters for reckoning ; dice, lots, used 
in a kind of magic ; a vote, spoken of 
the black arid white stones or pebbles 
anciently used in voting; that is, the 
white for approval, and the black for 
condemning. In regard to the use of 
the word here, some have supposed that 
the reference is to a custom of the 
Roman emperors, who, in the games and 
spectacles which they gave to the 
people in imitation of the Greeks, are 
said to have thrown among the popu- 
lace dice or tokens inscribed with the 
words "Frumentum, vestes," &c. ; that 
is, "corn, clothing," &c, and whosoever 
obtained one of these received from the 
emperor whatever was marked upon it. 
Others suppose that allusion is made to 
the mode of casting lots, in. which some- 
times dice or tokens were used with 
names inscribed on them, and the lot 
fell to him whose name first came out. 
The " white stone" was a symbol of good- 
fortune and prosperity, and it is a 
remarkable circumstance that among the 
Greeks persons of distinguished virtue 
were said to receive a \prj<pos — stone — 
from the gods, i. e. as an approving 
testimonial of their virtue. See Robin- 
son's Lex., and the authorities there 
referred to ; Wetstein, N. T., in loc, and 
Stuart, in loc. Prof. Stuart supposes 
that the allusion is to the fact that 
Christians are said to be kings and 
priests to God, and that as the Jewish 
high priest had a mitre or turban, on the 



100 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



stone, and in the stone a new a 
name written, which no man 

a Is. 56. 4; 65. 15. c. 3. 12; 19. 12, 13. 

front of which was a plate of gold 
inscribed "Holiness to the Lord," so 
they who were kings and priests under 
the Christian dispensation would have 
that by which they would be known, 
but that, instead of a plate of gold, they 
would hava a pellucid stone, on which 
the ?iame of the Saviour would be 
engraved as a token of his favor. It is 
possible, in regard to the explanation of 
this phrase, that there has been too 
much effort to find all the circumstances 
alluded to, in some ancient custom. 
Some well-understood fact or custom 
may have suggested the general thought, 
and then the filling up may have been 
applicable to this case alone. It is quite 
clear, I think, that none of the customs 
to which it has been supposed there is 
reference, correspond fully with what is 
stated here, and that though there 
may have been a general allusion of 
that kind, yet something of the par- 
ticularity in the circumstances may be 
regarded as peculiar to this alone. In 
accordance with this view, perhaps the 
following points will embody all that 
need be said : (1) A white stone was re- 
garded as a token of favor, prosperity, 
cr success, everywhere — whether con- 
sidered as a vote, or as given to a 
victor, &c. As such, it would denote 
that the Christian to whom it is said to 
be given would meet with the favor of 
the Redeemer, and would have a token 
of his approval. (2) The name written 
on this stone would be designed also as 
a token or pledge of his favor — as a 
name engraved on a signet or seal would 
be a pledge to him who received it of 
friendship. It would be not merely a 
white stone — emblematic of favor and 
approval, but would be so marked as to 
indicate its origin — with the name of 
the giver on it. This would appro- 
priately denote, when explained, that 
the victor Christian would receive a 
token of the Redeemer's favor, as if 
his name were engraven on a stone, and 
given to him as a pledge of his friend- 
ship ; that is, that he would be as certain 
of his favor as if he had such a stone. 
In other words, the victor would be 



knoweth h saving he that receiv- 
eth it. 



b 1 Co. 2. 14 



assured from the Redeemer who dis- 
tributes rewards, that his welfare would 
be secure. (3) This would be to him as 
if he should receive a stone so marked 
that its letters were invisible to all 
others, but apparent to him who re- 
ceived it. It is not needful to suppose 
that in the Olympic games, or in the 
prizes distributed by Roman emperors, 
or in any other custom, such a case had 
actually occurred, but it is conceivable 
that a n&me might be so engraved — with 
characters so small, or in letters so un- 
known to all others, or with marks so 
unintelligible to others, that no other 
one into whose hands it might fall would 
understand it. — The meaning then pro- 
bably is, that to the true Christian — the 
victor over sin — there is given some 
pledge of the divine favor which has to 
him all the effect of assurance, and which 
others do not perceive or understand. 
This consists of favors shown directly to 
the soul — the evidence of pardoned sin ; 
joy in the Holy Ghost; peace with God; 
clear views of the Saviour; the posses- 
sion of a spirit which is properly that of 
Christ, and which is the gift of God to 
the soul. The true Christian under- 
stands this ; the world perceives it not. 
The Christian receives it as a pledge of 
the divine favor, and as an evidence that 
he will be saved; to the world that on 
which he relies seems to be enthusiasm, 
fanaticism, or delusion. The Christian 
bears it about with him as he would a 
precious stone given to him by his Re- 
deemer, and on which the name of his 
Redeemer is engraved, as a pledge that 
he is accepted of God, and that the re- 
wards of heaven shall be his ; the world 
does not understand it, or attaches no 
value to it. And in the stone a new 
name written. A name indicating a new 
relation, new hopes and triumphs. Pro- 
bably the name here referred to is the 
name of the Redeemer, or the name 
Christian, or some such appellation. It 
would be some name which he would 
understand and appreciate, and which 
would be a pledge of acceptance. 
\ Which no man knoweth, &c. That is, 
no one would understand its import, as 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEK II. 



101 



no one but the Christian estimates the 
value of that on which he relies as the 
pledge of his Redeemer's love. 

THE EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH AT 
THYATIRA. 

The contents of this epistle (18-29), 
are as follows : (1) A reference, as is 
usual in these epistles, to some attribute 
of the Saviour which demanded their 
particular attention, or which was espe- 
cially appropriate to the nature of the 
message which he was about to send to 
them, ver. 18. The attributes which he 
fixes on here are, that his eyes are like 
aflame of fire — as if they would pierce 
and penetrate to the recesses of the 
heart; and that his feet are like fine 
brass — perhaps indicative of majesty as 
he moved among tne churches. (2) A 
statement, in the usual form, that he 
was entirely acquainted with the church, 
and that, therefore, the judgment which 
he was about to pronounce was founded 
on a thorough knowledge of what the 
church was; and a general commenda- 
tion of them for their charity, service, 
faith, and patience, ver. 19. (3) A 
severe reproof of the church, notwith- 
standing, for their tolerating a teacher 
of dangerous doctrine, whom he calls 
Jezebel, with the assurance that she and 
her children should not go unpunished, 
vs. 20-23. (4) An assurance to all the 
rest in Thyatira that no other calamity 
or burden would come upon the church 
than what was inevitable in delivering 
it from the dangerous influence of these 
doctrines, and a solemn charge to them 
to hold fast all the truth which they had 
until he should come, vs. 24, 25. (5) A 
promise, as usual, to those who should 
overcome, or who should be victorious, 
vs. 26-29. They would have power over 
the nations ; they would be associated 
with the Redeemer in ruling them ; they 
would have the morning star. (6) A 
call, as usual, on all who had ears to 
hear, to attend to what the Spirit said 
to the churches. 

Thyatira was a city of Asia Minor, on 
the northern border of Lydia, and com- 
monly reckoned as belonging to Lydia. 
It was about twenty-seven miles from 
Sardis; about a day's journey from 
Pergamos, and about the same distance 
from the sea-coast. Its modern name is 
Ak-hissar, or the white castle. Accord- 
ing to Pliny, it was known in earlier 
9* 



es by the name of Pelopia, Hist. 
STat. v. 29. Strabo says that it was 
a Macedonian colony ; xiii. p. 928. 
The Roman road from Pergamos to 
Sardis passed through it. It was noted 
for the art of dyeing (Acts xvi. 14), and 
Luke's account in the Acts has been 
confirmed by the discovery of an inscrip- 
tion in honor of Antonius Claudius 
Alphenus, which concludes with the 
words ol pa(peis — the dyers. The Rev. 
Pliny Eisk, the American missionary, 
who visited the city, thus describes it : — 
" Thyatira is situated near a small 
river, a branch of the Caicus, in the 
centre of an extensive plain. At the 
distance of three or four miles, it is al- 
most completely surrounded by moun- 
tains. The houses are low; many of 
them of mud or earth. Excepting the 
motsellim's palace, these is scarcely a 
decent house in the place. The streets 
are narrow and dirty, and everything 
indicates poverty and degradation. We 
had a letter of introduction to Economo, 
the bishop's procurator, and a principal 
man among the Greeks of this town. . . 
He says, the Turks have destroyed all 
remnants of the ancient church ; and 
even the place where it stood is now 
unknown. At present, there are in the 
town one thousand houses, for which 
taxes are paid to the government." — 
Memoir of the Rev. P. Fish. Boston, 
Mass., 1828. 

The following description, by the Rev. 
Mr. Schneider, Missionary of the Ame- 
rican Board, will give a correct view of 
Thyatira, as it existed in 1848 : — 

"From Magnesia, we proceeded to 
Thyatira, the site of one of the Apoca- 
lyptic churches, now called Akhissar. 
The population consists of about seven 
hundred Mussulman houses, two hun- 
dred and fifty Greek, and fifty Armenian. 
The town is located in a plain of consi- 
derable size, and is hardly visible on be- 
ing approached, by reason of the pro- 
fusion of foliage. The plain itself is 
bounded on all sides by mountains, and 
cotton and a kind of reddish root [mad- 
der], used for dyeing red, are raised 
abundantly. I observed thai this root 
is extensively cultivated in all that re- 
gion, and forms an important article of 
export to England, where it is used for 
ctyeing purposes. In Acts xvi. 14, we 
read of Lydia, a seller of purple of the 
city of Thyatira. May not this root be 



102 



EEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



the very article with which her purple 
was colored, which she was selling at 
Philippi, when the Lord opened her 
heart to attend to the things spoken 
by Paul? It seems to me probable. 
But, if it was so, this art of coloring 
appears to have been lost, for I could 
not find that it is now at all practised 
in that place or that region. 

" The Christian traveller and mission- 
ary naturally looks for something inte- 
resting in a place where once existed a 
true church of Christ. But, alas ! how 
sadly is he disappointed ! The place 
presents an appearance in nothing dif- 
ferent from other Turkish towns. Every 
thing wears a Mussulman aspect. The 
houses, streets, dress, occupation, and 
language of the inhabitants, all indi- 
cate a predominating Turkish influence. 
Christianity exists there in name, but it 
is the bare name. Its spirit has long 
since fled. The Greeks, especially, seem 
to be peculiarly superstitious. I visited 
their church, and found it full of pic- 
tures and other marks of degenerate 



Christianity. A long string of these 
images, extending from one side of the 
church to the other, was suspended so 
low as to permit the worshipper to ap- 
proach and kiss them ; and so frequently 
had this adoration been bestowed on 
them, that all appeared soiled from the 
frequent contact of the lips. Over the 
entrance of the church, I observed a re- 
presentation of a grave old man, with a 
silvery beard, surrounded by angels. 
Suspecting the object designed to be 
shadowed forth, I inquired of a lad 
standing by, what that figure meant? 
He instantly replied, ' It is God/ I ob- 
served two similar representations of the 
Deity in the interior of the church. The 
church-yard is used as a burying-place j 
but only those, whose friends are able to 
pay for the privilege of entombing their 
dead there, can enjoy it. Candles are 
lighted at the heads of the graves in the 
night, and incense is often burned 
When the process of decay has pro- 
ceeded so far as to leave nothing bu* 
the bones, these are taken up and thrown 




THYATIRA. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER II. 



103 



18 And unto the angel of the 
church in Th/atira write ; These 
things saith the Son of God, who 
hath his eyes a like unto a flame of 
fire, and his feet are like fine brass ; 
a c. 1. 14, 15. 



into a sealed vault, over which a chapel is 
fitted up, in which mass is said over these 
relics of the dead for the benefit of their 
souls. A feeling of abhorrence came 
over me, as I stood in the place where 
such abominations are committed. 

" The Armenians are far less supersti- 
tious. Comparatively only a few pic- 
tures are to be seen in their church, and 
three or four individuals are more or less 
enlightened, and in an inquiring state of 
mind. We had a long interview with 
one of them, the teacher, and left some 
books with him. I am not without 
hopes, that a little gospel leaven has 
been deposited here, the effects of which 
will appear at some future day." — Miss. 
Herald, Feb. 1848. 

The annexed cut will give a represen- 
tation of this city as it now exists. 

18. And unto the angel of the church. 
See Notes on ch. i. 20. ^ These things 
saith the Son of God. This is the first 
time, in these epistles, that the name of 
the speaker is referred to. In each other 
instance, there is merely some attribute 
of the Saviour mentioned. Perhaps the 
severity of the rebuke contemplated here 
made it proper that there should be a 
more impressive reference to the autho- 
rity of the speaker; and hence, he is in- 
troduced as the " Son of God." It is not 
a reference to him as the " Son of man" 
— the common appellation which he gave 
to himself when on earth; — for that 
might have suggested his humanity only, 
and would not have conveyed the same 
impression in regard to his authority — 
but it is to himself as sustaining the 
rank, and having the authority of the 
Son of God — one who, therefore, has a 
right to speak, and a right to demand 
that what he says shall be heard. 
^[ Who hath his eyes like unto a flame 
of fire. Comp. Notes on ch. i. 14. Be- 
fore the glance of his eye all is light, 
and nothing can be concealed from his 
view. Nothing would be better fitted to 
inspire awe then, as nothing should be 
now, than such a reference to the Son 
of God as being able to penetrate the 



19 1 6 know thy works, and char 
rity, and service, and faith, and thy 
patience, and thy works; and the 
last to be more than the first. 

b ver. 2. 



secret recesses of the heart, And hU 
feet are like fine brass. See Notes on 
ch. i. 15. Perhaps indicative of majesty 
and glory as he walked in the midst of 
the churches. 

19. i" know thy works. See Notes on 
ch. ii. 2. He knew all they had done, 
good and bad. ^[ And charity. Love: — 
love to God, and love to man. There is 
no reason for restricting this word here 
to the comparatively narrow sense which 
it now bears. Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. 
xiii. 1. ^[ And service. Gr. ministry — 
6iaKovlav. The word would seem to in- 
clude all the service which the church 
had rendered in the cause of religion ; 
all which was the proper fruit of love, 
or which would be a carrying out of the 
principles of love to God and man. 

And faith. Or, fidelity in the cause 
of the Redeemer. The word here would 
include not only trust in Christ for sal- 
vation, but that which is the proper re- 
sult of such trust — fidelity in his service. 
^ And thy patience. Patient endurance 
of the sorrows of life, — of all that God 
brought upon them in any way, to test 
the reality of their religion, And thy 
works. Thy works as the fruit of the 
virtues just mentioned. The word is 
repeated here, from the first part of the 
verse, perhaps, to specify more particu- 
larly that their works had been recently 
more numerous and praiseworthy even 
than they had formerly been. In the 
beginning of the verse, as in the com- 
mencement of each of the epistles, the 
word is used, in the most general sense, 
to denote all that they had done ; mean- 
ing that he had so thorough an acquaint- 
ance with them in all respects, that he 
could judge of their character. In the 
latter part of the verse, the word seems 
to be used in a more specific sense, as 
referring to good works, and with a view 
to say that they had latterly abounded 
in these more than they had formerly. 
^[ And the last to be more than the first. 
Those which have been recently per- 
formed are more numerous, and mora 
commendable, than those which hav« 



104 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



20 Notwithstanding, I have a few 
things against thee, because thou 
sufferest that woman Jezebel, a which 
calleth herself a prophetess, to teach 

a IK. 16. 31. 



been rendered formerly. That is, they 
were making progress; they had been 
acting more and more in accordance 
with the nature and claims of the Chris- 
tian profession. This is a most honor- 
able commendation, and one which every 
Christian, and every church, should seek. 
Religion in the soul, and in a commu- 
nity, is designed to be progressive ; and, 
while we should seek to live in such a 
manner always that we may have the 
commendation of the Saviour, we should 
regard it as a thing to be greatly desired 
that we may be approved as making ad- 
vances in knowledge and holiness ; that 
as we grow in years we may grow alike 
in the disposition to do good, and in the 
ability to do it; that as we gain in ex- 
perience, we may also gain in a readiness 
to apply the results of our experience in 
promoting the cause of religion. He 
would deserve little commendation in 
religion, who should be merely station- 
ary; he alone properly developes the 
nature of true piety, nnd shows that it 
has set up its reign in the soul, who is 
constantly making advances. 

20. Notwithstanding, I have a feio 
things against thee. Comp. Notes on 
ver. 4. Because thou sufferest that 
woman Jezebel. Thou dost tolerate, or 
countenance her. Comp. Notes on ver. 
14. "Who the individual here referred to 
by the name Jezebel was, is not known. 
It is by no means probable that this was 
her real name, but it seems to have been 
given to her as expressive of her cha- 
racter and influence. Jezebel was the 
wife of Ahab — a woman of vast influ- 
ence over her husband, — an influence 
which was uniformly exerted for evil. 
She was a daughter of Ethbaal, king of 
Tyre and Sidon, and lived about 918 years 
before Christ. She was an idolater, and 
induced her weak husband not only to 
connive at her introducing the worship 
of her native idols, but to become an 
idolater himself, and to use all the 
means in his power to establish the 
worship of idols instead of the worship 
of the true God. She was highly gifted, 
persuasive, and artful; was resolute in 



and to seduce my servants to corn' 
mit fornication, antf to eat 1 things 
sacrificed, unto idols. 

b Ex. 34. 15. 1 Co. 10. 20, 28. 



the accomplishment of her purposes; 
ambitious of extending and perpetuating 
her power, and unscrupulous in the 
means which she employed to execute 
her designs. See 1 Kings xvi. 31, seq. 
The kind of character, therefore, which 
would be designated by the term as used 
here, would be, that of a woman who 
was artful and persuasive in her man- 
ner ; who was capable of exerting a wide 
influence over others ; who had talents 
of a high order; who was a thorough 
advocate of error; who was unscrupu- 
lous in the means which she employed 
for accomplishing her ends, and the 
tendency of whose influence was to lead 
the people into the abominable practices 
of idolatry. The opinions which she 
held, and the practices into which she 
led others, appear to have been the same 
which are referred to in ver. 6, and vs. 14, 
15, of this chapter. The difference was, 
that the teacher in this case was a wo- 
man — a cireun: stance which by no means 
lessened the enormity of the offence ; for, 
besides the fact that it was contrary to 
the whole genius of Christianity that a 
woman should be a public teacher, there 
was a special incongruity that she should 
be an advocate of such abominable opi- 
nions and practices. Every sentiment 
of our nature makes us feel that it is 
right to expect that if a woman teaches 
at all in a public manner, she should in- 
culcate only that which is true and holy 
— she should be an advocate of a pure 
life. We are shocked ; we feel that thera 
is a violation of every principle of oui 
nature, and an insult done to our com- 
mon humanity, if it is otherwise. We 
have in a manner become accustomed te 
the fact that man should be a teacher of 
pollution and error, so that we do noi 
shrink from it with horror; we never 
can be reconciled to the fact that a ivo- 
man should. ^[ Which calleth herself a 
prophetess. Many persons set up the 
claim to be prophets in the times when 
the gospel was first preached, and it is 
not improbable that many females would 
lay claim to such a character, after the 
example of Miriam,Deborah, Huldah, &c 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEE II. 



105 



21 And I gave her space a to re- 
pent of her fornication ; and she 
repented not. 6 

22 Behold, I c will cast her into 

aRo. 2. 4. 2Pe.3. 9. b c. 9. 20. 
c Eze. 16. 37 ; 23. 29. 



^ To teach and seduce my servants to 
commit fornication. Comp. ver. 14. 
Whether she herself practised what she 
taught, is not expressly affirmed, but 
seems to be implied in ver. 22. It is 
not often that persons teach these doc- 
trines without practising what they 
teach ; and the fact that they desire and 
design to live in this manner will com- 
monly account for the fact that they in- 
culcate such views, And to eat things 
sacrificed to idols. See Notes on ver. 14. 
The custom of attending on the festivals 
of idols led commonly to licentiousness, 
and they who were gross and sensual in 
their lives were fit subjects to be per- 
suaded to attend on idol feasts — for no- 
where else would they find more unli- 
mited toleration for the indulgence of 
their passions. 

21. And I gave her space to repent of 
her fornication. Probably after some 
direct and solemn warning of the evil 
of her course. The error and sin had 
been of long standing, but he now re- 
solved to bear with it no longer. It is 
true of almost every great sinner, that 
sufficient time is given for repentance, 
and that vengeance is delayed after 
crime is committed. But it cannot al- 
ways be deferred, for the period must 
arrive when no reason shall exist for 
longer delay, and when punishment must 
come upon the offender, And she re- 
pented not. As she did not do it; as 
she showed no disposition to abandon 
her course; as all plea of having had 
no time to repent would now be taken 
away, it was proper that he should rise 
in his anger, and cut her down. 

22. Behold, I will cast her into a led. 
Not into a bed of ease, but a bed of 
pain. There is evidently a purpose to 
contrast this with her former condition. 
The harlot's bed and a sick-bed are thus 
brought together, as they are often in 
fact in the dispensations of Providence 
and the righteous judgment of God. 
One cannot be indulged without lead- 
ing on, sooner or later, to the horrid 
sufferings of the ether: — and how 



a bed, and them that commit adul- 
tery with her into great tribulation, 
except they repent of their deeds. 
24 And I will kill d her children 

d c. 6. 8. 



soon, no one knows, And them that 
commit adultery with her. Those who 
are seduced by her doctrines into this 
sin ; either they who commit it with 
her literally, or who are led into the 
same kind of life. \ Unto great tri- 
bidation. Great suffering ; disease of 
body or tortures of the soul. How often 
— how almost uniformly is this the case 
with those who thus live ! Sooner or 
later, sorrow always comes upon the li- 
centious ; and God has evinced by some 
of his severest judgments, in forms of 
frightful disease, his displeasure at the 
violation of the laws of purity. There 
is no sin that produces a more withering 
and desolating effect upon the soul than 
that which is here referred to ; none which 
is more certain to be followed with sor- 
row. ^[ Except they repent of their deeds. 
It is only by repentance that we can 
avoid the consequences of sin. The 
word repent here evidently includes both 
sorrow for the past, and abandonment 
of the evil course of life. 

23. And I will kill her children icith 
death. A strong Hebraistic mode of ex- 
pression, meaning that he would cer- 
tainly destroy them. It has been made 
a question whether the word childrer. 
here is to be taken literally or figura- 
tively. The word itself would admit of 
either interpretation ; and there is no- 
thing in the connexion by which its 
meaning here can be determined. If it 
is to be taken literally, it is in accord- 
ance with what is often threatened in 
the Scriptures, that children shall be 
visited with calamity for the sins of pa- 
rents, and with what often occurs in 
fact, that they do thus suffer. For, it 
is no uncommon thing that whole fami- 
lies are made desolate on account of the 
sin and folly of the parent. See Notes 
on Rom. v. 19. If it is to be taken figu- 
ratively, then it refers to those who had 
imbibed her doctrines, and who, of course, 
would suffer in the punishment which 
would follow from the propagation of 
such doctrines. — The reference in the 
word " death"' here would seem to be to 



106 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A D. 96 



with death , and all the churches a 
shall know that I b am he which 
searcheth the reins and hearts ; and 
I c will give unto every one of you 
according to your works. 

a Zeph 1. 11. b 1. Ch. 28. 9 ; 2 Ch. 6. 30; 
Pb. 7. 9 ; Je. 17. 10. c Ps. 62. 12. 



some heavy judgment — by plague, fa- 
mine, or sword, by which they would be 
Cut off. ^[ And all the churches shall 
know, &c. That is, the design of this 
judgment will be so apparent, that it 
will convince all that I know what is in 
the hearts of men, even the secret acts 
of wickedness that are concealed from 
human view, / am he which searcheth 
the reins and hearts. This is clearly a 
claim to omniscience, and as it is the 
Lord Jesus who speaks in all these epis- 
tles, it is a full proof that he claims this 
for himself. There is nothing which 
more clearly appertains to God than the 
power of searching the heart, and no- 
thing that is more constantly claimed 
by him as his peculiar prerogative. 
1 Chron. xxviii. 9 ; Ps. vii. 9 ; xi. 4 ; 
xliv. 21 ; cxxxix. 2 ,* Prov. xv. 3 ; Jer. 
xi. 20 ; xvii. 10 ; xx. 12 ; xxxii. 19 ; 
Heb. iv. 13. — The word reins — ve<ppos — 
means, literally, the kidney, and is com- 
monly used in the plural, to denote the 
kidneys, or the loins. In the Scriptures, 
it is used to denote the inmost mind, the 
secrets of the soul — probably because 
the parts referred to by the word are as 
hidden as any other part of the frame, 
and would seem to be the repository of 
the more secret affections of the mind. 
It is not to be supposed that it is taught 
in the Scriptures that the reins are the 
real seat of any of the affections or pas- 
sions '; but there is no more impropriety 
in using the term in a popular significa- 
tion than there is in using the word 
heart, which all continue to use, to de- 
note the seat of love, And I will give 
unto every one of you according to your 
works. To every one of you ; not only 
to those wh: have embraced these opi- 
nions, but to all the church. This is the 
uniform rule laid down in the Bible, by 
which God will judge men. 

24. But unto you I say, and unto the 
rest in Thyatira. The word "and" — 
xal — is omitted in many MSS. and ver- 
sions, and in the critical editions of 
Griesbacb, Tittinann, and Hahn, and the 



24 But unto you I say, and unto 
the rest in Thyatira, as many as 
have not this doctrine, and which 
have not known the depths d of 
Satan, as they speak ; I will put 
upon you none other burden. 

d 2 Th. 2. 9-12, 



connexion demands that it should be 
omitted. As it stands in the received 
text, it would seem that what he here 
says was addressed to those who had 
received that doctrine, and to all others 
as well as to them ; whereas the decla- 
ration here made pertains manifestly to 
those who had not received the doctrine. 
With that particle omitted, the passage 
will read, as rendered by Prof. Stuart, 
" But I say unto you, the remainder in 
Thyatira, so many as hold not this doc- 
trine/' &c. That is, he addresses now 
all the members of the church who were 
not involved in the charges already 
made. He does not say how large a 
portion of the church had escaped 
the contaminating influence of those 
opinions, but to that portion, whether 
great or small, he addresses only words 
of exhortation and comfort, ^ As many 
as have not this doctrine. To all who 
have not embraced it, or been con- 
taminated with it. It may be presumed 
that there was a considerable portion of 
the church which had not. And which 
have not known the depths of Satan. 
The deep art and designs of Satan. 
Deep things are those which are hidden 
from view — as of things which are far 
under ground, and hence the word is 
used to denote mysteries, or profound 
designs and purposes. The allusion here 
is not to any trials or sufferings that 
Satan might bring upon any one, or to 
any temptations of which he might be 
the author, but to his profound art in 
inculcating error and leading men astray. 
There are doctrines of error, and argu- 
ments for sin, to originate which seems 
to lie beyond the power of men, and 
which would appear almost to have 
exhausted the talent of Satan himself. 
They evince such a profound knowledge 
of man ; of the divine government j of 
the course of events on earth; and of 
what our race needs, and they are 
defended with so much eloquence, skill, 
learning, and subtilty of argumentation, 
that they appear to lie beyond the com- 



A. D. 96.] CHAPTER II. 107 

25 But that a which ye have keepeth my works c unto the end, 
already hold fast till I come. to him will I give power over the 

26 And he that overcometh, b and nations : 

a c. 3. 11. b ver. 7, 11, 17. c. 3. 5, 12' c j n0> 6> 29. Ja. 2. 20. 

21; 21. 7. 



pass of the human powers, As they 
speak. This cannot mean that the 
defenders of these errors themselves 
called their doctrines "the depths of 
Satan," for no teachers would choose so 
to designate their opinions ; but it must 
mean, either that they who were opposed 
to those errors characterized them as 
" the depths of Satan," or that they who 
opposed them said that they had not 
known "the depths of Satan." — Prof. 
Stuart understands it in the latter sense. 
A somewhat more natural interpretation, 
it seems to me, however, is to refer it to 
what the opposers of these heretics said 
of these errors. They called them " the 
depths of Satan," and they professed not 
to have known any thing of them. The 
meaning perhaps would be expressed by 
the familiar words, " as they say," or as 
" they call them," in the following man- 
ner : — ' As many as have not known the 
depths of Satan, as they say/ or, 'to 
use their own language/ Doddridge 
paraphrases it, "As they proverbially 
speak." Tyndal encloses it in a paren- 
thesis. / will put upon you none 
other burden. That is, no other than 
that which you now experience from 
having these persons with you, and that 
which must attend the effort to purify 
the church. He had not approved their 
conduct for suffering these persons to 
remain in the church, and he threatens 
to punish all those who had become 
contaminated with these pernicious doc- 
trines. He evidently designed to say 
that there was some token of his dis- 
pleasure proper in the case, but he was 
not disposed to bring upon them any 
other expression of his displeasure than 
that which grew naturally and neces- 
sarily out of the fact that they had been 
tolerated among them, and those trou- 
bles and toils which must attend the 
effort to deliver the church from these 
errors. Under any circumstances the 
church must suffer. It would suffer in 
reputation. It would suffer in respect 
to its internal tranquillity. Perhaps 
also, these were those who were impli- 
cated in these errors, and who would be 



implicated in the punishment, who had 
friends and kindred in the church, and 
the judgments which were to come 
upon the advocates of these errors must, 
therefore, come in a measure upon the 
church. A kind Saviour says, that he 
would bring upon them no other, and no 
weightier burden, than must arise from 
his purpose to inflict appropriate ven- 
geance on the guilty themselves. The 
trouble which would grow out of that 
would be a sufficient expression of his 
displeasure. This is in fact often now 
all that is necessary as a punishment 
on a church for harboring the advocates 
of error and of sin. The church has 
trouble enough ultimately in getting rid 
of them; and the injury which such 
persons do to its piety, peace, and repu- 
tation, and the disorders of which they 
are the cause, constitute a sufficient 
punishment for having tolerated them 
in its bosom. Often the most severe 
punishment that God can bring upon 
men is, to " lay upon them no other 
burden" than to leave them to the 
inevitable consequences of their own 
folly, or to the trouble and vexation 
incident to the effort to free them- 
selves from what they had for a long 
time tolerated or practised. 

25. But that which ye have, &c. All 
that there is of truth and purity remain- 
ing among you, retain faithfully. Comp. 
ch. iii. 11. Till I come. To receive 
you to myself. John xiv. 3. 

26. And he that overcometh. Notes 
ch. ii. 7. 1f And keepeth my works unto 
the end. The works that I command 
and that I require, to the end of hib 
life. Comp. John xiii. 1. ^ To him will 
I give power over the nations. The evi- 
dent meaning of what is said here, and 
in the next verse, is, that in accordance 
with the uniform promise made to the 
redeemed in the New Testament, they 
would partake of the final triumph and 
glory of the Saviour, and be associated 
with him. It is not said that they 
would have exclusive power over the 
nations, or that they would hold offices 
of trust under him during a personal 



108 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



27 And a he shall rule them with 
a rod of iron ; as the vessels of a 
potter shall they be broken to 

a Ps.49. 14; 149. 5-9. 



reign on the earth, but the meaning is 
that they would be associated with him 
in his future glory. Comp. Notes on 
Rom. viii. 17 ; 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. 

27. And he shall rule them with a rod 
of iron. There is an allusion here to 
Ps. ii. 9 : " Thou shalt break them with 
a rod of iron ; thou shalt dash them in 
pieces like a potter's vessel." There is 
a slight change in the passage, " he 
shall rule," instead of " thou shalt 
break ;" in order to adapt the language to 
the purpose of the speaker here. The 
allusion in the Psalm is to the Messiah 
as reigning triumphant over the nations, 
or subduing them under him, and the 
idea here, as in the previous verse, is, 
that his redeemed people will be asso- 
ciated with him in this dominion. To 
rule with a sceptre of iron, is not to rule 
with a harsh and tyrannical sway, but 
with power that is firm and invincible. 
It denotes a government of strength, or 
one that cannot be successfully opposed; 
one in which the subjects are effectually 
subdued, % As the vessels of a potter 
shall they be broken to shivers. The 
image here is that of the vessel of a 
potter — a fragile vessel of clay — struck 
with a rod of iron, and broken into 
fragments. That is, as applied to the 
^nations, there would be no power to 
oppose his rule ; the enemies of his gov- 
ernment would be destroyed. Instead 
of remaining firm and compacted toge- 
ther, they would be broken like the 
clay vessel of a potter when struck with 
a rod of iron. The speaker does not 
intimate when this would be, but all that 
is said here would be applicable to that 
time when the Son of God will come to 
judge the world, and when his saints 
will be associated with him in his 
triumphs. As, in respect to all the 
others of the seven epistles to the 
churches, the rewards promised refer to 
heaven, and to the happy state of that 
blessed world, it would seem also that 
this should have a similar reference, for 
there is no reason why " to him that 
overcame" in Thyatira a temporal re- 
ward and triumph should be promised 



shivers : even as I * received of my 
Father. 

28 And I will give him the 
morning star. c 

b Ps. 2. 9. c c. 22. 16. 



more than in the cases of the others. 
If so, then this passage should not be 
adduced as having any reference to an 
imaginary personal reign of the Saviour 
and of the saints on the earth. *ft Even 
as I received of my Father. As he has 
appointed me. Ps. ii. 6-9. 

28. And 1 will give him the morning 
star. The " morning star" is that bright 
planet — Venus — which at some seasons 
of the year appears so beautifully in the 
east, leading on the morning — the har- 
binger of the day. It is one of the most 
beautiful objects in nature, and is sus- 
ceptible of a great variety of uses for 
illustration. It appears as the dark- 
ness passes away; it is an indication 
that the morning comes ; it is inter- 
mingled with the first rays of the light 
of the sun ; it seems to be a herald to 
announce the coming of that glorious 
luminary ; it is a pledge of the faithful- 
ness of God. In which of these senses, 
if any, it is referred to here, is not 
stated ; nor is it said what is implied by 
its being given to him that overcomes. 
It would seem to be used here to denote 
a bright and brilliant ornament ; some- 
thing with which he who " overcame" 
would be adorned, resembling the bright 
star of the morning. It is observable 
that it is not said that he would make 
him like the morning star, as in Dan. 
xii. 3 ; nor that he would be compared 
with the morning star, like the king of 
Babylon, Isa. xiv. 12 ; nor that he would 
resemble a star which Balaam says he 
saw in the distant future, Num. xxiv. 
17. The idea seems to be, that the 
Saviour would give him something that 
would resemble that morning planet in 
beauty and splendor — perhaps meaning 
that it would be placed as a gem in his 
diadem and would sparkle on his brow — 
bearing some such relation to him who 
is called " the Sun of Righteousness," as 
the morning star does to the glorious sun 
on his rising. If so, the meaning would 
be, that he would receive a beautiful 
ornament, bearing a near relation to the 
Redeemer himself as a bright sun — a 
pledge that the darkness was past — but 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAP TEE III. 



109 



29 He that hath an ear, let him 
hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches. 



one whose b'jams would melt away into 
the superior light of the Redeemer him- 
self, as the beams of the morning star 
are lost in the superior glory of the 
sun. 

29, He that hath an ear, &c. See 
Notes on ver. 7. 

CHAPTER III. 

THE EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH AT SARDIS. 

The contents of the epistle to the 
church at Sardis (vs. 1-6) are, (1) The 
usual salutation to the angel of the 
church, ver. 1. (2) The usual reference 
to the attributes of the Saviour — those 
referred to here being that he had the 
seven Spirits of God, and the seven 
stars, ver. 1. (3) The assurance that he 
knew their works, ver. 1. (4) The 
statement of the peculiarity of the 
church, or what he saw in it— that it 
had a name to live and was dead, ver. 1. 
(5) A solemn direction to the members 
of the church, arising from their cha- 
racter and circumstances, to be watch- 
ful, and to strengthen the things which 
remained, but which were ready to die ; 
to remember what they had received, 
and to hold fast that which had been 
communicated to them, and to repent 
of all their sins, vs. 2, 3. (6) A threat 
that if they did not do this, he would 
come suddenly upon them, at an hour 
which they could not anticipate, ver. 3. 
(7) A commendation of the church as 
far as it could be done, for there were 
still a few among them who had not 
denied their garments, and a promise 
that they should walk before him in 
white, ver. 4. (8) A promise, as usual, 
to him that should be victorious. The 
promiiB here is, that he should walk 
befora him in white ; that his name 
shouli not be blotted out of the book 
of life ; that he should be acknowledged 
before the Father, and before the 
angels, ver. 5. (9) The usual call on 
all persons to hear what the Spirit said 
to the churches. 

Sardis was the capital of the ancient 
kingdom of Lydia, one of the provinces 
of Asia Minor, and was situated at the 
foot of Mount Tmolus, in a fine plain 
watered by the river Pactolus, famous 
10 



CHAPTEE HI. 

AND unto 1 ne angel of the chu rch 
in Sardis write ; These thizigi? 



for its golden sands. It was the capital 
where the celebrated Croesus, proverbial 
for his wealth, reigned. It was taken 
by Cyrus (B. C. 548), when Croesus was 
king, and was at that time one of the 
most splendid and opulent cities of the 
East. It subsequently passed into tha 
hands of the Romans, and under them 
sank rapidly in wealth and importance. 
In the time of Tiberius it was destroyed 
by an earthquake, but was rebuilt by 
order of the emperor. The inhabitants 
of Sardis bore an ill repute among the 
ancients for their voluptuous modes of 
life. Perhaps there may be an allusion 
to this fact, in the words which are used 
in the address to the church there. 
"Thou hast a few names even in Sardis 
which have not defiled their garments." 
Successive earthquakes, and the ravages 
of the Saracens and the Turks, have 
reduced this once celebrated city to £» 
heap of ruins, though exhibiting still 
many remains of former splendor. The 
name of the village which now occupies 
the place of this ancient capital, is Sart. 
It is a miserable village, comprising 
only a few wretched cottages, occupied 
by Turks and Greeks. There are ruins 
of the theatre, the Stadium, and of some 
ancient churches. The most remarkable 
of the ruins are two pillars supposed to 
have belonged to the temple of Cybele, 
and, if so, they are among the most 
ancient in the world, the temple of 
Cybele having been built only three 
hundred years after that of Solomon. 
The Acropolis serves well to define the 
site of the city. Several travellers have 
recently visited the remains of Sardis, 
and its appearance will be indicated by 
a few extracts from their writings. 
Arundell, in his "Discoveries in Asin 
Minor," says, "If I were asked whafc 
impresses the mind most strongly in 
beholding Sardis, I should say, its in- 
describable solitude, like the darkness 
of Egypt, darkness that could be felt. 
So the deep solitude of the spot, once 
the ' lady of kingdoms/ produces a cor- 
responding feeling of desolate dbavAon - 
ment in the mind, which can never 
forgotten." 

The Rev, J. Hartley, in regard to 



no 



REVEL 



AT ION, 



[A. D. 96. 



these ruins, remarks — " The ruins are, 
with one exception, more entirely gone 
y> decay than those of most of the an- 
cient cities which we have visited. No 
Christians reside on the spot: two Greeks 
only work in a mill here, and a few 
wretched Turkish huts are scattered 
among tin ruins. We saw the churches 
of St. John and the Virgin, the theatre, 
ap.d the building styled the Palace of 
Croesus ; but the most striking object at 
Skrdis is the temple of Cybele. I was 
filled with wonder and awe at beholding 
the two stupendous columns of this edi- 
fice, Tthich are still remaining: they are 
silent but impressive witnesses of the 
power and splendor of antiquity." 

The impression produced on the mind, 
is vividly desscribed in the following 
language of a recent traveller, who 
lodged there for a night : — " Every ob- 
ject was as distinct as in a northern 
twilight; the snowy summit of the 
mountain [Tmolus],' the long sweep of 
the valley, and the flashing current of 
the river [Pactolus]. I strolled along 
towards the banks of the Pactolus, and 
seated myself by the side of the half- 
exhausted stream. 

" There are few individuals, who can- 
not trace on the map of their memory 



some moments of overpowering emotion, 
and some scene, which, once dwelt upon, 
has become its own painter, and left be- 
hind it a memorial that time could not 
efface. I can readily sympathize with 
the feelings of him who wept at the base 
of the pyramids ; nor were my own less 
powerful, on that night, when I sat be- 
neath the sky of Asia to gaze upon the 
ruins of Sardis, from the banks of the 
golden-sanded Pactolus. Beside me 
were the cliffs of the Acropolis, which, 
centuries before, the hardy Median 
scaled, while leading on the conquering 
Persians, whose tents had covered the 
very spot on which I was reclining. 
Before me were the vestiges of what 
had been the palace of the gorgeous 
Croesus; within its walls were once con- 
gregated the wisest of mankind, Thales, 
Cleobulus, and Solon. It was here that 
the wretched father mourned alone the 
mangled corse of his beloved Atys : it 
was here that the same humiliated mon- 
arch wept at the feet of the Persian boy, 
who wrung from him his kingdom. Far 
in the distance were the gigantic tumuli 
of the Lydian monarchs, Candaules, 
Halyattys, and Gyges; and around them 
were spread those very plains, once 
trodden by the countless hosts of Xerxes 




SARDIS 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER III. 



Ill 



saith he that hath the seven Spi- 
rits of God, and the seven stars ; 
I know * thy works, that thou hast 

a c. 5. 6. b c. 2. 2. &c. 



when hurrying on to find a sepulchre at 
Marathon. 

" There were more varied and more 
vivid remembrances associated with the 
sight of Sardis, than could possibly be 
attached to any other spot of earth ; but 
all were mingled with a feeling of dis- 
gust at the littleness of human glory; 
all — all had passed away ! There were 
before me the fanes of a dread religion, 
the tombs of forgotten monarchs, and 
the palm-tree that waved in the banquet- 
hall of kings ; while the feeling of deso- 
lation was doubly heightened by the 
calm sweet sky above me, which, in its 
unfading brightness, shone as purely 
now as when it beamed upon the golden 
dreams of Croesus." — Emerson 1 s Letters 
from the JEgean, p. 113 seq. 

The present appearance of the ruins 
is indicated by the preceding cut. 

1. And unto the angel of the church in 
Sardis. Notes on ch. i. 20. ^ These 
things saith he that hath the seven Spirits 
of God. See Notes on ch. i. 4. If the 
phrase, "the seven spirits of God," as 
there supposed, refers to the Holy Spirit, 
there is great propriety in saying of the 
Saviour, that he has that spirit, inasmuch 
as the Holy Spirit is represented as sent 
forth by him into the world. John xv. 
26, 27 ; xvi. 7, 13, 14. It was one of 
the highest characteristics that could be 
given of the Saviour, to say, that the 
Holy Ghost was his to send forth into 
the world, and that that great Agent, on 
whose gracious influences all were de- 
pendent for the possession of true reli- 
gion, could be given or withheld by him 
at hi* pleasure, And the seven stars. 
See Notes on ch. i. 16. These repre- 
sented the angels of the seven churches 
(Notes, ch. i. 20), and the idea which 
the Saviour would seem to intend to 
convey here is, that he had entire con- 
trol over the ministers of the churches, 
and could keep or remove them at plea- 
sure. / know thy works. See Notes 
on ch. ii. 2. \ That thou hast a name 
that thou livest. Thou dost profess at- 
tachment to me and my cause. The 
word life is a word that is commonly em- 
ployed, in the New Testament, to denote 



a name that thou livest, c and art 
dead. 

2 Be watchful, and strengthen* 

c 1 Ti. 5. 6. d c. 2. 4. 



religion, in contradistinction from the 
natural state of man, which is described 
as death in sin. By the profession of 
religion, they expressed the purpose to 
live unto God, and for another world; 
they professed to have true, spiritual 
life, And art dead. That is, spiritu- 
ally. This is equivalent to saying, that 
their profession was merely in name; 
and yet, this must be understood com- 
paratively, for there were some even in 
Sardis who truly lived unto God. Ver. 4. 
The meaning is, that, in general, the 
profession of religion among them was 
a mere name. The Saviour does not, 
as in the case of the churches of Ephe- 
sus and Thyatira, specify any prevailing 
form of error or false doctrine ; but it 
would seem that here it was a simple 
want of religion. 

2. Be watchful. Be wakeful; be at- 
tentive and earnest — in contradistinc- 
tion from the drowsy condition of the 
church. ^[ Strengthen the things which 
remain. The true piety that still lives 
and lingers among you. Whatever there 
was of religion among them, it was of 
importance to strengthen it, that the 
love of the Saviour might not become 
wholly extinct. An important duty in 
a low and languishing state of religion, 
is, to " strengthen the things that still 
survive." It is to cultivate all the graces 
which do exist; to nourish all the love 
of truth which may linger in the church; 
and to confirm, by warm exhortation, 
and by a reference to the gracious pro- 
mises of God's word, the few who may 
be endeavouring to do their duty, and 
who, amidst many discouragements, are 
aiming to be faithful to the Saviour. In 
the lowest state of religion in a church, 
there may be a few, perhaps quite ob- 
scure and of humble rank, who are mourn- 
ing over the desolations of Zion, and 
who are sighing for better times. All 
such it is the duty of the ministers of 
religion to comfort and encourage ; for, 
it is in their hearts that piety may be 
kept alive in the church ; it is through 
them that it may be hoped religion may 
yet be revived. In the apparent hope- 
lessness of doing much good to others, 



112 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



the tilings which remain, that are 
ready to die : for I have not found 
thy works perfect a before God. 

3 Remember b therefore how thou 
hast received and heard ; and hold 

a Da. 5. 27. b He. 2. 1. 



good may always be done to the cause 
itself by preserving and strengthening 
what there may be of life among those 
few, amidst the general desolation and 
death. It is much to preserve life in 
grain sown in a field through the long 
and dreary winter, when ail seems to be 
dead — for it will burst forth, with new 
life and beauty, in the spring. When 
the body is prostrate with disease, and 
life just lingers, and death seems to be 
coming on, it is much to preserve the 
little strength that remains ; much to 
keep the healthful parts from being in- 
vaded, that there may be strength yet 
to recover, That are ready to die. 
That seem just ready to become extinct. 
So, sometimes, in a plant, there seems 
to be but the least conceivable life re- 
maining, and it appears that it must 
die. So, when we are sick, there seems 
to be but the feeblest glimmering of life, 
and it is apparently just ready to go out. 
So, when a fire dies away, there seems 
but a spark remaining, and it is just 
ready to become extinct. And thus, in 
religion in the soul ; religion in a church ; 
religion in a community — it often seems 
as if it were just about to go out for 
ever. ^[ For I have not found thy works 
'perfect before God. I have not found 
them complete or full. They come short 
of that which is required. Of what 
church, of what individual Christian, is 
not this true? Whom might not the 
Saviour approach with the same lan- 
guage? It was true, however, in a 
marked and eminent sense, of the 
church at Sardis. 

3. Remember, therefore, how thou hast 
received. This may refer either to some 
peculiarity in the manner in which the 
gospel was conveyed to them — as, by 
the labors of the apostles, and by the re- 
markable effusions of the Holy Spirit; 
cr to the ardor and love with which they 
embraced it; or to the greatness of the 
favors and privileges conferred on them ; 
or to their own understanding of what 
the gospel required, wh/an they were con- 
verted. It is not possible to d.^ermine 



fast, and repent. 6 If therefore thou 
shalt not watch, I will coine on 
thee as a thief, d and thou shalt not 
know what hour I will come upon 
thee. 

c ver. 19. d c. 16. 15. 



in which sense the language is used, 
but the general idea is plain, that thers 
was something marked and unusual in 
the way in which they had been led to 
embrace the gospel, and that it was 
highly proper in these circumstances to 
look back to the days when they gave 
themselves to Christ. — It is always well 
for Christians to call to remembrance 
the " day of their espousals," and their, 
views and feelings when they gave their 
hearts to the Saviour, and to compare 
those views with their present condition, 
especially if their conversion was marked 
by any thing unusual, And heard. 
How thou didst hear the gospel in for- 
mer times; that is, with what earnest- 
ness and attention thou didst embrace 
it. This would rather seem to imply that 
the reference in the whole passage is to 
the fact that they embraced the gospel 
with great ardor and zeal, f And hold 
fast. (1) Hold fast the truths which 
thou didst then receive : (2) hold fast 
what remains of true religion among 
you. And repent. Repent in regard 
to all that in which you have departed 
from your views and feelings when you 
embraced the gospel, If therefore thou 
shalt not watch. The speaker evidently 
supposed that it was possible that they 
would not regard the warning; that they 
would presume that they would be safe 
if they refused to give heed to it, or that 
by mere inattention and indifference they 
might suffer the warning to pass by un- 
heeded. Similar results have been so 
common in the world as to make such 
a supposition not improbable, and to 
make proper, in other cases as well as 
that, the solemn threatening that he 
would come suddenly upon them, % 1 
will come on thee as a thief. In a sud- 
den and unexpected manner. See Notes 
on 1 Thess. v. 2. ^ And ye shall not 
know what hour I will come upon thee. 
You shall not know beforehand; you 
shall have uo warning of my immediate 
approach. This is often the why in 
which God comes to men in his heavy 
judgments. Long beforehand, he admo- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EK III. 



113 



4 Thou hast a few names even 
in Sardis which have not denied 
their garments ; and they shall walk 
with me in white ; a for they are 
worthy. 

a c. 7. 9; 19. 8 



nishes us, indeed, of what must be the 
consequences of a course of sin, and 
warns us to turn from it ; but when sin- 
ners refuse to attend to his warning, and 
6till walk in the way of evil, he comes 
suddenly, and cuts them down. Every 
man who is warned of the evil of his 
course, and who refuses or neglects to 
repent, has reason to believe that God 
will come suddenly in his wrath, and 
call him to his bar. Prov. xxix. 1. No 
such man can presume on impunity ; no 
one who is warned of his guilt and dan- 
ger can feel that he is for one moment 
safe. No one can have any basis of cal- 
culation that he will be spared ; no one 
can natter himself with any probable 
anticipation that he will have time to 
repent when God comes to take him 
away. Benevolence has done its appro- 
priate work in warning him ; — how can 
the Great Judge of all be to blame, if he 
comes then, and suddenly cuts the sin- 
ner off? 

4. Thou hast a few names even in Sar- 
dis. See the Analysis of the chap- 
ter. The word names here is equivalent 
to persons, and the idea is, that even 
in a place so depraved, and where reli- 
gion had so much declined, there were 
a few persons who had kept themselves 
free from the general contamination. In 
most cases where error and sin prevail, 
there may be found a few who are worthy 
of the divine commendation ; a few who 
show that true religion may exist even 
when the mass are evil. Comp. Notes 
on Rom. xi. 4. \ Which have not de- 
filed their garments. Comp. Notes on 
Jude 23. The meaning is, that they had 
not defiled themselves by coming in con- 
tact with the profane and the polluted ; 
or, in other words, they had kept them- 
selves free from the prevailing corrup- 
tion. They were like persons clothed 
in white walking in the midst of the de- 
filed, yet keeping their raiment from be- 
ing soiled. ^[ And they shall walk with 
me in white. White is the emblem of 
innocence, and is hence appropriately 
represented as the color of the raiment 

id* 



5 He that overeoineth, the same 
shall be clothed in white raiment ; 
and I will not blot out his name 
out of the 6 book of life, but I will 

b c. 17. 8. 



of the heavenly inhabitants. The per- 
sons here referred to had kept their gar- 
ments uncontaminated on the earth, and 
as an appropriate reward, it is said that 
they would appear in white raiment in 
heaven. Comp. ch. vii. 9 : xix. 8. ^[ For 
they are worthy. They have shown them- 
selves worthy to be regarded as follow- 
ers of the Lamb ; or, they have a cha- 
racter that is fitted for heaven. The 
declaration is not that they have any 
claim to heaven on the ground of their 
own merit, or that it will be in virtue 
of their own works that they will be re- 
ceived there ; but that there is a fitness 
or propriety that they should thus ap- 
pear in heaven. We are all personally 
unworthy to be admitted to heaven, but 
we may evince such a character as to 
show that, according to the arrange- 
ments of grace, it is fit and proper that 
we should be received there. We have 
the character to which God has promised 
eternal life. 

5. He that overcometh. See Notes on 
ch. ii. 7: % The same shall he clothed in 
white raiment. Whosoever he may bo 
that shall overcome sin and the tempta- 
tions of this world, shall be admitted to 
this glorious reward. The promise is 
made not only to those in Sardis who 
should be victorious, but to all in every 
age and every land. The hope that is 
thus held out before us, is that of ap- 
pearing with the Redeemer in his king- 
dom, clad in robes expressive of holi- 
ness and joy. *[ And I will not blot out 
his name out of the booh of life. The 
book which contains the names of those 
who are to live with him for ever. The 
names of his people are thus represented 
as enrolled in a book which he keeps — 
a register of those who are to live for- 
ever. The phrase "book of life" fre- 
quently occurs in the Bible, representing 
this idea. See Notes on Phil. iv. 3. 
Comp. Rev. xv. 3; xx. 12, 15; xxi. 27; 
xxii. 19. The expression "I will not 
blot out" means, that the names would 
be found there on the great day of final 
account, and would be found there for- 



114 

confess a his name before my Father, 
and before his angels. 

a Lu. 12. 8. 



ever. It may be remarked, that as no 
one can have access to that book but he 
who keeps it, there is the most positive 
assurance that it will never be done, and 
the salvation of the redeemed will be, 
therefore, secure. And let it be remem- 
bered that the period is coming when it 
will be felt to be a higher honor to have 
the name enrolled in that book than in the 
books of heraldry — in the most splendid 
catalogue of princes, poets, warriors, 
nobles, or statesmen, that the world has 
produced, But I will confess his name, 
&c. I will acknowledge him to be my 
follower. See Notes on Matt. x. 32. 

6. He that hath an ear, &c, See Notes 
on ch. ii. 7. 

THE EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH IN 
PHILADELPHIA. 

This epistle (vs. 7-13) comprises the 
following subjects : — (1) The usual ad r 
dress to the angel of the church, ver. 7. 

(2) The reference to some attribute, or 
characteristic of the speaker, ver. 7. He 
here addresses the church as one who is 
holy and true, as he who has the key of 
David, and who can shut, and no one 
can open, and open, and no one can 
shut. ^ The representation is that of 
one who occupies a royal palace, and 
who can admit or exclude any one whom 
he pleases. The reference to such a 
palace is continued through the epistle. 

(3) The usual declaration that he knows 
their works, and that he has found that 
they had strength, though but a little, 
and had kept his word, ver. 8. (4) A 
declaration that he would constrain some 
who professed that they were Jews, but 
who were of the synagogue of Satan, to 
come and humble themselves before 
them, ver. 9. (5) The particular pro- 
mise to that church. He would keep 
them in the hour of temptation that was 
coming to try all that dwelt upon the 
earth, ver. 10. (6) The command ad- 
dressed to them as to the other churches. 
He solemnly enjoins it on them to see 
that no one should take their crown, or 
deprive them of the reward which he 
would give to his faithful followers, ver. 
11. (7j A general promise, in view of 



[A. D. 96, 

6 He that hath an ear, let him 
hear what the SjiIl i saith unto the 
churches. 



the circumstances in PLiladelphia, to all 
who should overcome, ver. 12. They 
would be made a pillar in the temple of 
God, and go no more oat. They would 
have written on themselves the name of 
his God, and the name of the holy city 
— showing that they were inhabitants 
of the heavenly world. (8) The usual 
call on all to attend to what was said to 
the churches, ver. 13. 

Philadelphia stood about twenty -five 
miles southeast from Sardis, in the 
plain of Hermus, and about midway be- 
tween the river of that name and the 
termination of Mount Tmolus. It was 
the second city in Lydia, and was built 
by king Attains Philadelphus, from whom 
it received its name. In the year 133, 
B. C, the place passed, with the country 
in the vicinity, under the dominion of 
the Romans. The site is reported by 
Strabo to be liable to earthquakes, but 
it continued to be a place of importance 
down to the Byzantine age ; and, of all 
the towns in Asia Minor, it withstood 
the Turks the longest. It was taken by 
Bajazat, A. D. 1392. "It still exists as 
a Turkish town, under the name of Al- 
lah Shehr, < City of God/ i. e., the 'High 
Town/ It covers a considerable extent 
of ground, running up the slopes of four 
hills, or rather of one hill, with four flat 
summits. The country as viewed from 
these hills is extremely magnificent — 
gardens and vineyards lying at the back 
and sides of the town, and before it one 
of the most beautiful and extensive 
plains of Asia. The missionaries, Fisk 
and Parsons were informed by the Greek 
bishop, that the town contained 3000 
houses, of which he assigned 250 to the 
Greeks, and the rest to the Turks. On 
the same authority, it is stated that 
there are five churches in the town, be- 
sides twenty others which were too old 
or too small for use. Six minarets, in- 
dicating as many mosques, are seen in 
the town, and one of these mosques is 
believed by the native Christians to 
have been the church in which assem- 
bled the primitive Christians addressed 
in the Apocalypse. There are few ruins; 
but in one part are four pillars, which 
are supposed to have been columns of a 



REVELATION, 



A D. 96.] 



CHAPTER III. 



115 



7 And to the angel of the church 
in Philadelphia write ; These things 



church. One solitary pillar has been 
often noticed, as reminding beholders 
of the remarkable words in the Apoca- 
lypse, 'Him that overcometh will I 
make a pillar in the temple of my 
God/" — Kitto's Ency. See, also, the 
Missionary Herald for 1821, p. 253; 



saith he that is holy, a he that is 

a Ac. 3. 14. 



1839, pp. 210-212. The town is the 
seat of a Greek Archbishop, with about 
twenty inferior clergy. The streets are 
narrow, and are described as remark- 
ably filthy. The annexed cut will give 
a representation of the town as it now 
appears. 



PHILADELPHIA. 



7. And to the angel of the church in 
Philadelphia, See Notes on ch. i. 20. 
% These things saith he that is holy. 
This refers undoubtedly to the Lord 
Jesus. The appellation holy, or the 
holy one, is one that befits him, and is 
not unfrequently given to him in the 
New Testament. Luke i. 35 ; Acts i. 
27, iii. 14. It is not only an appellation 
appropriate to the Saviour, but* well 
adapted to be employed when he is 
addressing the churches. Our impres- 
sion of what is said to us will often 
depend much on our idea of the charac- 
ter of him who addresses us, and solem- 
nity and thoughtfulness always become 
us when we are addressed by a holy 
Redeemer, f He that is true. Another 
characteristic of the Saviour well-fitted 



to be referred to when he addresses 
men. It is a characteristic often ascribed 
to him in the New Testament (John. i. 
9, 14, 17 ; viii. 40, 45 ; xiv. 6 ; xviii. 37; 
1 John v. 20), and one which is emi- 
nently adapted to impress the mind with 
solemn thought in view of the fact that 
he is to pronounce on our character, and 
to determine our destiny. ^ Be that 
hath the hey of David. This expression 
is manifestly taken from Isa. xxii. 22, 
"And the key of the house of Davi^ 
will I lay upon his shoulder." See the 
passage explained in the Notes on that 
place. As used by Isaiah, the phrase 
is applied to Eliakim, and it is not to he 
inferred that because the language hen- 
is applied to the Lord Jesus, that origin 
ally it had any such reference. " Tha 



116 



ATION. 



[A. D 96. 



true, a he that hath the key b of 
David, he that openeth, and no man 
shutteth ; and shutteth, c and no 
man openeth ; 

a 1 Jno. 5. 20. h Is. 22. 22. c Job. 12. 14. 



application of the same terms," says 
Prof. Alexander on Isa. xxii. 22, " to 
Peter (Matt. xvi. 19), and to Christ 
himself (Rev. iii. 7) does not prove that 
they here refer to either, or that Eliakim 
was a type of Christ, but merely that 
the same words admit of different appli- 
cations." The language is that which 
properly denotes authority or control — 
as when one has the key of a house, and 
has unlimited access to it,* and the 
meaning here is, that, as David is repre- 
sented as the king of Israel residing in 
a palace, so he who had the key to that 
palace had regal authority, He that 
openeth, and ?io man shutteth, &c. He 
has free and unrestrained access to the 
house ; the power of admitting any one, 
or of excluding any one. Applied here 
to the Saviour, as king in Zion, this 
means that in his kingdom he has the 
absolute control in regard to the ad- 
mission or exclusion of any one. He 
can prescribe the terms ; he can invite 
whom he chooses ; he can exclude 
those whom he judges should not be 
admitted. A reference to this absolute 
control was every way proper when he 
was addressing a church, and is every 
way proper for us to reflect on when we 
think of the subject of our personal 
salvation. 

8. I know thy works. See Notes on 
ch. ii. 2. Behold I have set before 
thee an open door. Referring to his 
authority as stated in ver. 7. The 
"open door" here evidently refers to 
the enjoyment of some privilege or 
honor, and so far as the language is 
concerned, it may refer to any one of 
the following things, either (1) the 
ability to do good — represented as the 
" opening of the door." Comp. Acts 
xiv. 27; 1 Cor. xvi. 9 ; 2 Cor. ii. 12; 
Col. iv. 3. (2) The privilege of access 
to the heavenly palace; that is, that 
they had an abundant opportunity of 
securing their salvation, the door being 
never closed against them by day or 
by night. Comp. Rev. xxi. 25. Or, 
(3) it may mean that they had before 
them an open way of egress from dan- 



8 I know thy works-, behold, I 
have set before thee an open d door, 
and no man can shut it : for thou 
hast a little strength, and hast kept 
d l Co. 16. 19. 



ger and persecution. This latter, Prof. 
Stuart supposes to be the true meaning, 
and argues this because it is immedi- 
ately specified that those Jewish perse- 
cutors would be made to humble them- 
selves, and that the church would but 
lightly experience the troubles which 
were coming upon the world around 
them. But the more natural interpre- 
tation of the phrase " an open door," is 
that it refers to access to a thing rather 
than egress from a thing ; that we may 
come to that which we desire to ap- 
proach, rather than escape from that 
which we dread. There is no objection, 
it seems to me, to the supposition that 
the language may be used here in the 
largest sense — as denoting that, in re- 
gard to the church at Philadelphia, there 
was no restraint. He had given them 
the most unlimited privileges. The 
temple of salvation was thrown open to 
them; the celestial city was accessible; 
the whole world was before them as a 
field of usefulness, and any where, and 
every where, they might do good, and at 
all times they might have access to the 
kingdom of God. And no man can 
shut it. No one has the power of pre- 
venting this, for he who has control 
over all things, concedes these privi- 
leges to you. \ For thou hast a little 
strength. This would imply that they 
had not great vigor, but still that, not- 
withstanding there were so many ob- 
stacles to their doing good, and so many 
temptations to evil, there still remained 
with them some degree of energy. 
They were not wholly dead; and, as 
long as that was the case, the door was 
still open for them to do good. The 
words " little strength" may refer either 
to the smallness of the number — mean- 
ing that they were few ; or it may refer 
to the spiritual life and energy of the 
church — meaning that, though feeble, 
their vital energy was not wholly gone. 
The more natural interpretation seems 
to be to refer it to the latter; and the 
sense is, that although they had not 
the highest degree of energy, or had 
not all that the Saviour desired they 



A.. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER III. 



]17 



my word, and hast not denied my 
name. 

9 Behold, I will make them of 
the synagogue of Satan, which say° 
they are J ews, and are not, but do 
lie ; behold, I will make them to 

a c. 2. 9. 



should have, they were not wholly dead. 
The Saviour saw among them the evi- 
dences of spiritual life, and in view of 
that he says he had set before them an 
open door, and there was abundant 
opportunity to employ all the energy 
and zeal which they had. It may be 
remarked that the same thing is true 
now, that wherever there is any vitality 
in a church the Saviour will furnish 
ample opportunity that it may be em- 
ployed in his service. % And hast not 
denied my name. Wheat Christians were 
brought before heathen magistrates in 
times of persecution, they were required 
to renounce the name of Christ, and to 
disown him in a public manner. It is 
possible that, amidst the persecutions 
that raged in the early times, the mem- 
bers of the church at Philadelphia had 
been summoned to such a trial, and they 
had stood the trial firmly. It would 
seem from the following verse, that the 
efforts which had been made to induce 
them to renounce the name of Christ 
had been made by those who professed 
to be Jews, though they evinced the 
epirit of Satan. If so, then the attempt 
was probably to convince them that 
Jesus was not the Christ. This attempt 
would be made in all places where 
there were Jews. 

9. Behold I will make. Greek, " I 
give" — dib^/xi — that is, I will arrange 
matters so that this shall occur. The 
word implies that he had power to do 
this, and consequently proves that he 
has power over the heart of man, and 
can secure such a result as he chooses. 

Them of the Synagogue of Satan, 
which say that they are Jews. "Who 
profess to be Jews, but are really of the 
synagogue of Satan. See Notes on ch. 
ii. 9. The meaning is, that, though they 
were of Jewish extraction, and boasted 
much of being Jews, yet they were 
really under the influence of Satan, and 
their assemblages deserved to be called 
his " synagogue." And are not, but 
io lie. It is a false profession alto- 



come * and worship before thy feet, 
and to know that I have loved 
thee. 

10 Because thou hast kept the 
word of my patience, I c also will 



b Is. eo. u. 



! Pe. 2. 9. 



gether. Comp. Notes on 1 John i. 6. 
«[ Behold I will make them to come and 
worship before thy feet. The word ren- 
dered worship here, means properly to 
fall prostrate, and then to do homage, 
or to worship in the proper sense, as this 
was commonly done by falling prostrate. 
See Notes on Matt, ii.' 2. So far as the 
word is concerned, it may refer either to 
spiritual homage, that is, the worship 
of God; or it may mean respect as 
shown to superiors. If it is used here 
in the sense of divine worship properly 
so called, it means that they would be 
constrained to come and worship the 
Redeemer " before them," or in their 
very presence; if it is used in the mora 
general signification, it means that they 
would be constrained to show them 
honor and respect. The latter is the 
probable meaning; thc.t is, that they 
would be constrained to acknowledge 
that they were the children of God, or 
that God regarded them with his favor. 
It does not mean necessarily that they 
would themselves be converted to Christ, 
but that, as they had been accustomed 
to revile and oppose those who were 
true Christians, they would be con- 
strained to come and render them the 
respect due to those who were sincerely 
endeavoring to serve their Maker. The 
truth taught here is, that it is in the 
power of the Lord Jesus so to turn the 
hearts of all the enemies of religion 
that they shall be brought to show 
respect to it; so to incline the minds of 
all people that they shall honor the 
church, or be at least outwardly its 
friends. Such homage the world shall 
yet be constrained to pay to it. And 
to know that I have loved thee. This ex- 
plains what he had just said, and shows 
that he means that the enemies of his 
church will yet be constrained to ac- 
knowledge that it enjoys the smiles of 
God, and that instead of being perse- 
cuted and reviled, it should be respected 
and loved. 

10. Because thou hast kept the \^ord 



118 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 95. 



keep thee from the hour of tempta- 
tion, which shall come upon all the 
world, to try them that dwell upon 
the earth. 

11 Behold, T come ° quickly : b 

a Zep. 1. 14:. b ver. 3. 

of my patience. My word commanding 
or enjoining patience ; that is, thou hast 
manifested the patience which I require. 
They had shown this in the trials which 
they had experienced; he promises now 
that in return he will keep them in the 
future trials that shall come upon the 
world. One of the highest rewards of 
patience in one trial is the grace that 
God gives us to bear another. The fact 
that we have been patient and submissive 
may be regarded as proof that he will 
give us grace that we may be patient 
and submissive in the trials that are to 
come. God does not leave those who 
have shown that they will not leave him. 

/ also will keep thee. That is, I will 
so keep you that you shall not sink 
under the trials which will prove a severe 
temptation to many. This does not 
mean that they would be actually kept 
from calamity of all kinds, but that they 
would be kept from the temptation to 
apostacy in calamity. He would give 
them grace to bear up under trials with 
a Christian spirit, and in such a manner 
that their salvation should not be 
endangered, From the hour of temp- 
tation. The season; the time; the 
period of temptation. You shall be so 
kept that that which will prove to be a 
time of temptation to so many shall not 
endanger your salvation. Though others 
fall, you shall not ; though you may be 
afflicted with others, yet you shall have 
grace to sustain you. Which shall 
come upon all the world. The phrase 
here used — i( all the world" — may either 
denote the whole world; or the whole 
Roman empire; or a large district of 
country; or the land of Judea. See 
Notes on Luke ii. 1. Here, perhaps, all 
that is implied is, that the trial would be 
very extensive or general — so much so 
as to embrace the world as the word was 
understood by those to whom the epistle 
was addressed. It need not be supposed 
that the whole world literally was in- 
cluded in it, or even all the Roman 
empire, but what was the world to them 
— the region which Ihey would embrace 
In that term. If there were some far- 



hold that fast which thou hast, thai 
no man take thy crown. 

12 Him that overcometh will I 
make a pillar in the temple of my 
God ; and he shall go no more out : 
and I will write upon him the nam8 

spreading calamity in the country where 
they resided, it would probably be all 
that would be fairly embraced in the 
meaning of the word. It is not known 
to what trial the speaker refers. It may 
have been some form of persecution, or 
it may have been some calamity by dis- 
ease, earth quake, or famine that was to 
occur. Tacitus (see Wetstein, in loc.) 
mentions an earthquake that sank twelve 
cities in Asia Minor in one night, by 
which, among others, Philadelphia was 
deeply affected, and it is possible that 
there may have been reference here to 
that overwhelming calamity. But no • 
thing can be determined with certainty 
in regard to this, To try them that 
dwell upon the earth. To test their 
character. It would rather seem from 
this that the affliction was some form of 
persecution as adapted to test the fidelity 
of those who were affected by it. The per- 
secutions in the Roman empire would fur- 
nish abundant occasions for such a trial. 

11. Behold I come quickly. That is, 
in the trials referred to. Comp. Notes 
on ch. i. 1, 11, 16. % Hold that fast 
which thou hast. That is, whatever of 
truth and piety you now possess. See 
Notes on ver. 3. ^ That no man take 
thy crown. The crown of life appointed 
for all who are true believers. See 
Notes on 2 Tim. iv. 8. The truth which 
is taught here is, that by negligence or 
unfaithfulness in duty, we may be de- 
prived of the glory which we might have 
obtained if we had been faithful to our 
God and Saviour. We need to be on 
our constant guard, that, in a world of 
temptation, where the enemies of truth 
abound, we may not be robbed of the 
crown that we might have worn for 
ever. Comp. Notes on 2 John 8. 

12. Him that overcometh. See Notes 
on ch. ii. 7. Will 1 make a pillar in 
the temple of my God. See the intro- 
ductory remarks to this epistle. The 
promised reward of faithfulness here is, 
that he who was victorious would be 
honored as if he were a pillar or column 
in the temple of God. Such a pillar or 
column was partly for ornament, and 



A.. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER III. 



II? 



of my God, and the name of the 
city of my God, loMch is New* 

a c. 21. 2, 10. 

partly for support, and the idea here is, 
that in that temple he would contribute 
to its beauty and the justness of its pro- 
portions, and would at the same time be 
honored as if he were a pillar which was 
necessary for the support of the temple. 
It is not uncommon in the New Testa- 
ment to represent the church as a 
temple, and Christians as parts of it. 
See 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17; vi. 19 ; 2 Cor. vi. 
16; 1 Pet. ii. 5. % And he shall go no 
more out. He shall be permanent as a 
part of that spiritual temple. The idea 
of "going out" does not properly belong 
to a pillar, but the speaker here has in 
his mind the man though represented as 
a column. The description of some 
parts would be applicable more directly 
to a pillar ; in others more properly to a 
man. Comp. John vi. 37 ; x. 28, 29 ; 
1 John ii. 19, for an illustration of the 
sentiment here. The main truth here is, 
that if we reach heaven, our happiness 
will be secure forever. We shall have 
the most absolute certainty that the 
welfare of the soul will no more be 
perilled ; that we shall never be in dan- 
ger of falling into temptation ; that no 
artful foe shall ever have power to 
alienate our affections from God; that 
we shall never die. Though we may 
change our place, and may roam from 
world to world, till we shall have sur- 
veyed all the wonders of creation, yet 
we shall never " go out of the temple of 
God." Comp. Notes on John xiv. 2. 
When we reach the heavenly world, our 
conflicts will be over ; our doubts at an 
end. As soon as we cross the threshold, 
we shall be greeted with the assurance, 
"he shall go no more out forever." 
That is to be our eternal abode, and 
whatever of joy or felicity or glory that 
bright world can furnish, is to be ours. 
Happy moment when, emerging from a 
world of danger and of doubt, the soul 
shall settle down into the calmness and 
peace of that state where there is the 
assurance of God himself that that 
world of bliss is to be its eternal abode. 

And I will write upon him the name of 
my God. Considered as a pillar or 
column in the temple. The name of 
God would be conspicuously recorded 
on it to show that he belonged to God. 



Jerusalem, which cometh down out 
of heaven from my God : and / will 
write upon Mm my new name. 



The allusion is to a public edifice on the 
columns of which the names of dis- 
tinguished and honored persons wero 
recorded; that is, where there was a 
public testimonial of the respect in 
which one whose name was thus re- 
corded was held. The honor thus con- 
ferred on him " who should overcome," 
would be as great as if the name of that 
God whom he served, and whose favor 
and friendship he enjoyed, were inscribed 
on him in some conspicuous manner. 
The meaning is, that he would be known 
and recognized as belonging to God ; the 
God of the Redeemer himself — indicated 
by the phrase " the name of my God." 
f And the name of the city of my God. 
That is, indicating that he belongs to 
that city, or that the New Jerusalem is 
the city of his habitation. The idea 
would seem to be, that in this world, and 
in all worlds wherever he goes and 
wherever he abides, he will be recog- 
nized as belonging to that holy city ; as 
enjoying the rights and immunities of 
such a citizen, Which is New Jeru- 
salem. Jerusalem was the place where 
the temple was reared, and where the 
worship of God was celebrated. It thus 
came to be synonymous with the church 
— the dwelling-place of God on earth. 

Which cometh down out of heaven 
from my God. See this explained in 
the Notes on ch. xxi. 2, seq. Of course, 
this must be a figurative representation, 
but the idea is plain. It is (1) that the 
church is, in accordance with settled 
Scripture language, represented as a city 
— the abode of God on earth. (2; That 
this, instead of being built here, or 
having an earthly origin, has its origin 
in heaven. It is as if it had been con- 
structed there, and then sent down to 
earth ready formed. The type, the 
form, the whole structure is heavenly. 
It is a departure from all proper law3 of 
interpretation to explain this literally, 
as if a city should be actually let down 
from heaven ; and equally so to infer 
from this passage and the others of 
similar import in this book, that a city 
will be literally reared for the residence 
of the saints. If the passage proves 
any thing on either of th3se points, ii 
is, that a great and splendid city, sucb 



120 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D, 96, 



13 He that hath an ear, let him 
V>aT what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches. 

as that described in ch. xxi. will literally 
rcme down from heaven. But who can 
believe that? Such an interpretation, 
however, is by no means necessary. 
The comparison of the church with a 
beautiful city, and the fact that it has 
its origin in heaven, is all that is fairly 
implied in the passage, And I will 
write upon him my new name. See 
Notes on ch. ii. 17. The reward, there- 
fore, promised here is, that he who by 
persevering fidelity showed that he was a 
real friend of the Saviour, would be hon- 
ored with a permanent abode in the holy 
city of his habitation. In the church 
redeemed and triumphant he would have 
a, perpetual dwelling, and wherever he 
should be, there would be given him sure 
pledges that he belonged to him, and was 
recognized as a citizen of the heavenly 
world. To no higher honor could any 
man aspire ; and yet that is an honor to 
which the most humble and lowly may 
attain by faith in the Son of God. 

THE EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH AT 
LAODICEA. 

The contents of the epistle to the 
church at Laodicea (vs. 14-22), are as 
follows : (1) The usual salutation to the 
angel of the church, ver. 14. (2) The 
reference to the attributes of the speaker 
— tho one here referred to being that he 
was the "Amen," "the faithful and true 
witness," and "the beginning of the 
creation of God," ver. 14. (3) The claim 
that he knew all thejr works, ver. 15. 
(4) The characteristic of the church : it 
was "lukewarm" — "neither cold nor 
hot," ver. 15. (5) The punishment 
threatened, that he would "spue them 
out of his mouth," ver. 16. (6) A so- 
lemn reproof of their self-confidence, of 
thei? ignorance of themselves, and of 
thei/ pride, when they were in fact poor, 
and blind, and naked; and a solemn 
counsel to them to apply to him for 
those things which would make them 
truly rich — which would cover up the 
shame of their nakedness, and which 
would give them clear spiritual vision, 
vs. 17, 18. (7) A command to repent, 
in view of the fact that he rebukes and 
chastens those whom he loves. (8) An 
assurance that an opportunity is still 



14 And unto the angel of the 
church a of the Laodiceans write ; 

a Or, in Laodicea. 

offered for repentance, represented by 
his standing at the door and praying for 
admittance, ver. 20. (9) A promise to him 
that should be victorious — in this case 
that he should sit down with him on his 
throne, ver. 21; and (10) the usual call 
on those who had ears to hear, to attend 
to what the Spirit said to the churches. 

Laodicea was situated in the southern 
part of Phrygia, near the junction of the 
small rivers Asopus and Carpus, on a 
plain washed at its edges by each. It 
was about forty miles from Ephesus, and 
not far from Colosse and Hierapolis. In 
the time of Strabo it was a large city, 
but the frequency of earthquakes, to 
which this district has been always 
liable, demolished, long since, a large 
part of the city, and destroyed many of 
the inhabitants, and the place was aban- 
doned, and now lies in ruins. It is now 
a deserted place, called by the Turks 
Eski-hissar, or Old Castle. From its 
ruins, which are numerous, consisting 
of the remains of temples, theatres, cbc, 
it seems to have been situated on six or 
seven hills, taking up a large space of 
ground. The whole rising ground on 
which the city stood is one vast tumulus 
of ruins, abandoned entirely to the owl 
and the fox. Col. Leake says, " There 
are few ancient sites more likely than 
Laodicea to preserve many curious re- 
mains of antiquity beneath the surface 
of the soil ; its opulence, and the earth- 
quakes to which it was subject, render- 
ing it probable that valuable works of 
art were there buried beneath the ruins 
of the public and private edifices." The 
neighboring village contains some fifty 
or sixty people, among whom, on a visit 
of a recent traveller there, there were 
but two nominal Christians. " The name 
of Christianity," says Emerson (p. 101), 
"is forgotten, and the only sounds that 
disturb the silence of its desertion are 
the tones of the Muezzin, whose voice 
from the distant village (Eski-hissar) 
proclaims the ascendency of Mohammed. 
Laodicea is even more solitary than 
Ephesus; for the latter has the prospect 
of the rolling sea, or of a whitening sail 
to enliven its decay ; while the former 
sits in widowed loneliness, its walls are 
grass-grown, its temples desolate, ifcg 



A. £>. 96.] 



CHAPTER IJI. 



12j 



These things saith the Amen, • the 

a Is. 65. 16. 

very name has perished." A thunder- 
storm gathered on the mountains at a 
distance while this traveller was exam- 
ining the ruins of Laodicea. He returned 
to Eski-hissar, and waited until the fury 
of the storm had abated, but set off on 
his journey again befcre it had entirely 
ceased to blow and to rain. "We pre- 
ferred," says he, "hastening on, to a 
farther delay in that melancholy spot, 
where everything whispered desolation, 
and where the very wind that swept im- 



faithful and true Witness, the be- 
ginning of the creation of God : 

petuously through the valley, sounded 
like the fiendish laugh of time exulting 
over the destruction of man and hig 
proudest monuments." See Prof. Stuart, 
vol. ii. pp. 44, 45; Kitto's Ency. ; Smith's 
Journey to the Seven Churches, 1671 : 
Leake, Arundell, Hartley, McFarlane, 
Pocoke, &c. 

The following cut, from McFarlane's 
" Seven Apocalyptic Churches," will 
furnish a representation of the ruins of 
Laodicea. 





LAODICEA. 



14. And unto the angel of the church 
of the Laodicean s , write. See Notes on 
ch. i. 20. ^ These things saith the 
Amen. Referring, as is the case in 
every epistle, to some attribute of the 
speaker adapted to impress their minds, 
or to give peculiar force to what he was 
about to say to that particular church. 
Laodicea was characterized by luke- 
warmness, and the reference to the fact 
that he who was about to address them 
was the "Amen" — that is, was charac- 
terized by the simple earnestness and 
sincerity denoted by that word — was 
eminently fitted to make an impression 
ojs tha minds of such a people. The 

n 



word amen means true, certain, faith- 
ful; and, as used here, it means that 
he to whom it is applied is eminently 
true and faithful. What he affirms is 
true ; what he promises or threatens is 
certain. Himself characterized by sin- 
cerity and truth (Notes on 2 Cor. i. 20), 
he can look with approbation only on 
the same thing in others : and hence he 
looks with displeasure on the lukewarm- 
ness which, from its very nature, always 
approximates insincerity. This was an 
attribute, therefore, every way appro-, 
priate to be referred to in addressing a 
lukewarm church, The fait hful and 
true Witness. This is presenting t&a 



122 



RJFVELATIOJS, 



[A. 1>. 9fS 



15 I know thy works, that thou 

a IK. 18. 21. 



idea implied in the word amen in a more 
complete form, but substantially the 
same thing is referred to. He is a wit- 
ness for God and his truth, and he can 
approve of nothing which the God of 
truth would not approve. See Notes on 
ch. i. 5. ^ The beginning of the creation 
of God. This expression is a very im- 
portant one in regard to the rank and 
dignity of the Saviour, and, like all si- 
milar expressions respecting him, its 
meaning has been much controverted. 
Comp. Notes on Col. i. 15. The phrase 
here used is susceptible, properly, of 
only one of the following significations, 
viz. : either (a) that he was the beginning 
of the creation in the sense that he 
caused the universe to begin to exist, 
that is, that he was the author of all 
things ; or (b) that he was the first cre- 
ated being; or (c) that he holds the pri- 
macy over all, and is at the head of the 
universe. It is not necessary to exam- 
ine any other proposed interpretations, 
for the only other senses supposed to be 
conveyed by the words, that he is the 
beginning of the creation in the sense 
that he rose from the dead as the first- 
fruits of them that sleep, or that he is 
the head of the spiritual creation of God, 
are so foreign to the natural meaning of 
the words as to need no special refuta- 
tion. As to the three significations sug- 
gested above, it may be observed, that 
the first one — that he is the author of 
the creation, and in that sense the oe- 
ginning, though expressing a scriptural 
doctrine (John i. 3 ; Epla. iii. 9 ; Col. i. 
16), is not in accordance with the proper 
meaning of the word here used— apxfi* 
The word properly refers to the com- 
mencement of a thing, not its authorship, 
and denotes properly primacy in time, 
and primacy in rank, but not primacy 
in the sense of causing anything to ex- 
ist. The two ideas which run through 
the word as it is used in the New Testa- 
ment are those just suggested. For the 
former — primacy in regard to time — that 
is properly the commencement of a thing, 
see the following passages where the 
word occurs, Matt. xix. 4, 8, xxiv. 8, 21 ; 
Mark i. 1, x. 6, xiii. 8, 19 ; Luke i. 2 ; 
John 1 1, 2, ii. 11, vi. 64, viii. 25, 44, xv. 
17, xvi. 4; Acts xi. 15; 1 John i. 1, ii. 7, 
13, 14, 24, iii. 8, 11 ; 2 John 5, 6. For 
tho lattsr signification, primacy of rank, 



art neither cold nor hot: J would 
° thou wert cold or hot. 

or authority, see the following places, 
Luke xii. 11, xx. 20 ; Rom. viii. 38 , 1 
Cor. xv. 24; Eph. i. 21, iii. 10, vi. 12; 
Col. i. 16, 18, ii. 10, 15; Tit. iii. 1. The 
word is not, therefore, found in the sense 
of authorship, as denoting that one is 
the beginning of anything in the sense 
that he caused it to have an existence, 
As to the second of the signification sug- 
gested, that it means that he was the 
first created being, it may be observed 
(a) that this i3 not a necessary significa- 
tion of the phrase, since no one can show 
that this is the only proper meaning 
which could be given to the words, and 
therefore the phrase cannot be adduced 
to prove that he is himself a created 
being. If it were demonstrated from 
other sources that Christ was, in fact, a 
created being, and the first that God had 
made, it cannot be denied that this 
language would appropriately express 
that fact. But it cannot be made out 
from the mere use of the language here ; 
and as the language is susceptible of 
other interpretations, it cannot be em- 
ployed to prove that Christ is a cheated 
being, (b) Such an interpretation would 
be at variance with all those passages 
which speak of him as uncreated and 
eternal; which ascribe divine attributes 
to him ; which speak of him as himself 
the Creator of all things. Comp. John 
i. 1-3; Col. i. 1&; Heb. i. 2, 6, 8, 10-12. 
The third signification, therefore, re- 
mains, that he is " the beginning of the 
creation of God," in the sense that he is 
the head or prince of the creation ; that 
is, that he presides over it so far as the 
purposes of redemption are to be accom- 
plished, and so far as is necessary for 
those purposes. This is (a) in accord- 
ance with the meaning of the word, 
Luke xii. 11, xx. 20, et al, ut supra, and 
(6) in accordance with the uniform state- 
ments respecting the Redeemer, that 
"all power is given unto him in heaven 
and in earth" (Matt, xxviii. 18) ; that 
God has "given him power over all 
flesh" (John xvii. 2) ; that all things are 
"put under his feet" (Heb. ii. 8; 1 Cor. 
xv. 27); that he is exalted over all 
things, Eph. i. 20-22. Having chis ranK, 
it was proper that he should speak with 
authority to the church at Laodicea. 

15. I kno w thy works. Notes, ch. ii. 2. 
f That thou art neither cold nor hat, Th? 



A. D. 96 J 



CHAPT 



ER III. 



123 



word cold here would seem to denote the 
state where there was no pretension to 
religion ; where every thing was utterly 
lifeless and dead. The language is ob- 
viously figurative, but it is such as is 
often employed, when we speak of one 
as being cold towards another, as having 
a cold or icy heart, &c. The word hot 
would denote, of course, the opposite — 
warm and zealous in their love and ser- 
vice. The very words that we are con- 
strained to use when speaking on this 
subject — such words as ardent (i. e. hot, 
or burning) ; fervid (i. e. very hot, burn- 
ing, boiling), show how necessary it is 
to use such words, and how common it 
is. The state indicated here, therefore, 
would be that in which there was a pro- 
fession of religion, but no warm-hearted 
piety ; in which there was not, on the 
one hand, open and honest opposition 
to him, and, on the other, such warm- 
hearted and honest love as he had a 
right to look for among his professed 
friends ; in which there was a profession 
of that religion which ought to warm the 
heart with love, and fill the soul with 
zeal in the cause of the Redeemer ; but 
where the only result, in fact, was dead- 
ness and indifference to him and his 
cause. Among those who made no pro- 
fession, he had reason to expect nothing 
but coldness ; among those who made a 
profession, he had a right to expect the 
glow of a warm affection, but he found 
nothing but indifference, I would thou 
wert cold or hot. That is, I would prefer 
either of those states to that which now 
exists. Any thing better than this con- 
dition, where love is professed, but where 
it does not exist; where vows have been 
assumed which are not fulfilled. Why 
he would prefer that they should be 
" hot," is clear enough ; but why would 
he prefer a state of utter coldness — a 
state where there was no profession of 
real love ? To this question the follow- 
ing answers may be given : — (1) Such a 
state of open and professed coldness or 
indifference is more honest. There is no 
disguise; no concealment; no pretence. 
We know where one in this state "may 
be found f we know with whom we are 
dealing ; we know what to expect. Sad 
as the state is, it is at least honest; and 
we are so made, that we all prefer such 
a character to one where professions are 
ira.de which are never to be realized — to 
a state of insincerity and hypocrisy. (2) 



Such a state is more honorable. It is 
a more elevated condition of mind, and 
marks a higher character. Of a man 
who is false to his engagements; who 
makes professions and promises never 
to be realized, we can make nothing. 
There is essential meanness in such a 
character, and there is nothing in it 
which we can respect. But, in the cha- 
racter of the man who is openly and 
avowedly opposed to any thing; who 
takes his stand, and is earnest and zeal- 
ous in his course, though it be wrong, 
there are traits which may be, under 
a better direction, elements of true 
greatness and magnanimity. In the 
character of Saul of Tarsus, there were 
always the elements of true greatness; 
in that of Judas Iscariot, there were 
never. The one was capable of becoming 
one of the noblest men that bus ever 
lived on the earth ; the other, even un- 
der the personal teaching of the Re- 
deemer for years, was nothing but a 
traitor — a man of essential meanness. 
(3) There is more hope of conversion 
and salvation in such a case. There 
could always have been a ground of 
hope that Saul would be converted and 
saved, even when ""breathing out threat- 
ening and slaughter;" of Judas, when 
numbered among the professed disciples 
of the Saviour, there was no hope. The 
most hopeless of all persons, in regard 
to salvation, are those who are members 
of the church without any true religion ; 
who have made a profession without any 
evidence of personal piety; who are 
content with a % name to live. This is 
so, because (ji) The essential character 
of any one who will allow himself to do 
this, is eminently unfavorable to true 
religion. There is a lack of that thorough 
honesty and sincerity which is so neces- 
sary- for true conversion to God. He 
who is content to profess to be what he 
really is not, is not a man on whom the 
truths of Christianity are likely to make 
an impression, (b) Such a man never 
applies the truth to himself. Truth that 
is addressed to impenitent sinners, he 
does not apply to himself, of course, for 
he does not rank himself in that class 
of persons. Truths addressed to hypo- 
crites, he will not apply to himself, for 
no one, however insincere and hollow 
he may be, chooses to act on the pre- 
sumption that he is himself a hypocrite, 
or so as to leave others to suppose that 



124 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



16 So then because thou art luke- 
warm, and neither cold nor hot, I 
will spue thee out of my mouth. 



he regards himself as such. The means 
of grace adapted to save a sinner, as 
such, he will not use, for he is in the 
church, and chooses to regard himself 
ds safe. Efforts made to reclaim him 
he will resist, for he will regard it as 
proof of a meddlesome spirit, and an un- 
charitable judging in others, if they con- 
sider him to be any thing different from 
what he professes to be. What right 
have they to go bach of his profession, 
and assume that he is insincere ? As a 
consequence, there are probably fewer 
persons by far converted of those who 
come into the church without any reli- 
gion, than of any other class of persons 
of similar number, and the most hopeless 
of all conditions, in respect to conversion 
and salvation, is when one enters the 
church deceived, (c) It may be pre- 
sumed that, for these reasons, God him- 
self will make less direct effort to con- 
vert and save such persons. As there 
are fewer appeals that can be brought 
to bear on them ; as there is less in their 
character that is noble and that can be 
depended on in promoting the salvation 
of a soul; and as there is special guilt 
in hypocrisy, it may be presumed that 
God will more frequently leave such 
persons to their chosen course, than he 
will those who make no professions of 
religion. Comp. Ps. cix. 17, IS; Jer. 
vii 16 ; xi. 14 ; xiv. 11 ; Isa. i. 15 ; Hos. 
iv. 17. 

16. So then because thou art lukewarm 
— I will spue thee out of my mouth. Re- 
ferring, perhaps, to the well-known fact 
that tepid water tends to produce sick- 
ness at the stomach and an inclination 
to vomit. The image is intensely strong, 
and denotes deep disgust and loathing 
at the indifference which prevailed in 
the church at Laodicea. The idea is, 
that they would be utterly rejected and 
cast off as a church : — a threatening of 
which there has been an abundant ful- 
filment in subsequent times. It may 
be remarked, also, that what was threat- 
ened to that church may be expected to 
occur to all churches, if they are in the 
same condition, and that all professing 
Christians, and Christian churches, that 



17 Because thou sayest, I a am 
rich, and increased with goods, 

a Hos. 12. 8. 



are lukewarm, have special reason to 
dread the indignation of the Saviour. 

17. Because thou sayest, I am rich. 
So far as the language here is concerned, 
this may refer either to riches literally, 
or to spiritual riches ; that is, to a boast 
of having religion enough. Prcf. Stuart 
supposes that it refers to the former, and 
so do Wetetein, Vitringa, and others. 
Doddridge, Rosenmuller, and others, un- 
derstand it in the latter sense. There it 
no doubt that there was much wealth in 
Laodicea, and that, as a people, they 
prided themselves on their riches. See 
the authorities in Wetstein, on Col. ii. 1, 
and Vitringa, p. 160. It is not easy to 
determine xchich is the true sense ; but 
may it not have been that there was an 
allusion to both, and that, in every re- 
spect, they boasted that they had enough ? 
May it not have been so much the cha- 
racteristic of that people to boast of their 
wealth, that they carried the spirit into 
every thing, and manifested it even in 
regard to religion ? Is it not true, that 
they who have much of this world's 
goods, when they make a profession of 
religion, are very apt to suppose that 
they are well off in every thing, and to 
feel self-complacent and happy? And 
is not the possession of much wealth by 
an individual Christian, or a Christian 
church, likely to produce just the luke- 
warmness which it is said existed in the 
church at Laodicea ? If we thus under- 
stand it, there will be an accordance 
with the well-known fact that Laodicea 
was distinguished for its riches, and, at 
the same time, with another fact, so 
common as to be almost universal, that 
the possession of great wealth tends to 
make a professed Christian self-compla- 
cent and satisfied in every respect; to 
make him feel that, although he may 
not have much religion, yet he is on the 
whole well off; and to produce, in reli- 
gion, a state of just such lukewarmness 
as the Saviour here says was loathsome 
and odious. ^[ And increased with goods, 
— 7T cnX6vKtjKa, " I am enriched." This is 
only a more emphatic and intensive way 
of saying the same thing. It has no 
reference to the kind of riches referred 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER 111. 



125 



and have need of nothing; and 
knowest not that thou art wretched, 

to, but merely denotes the confident 
manner in which they affirmed that they 
were rich. ^[ And have need of nothing. 
Still an emphatic and intensive way of 
saying that they were rich. In all re- 
spects, their wants were satisfied; they 
had enough of every thing. They felt, 
therefore, no stimulus to effort ; they sat 
down in contentment, self-complacency, 
and indifference. It is almost unavoid- 
able that those who are rich in this 
world's goods should feel that they have 
need of nothing. There is no more com- 
mon illusion among men than the feel- 
ing that if one has wealth, he has every 
thing ; that there is no want of his na- 
ture which cannot be satisfied with that ; 
and that he may now sit down in con- 
tentment and ease. Hence the almost 
universal desire to he rich ; hence the 
common feeling among those who are 
rich that there is no occasion for solici- 
tude or care for any thing else. Comp. 
Luke xii. 19. *[[ And hnowest not. There 
is no just impression in regard to the 
real poverty and wretchedness of your 
condition, % That thou art wretched. 
The word wretched we now use to de- 
note the actual consciousness of being 
miserable, as applicable to one who is 
sunk into deep distress or affliction-. The 
word here, however, refers rather to the 
condition itself than to the consciousness 
of that condition, for it is said that they 
did not know it. Their state was, in 
fact, a miserable state, and was fitted to 
produce actual distress if they had had 
any just sense of it, though they thought 
that it was otherwise, And miserable. 
This word has, with us now, a similar 
signification ; but the term here used — 
IXeeivdg — rather means a pitiable state 
than one actually felt to be so. The 
meaning is, that their condition was one 
that was fitted to excite pity or compas- 
sion.; not that they were actually mise- 
rable. Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. xv. 19. 
*H And poor. Notwithstanding all their 
boast of having enough. They really 
had not that which was necessary to 
meet the actual wants of their nature, 
and, therefore, they were poor. Their 
worldly property could not meet the 
wants of their souls ; and, with all their 
pretensions to piety, they had not reli- 
gion enough to meet the necessities of 
U * 



and miserable, and poor, and blind, 
and naked : 



their nature when calamities should 
come, or when death should approach ; 
and they were, therefore, in the strictest 
sense of the term, poor, And blind. 
That is, in a spiritual respect. They 
did not see the reality of their condition; 
they had no just views of themselves, 
of the character of God, of the way of 
salvation. This seems to be said in 
connection with the boast which they 
made in their own minds — that they had 
every thing ; that they wanted nothing. 
One of the great blessings of life is clear- 
ness of vision, and their boast that they 
had every thing must have included 
that; but the speaker here says that 
they lacked that indispensable thing to 
completeness of character and to full 
enjoyment. With all their boasting, they 
were actually blind, — and how could one 
who was in that state say that he " had 
need of nothing?" And naked. Of 
course, spiritually. Salvation is often 
represented as a garment (Matt. xxii. 
11, 12; Rev. vi. 11; vii. 9, 13, 14), and 
the declaration here is equivalent to say- 
ing that they had no religion. They 
had nothing to cover the nakedness of 
the soul, and in respect to the real 
wants of their nature they were like 
one who had no clothing in reference to 
cold, and heat, and storms, and to the 
shame of nakedness. How could such 
an one be regarded as rich? — We may- 
learn from this instructive verse, (1) 
That men may think themselves to be 
rich, and yet, in fact, be miserably poor. 
They may have the wealth of this world 
in abundance, and yet have nothing that 
really will meet their wants in disap- 
pointment, bereavement, sickness, death ; 
the wants of the never-dying soul; their 
wants in eternity. What had the " rich 
fool," as he is commonly termed, in the 
parable, when he came to die? Luke 
xii. 16, seq. What had " Dives," as he 
is commonly termed, to meet the wants 
of his nature when he went down to 
hell? Luke xvi. 19, seq. (2) Men may 
have much property, and think that they 
have all they want, and yet be wretched. 
In the sense that their condition is a 
wretched condition, this is always true , 
and in the sense that they are consciously 
wretched, this may be and often is true 
also. (3) Men may have great property, 



126 



KEVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



18 I counsel thee to buy ° of me 
gold tried in the fire, that thou 
mayest be rich ; and white raiment, 
that thou mayest be clothed, and 
a Is. 55. 1. 



and yet be miserable. This is true in 
the sense that their condition is a piti- 
able one, and in the sense that they are 
actually unhappy. There is no more 
pitiable condition than that where one 
has great property, and is self-compla- 
cent and proud, and who has neverthe- 
less no God, no Saviour, no hope of 
heaven, and who perhaps that very day 
may " lift up his eyes in hell, being in 
torments and, it need not be added, that 
there is no greater actual misery in this 
world than that which sometimes finds 
its way into the palaces of the rich. He 
greatly errs, who thinks that misery is 
confined to the cottages of the poor. 
(4) Men may be rich, and think they 
have all that they want, and yet be 
blind to their condition. They really 
have no distinct vision of any thing. 
They have no just views of God, of 
themselves, of their duty, of this world, 
or of the next. In most important re- 
spects, they are in a worse condition 
than the inmates of an asylum for the 
blind, for they may have clear views 
of God and of heaven. Mental darkness 
is a greater calamity than the loss of 
natural vision; and there is many an 
one who is surrounded by all that afflu- 
ence can give, who never yet had one 
correct view of his own character, of his 
God, or of the reality of his condition, 
and whose condition might have been 
far better if he had actually been born 
blind. (5) There may be gorgeous robes 
of adorning, and yet real nakedness. 
With all the decorations that wealth can 
impart, there may be a nakedness of the 
soul as real as that of the body would be 
if, without a rag to cover it, it were 
exposed to cold, and storm, and shame. 
The soul, destitute of the robes of salva- 
tion, is in a worse condition than the 
body without raiment : — for, how can it 
bear the storms of wrath that shall beat 
upon it forever, and the shame of its 
exposure in the last dread day ? 

18. / counsel thee to buy of me gold 
tried in the fire. Pure gold; such as 
has been subjected to the action of heat 
to purify it from dross. See Notes on 



that the shame of thy nakedness 4 
do not appear; and anoint thine 
eyes with eye-salve, that thou may 
est see. 

b c. 16. 15. 



1 Peter i. 7. Gold here is emblematic 
of religion — as being the most precious 
of the metals, and the most valued by 
men. They professed to be rich, but 
were not; and he counsels them to ob- 
tain from him that which would make 
them truly rich, That thou mayest be 
rich. In the true and proper sense of 
the word. With true religion; with 
the favor and friendship of the Re- 
deemer, they would have all that they 
really needed, and would never be in 
want, And white raiment. The em- 
blem of purity and salvation. See Notes 
on ver. 4. This is said in reference to 
the fact (ver. 17) that they were then 
naked. \ That thou mayest be clothed. 
With the garments of salvation. This 
refers, also, to true religion, meaning 
that that which the Redeemer furnishes 
will answer the same purpose in respect 
to the soul which clothing does in refer- 
ence to the body. Of course, it cannot 
be understood literally, nor should the 
language be pressed too closely, as if 
there was too strict a resemblance. 
*jj And that the shame of thy nakedness 
do not appear. We clothe the body as 
well for decency as for protection against 
cold, and storm, and heat. The soul is to 
be clothed that the " shame" of its sin- 
fulness may not be exhibited, and that 
it may not be offensive and repellant in 
the sight, And anoint thine eyes with 
eye-salve. In allusion to the fact that 
they were blind, ver. 17. The word eye- 
salve — KoWovpiov, occurs nowhere else in 
the New Testament. It is a diminutive 
from icoWvpa — collyra, a coarse bread or 
cake, and means properly a small cake 
or cracknel. It is applied to eye-salve 
as resembling such a cake, and refers to 
a medicament prepared for sore or weak 
eyes. It was compounded of various 
substances supposed to have a healing 
quality. See Wetstein in toe. The re- 
ference here is to a spiritual healing, — 
meaning that, in respect to their spiri- 
tual vision, what he would furnish would 
produce the same effect as the collyrium 
or eye-salve would in diseased eyes. 
The idea is, that the grace of the gospel 



A. D. 96.] 



CI1APT 



EE III. 



127 



19 As a many as I love, I rebuke 
and chasten: be zealous therefore, 
and repent. 

20 Behold, I stand at the door, 

a He. 12. 5, 6. 



enables men who were before blind to 
see clearly the character of God, the 
beauty of the way of salvation, the 
loveliness of the person and of work of 
Christ, &c. See Notes on Eph. i. 18. 

19. As many as Hove, 1 rebuke and 
chasten. Of course, only on the suppo- 
sition that they deserve it. The mean- 
ing is, that it is a proof of love on his 
part, if his professed friends go astray, 
to recall them by admonitions and by 
trials. So a father calls back his chil- 
dren who are disobedient, and there is 
no higher proof of his love than when, 
with great pain to himself, he adminis- 
ters such chastisement as shall save his 
child. See the sentiment here expressed 
fully explained in the Notes on Heb. 
xii. 6, seq. The language is taken from 
Prov. iii. 12. \ Be zealous, therefore, 
and repent. Be earnest, strenuous, 
ardent in your purpose to exercise true 
repentance, and to turn from the error 
of your ways. Lose no time ; spare no 
labor, that you may obtain such a state 
of mind that it shall not be necessary to 
bring upon you the severe discipline 
which always comes on those who con- 
tinue lukewarm in religion. — The truth 
taught here is, that when the professed 
followers of Christ have become luke- 
warm in his service, they should lose no 
time in returning to him, and seeking 
his favor again. As sure as he has any 
true love for them, if this is not done, 
he will bring upon them some heavy 
calamity, alike to rebuke them for their 
errors, and to recover them to himself. 

20. Beliold I stand at the door and 
knock. Intimating that, though they 
had erred, the way of repentance and 
hope was not closed against them. He 
was still willing to be gracious, though 
their eonduct had been such as to be 
loathsome, ver. 16. To see the real 
force of this language, we must remem- 
ber how disgusting and offensive their 
eonduct had been to him. And yet he 
was willing, notwithstanding this, to 
receive them to his favor; nay more, 
he stood and plead with them that he 
might be received with the hospitality 



and knock: b If c any man hear my 
voice, and open the door, I will coma 
in to him, and will sup with him, 
and he with me. 

&Ca. 5. 2. Lu.12. 36. c Jno. 14. 23. 



that would be shown to a friend or 
stranger. The language here is so plain 
that it scarcely needs explanation. It 
is taken from an act when we approach 
a dwelling, and, by a well-understood 
sign — knocking — announce our presence, 
and ask for admission. The act of 
knocking implies two things: (a) that 
we desire admittance ; and (b) that we 
recognize the right of him who dwells 
in the house to open the door to us or 
not as he shall please. We would not 
obtrude upon him ,• we would not force 
his door ; and if, after we are sure that 
we are heard, we are not admitted, we 
turn quietly away. Both of these things 
are implied here by the language used 
by the Saviour when he approaches man 
as represented under the image of 
knocking at the door : — that he desires 
to be admitted to our friendship; and 
that he recognizes our freedom in the 
matter. He does not obtrude himself 
upon us, nor does he employ force to 
find admission to the heart. If admitted, 
he comes and dwells with us; if reject- 
ed, he turns quietly away — perhaps to 
return and knock again ; perhaps never 
to come back. The language here used, 
also, may be understood as applicable to 
all persons, and to all the methods by 
which the Saviour seeks to come into 
the heart of a sinner. It would properly 
refer to any thing which would announce 
his presence: — his word; his Spirit; the 
solemn events of his Providence; the 
invitations of his gospel. In these, and 
in other methods he comes to man, 
and the manner in which these invita- 
tions ought to be estimated, would be 
seen by supposing that he came to us 
personally and solicited our friendship, 
and proposed to be our Redeemer. It 
may be added here, that this expression 
proves that the attempt at reconciliation 
begins with the Saviour. It is not that 
the sinner goes out to meet him, or to 
seek for him ; it is that the Saviour pre- 
sents himself at the door of the heart as 
if he were desirous to enjoy the friend- 
ship of man. This is in accordance with 
the uniform language of the New Testa- 



128 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



21 To him that overcometh a will 

alJno. 5.4,5. c. 12. 11. 



merit, that " God so loved the world as 
to give his only-begotten Son;" that 
u Christ came to seek and to save the 
lost;" that the Saviour says, "Come unto 
me, all ye that labor and are heavy- 
laden," &c. Salvation, in the Scriptures, 
is never represented as originated by man. 
^ If any man hear my voice. Perhaps 
referring to a custom then prevailing, 
that he who knocked spake, in order to 
let it be known who it was. Thi3 might 
be demanded in the night (Luke xi. 5), 
or when there was apprehension of 
danger, and it may have been the cus- 
tom when John wrote. The language 
here, in accordance with the uniform 
usage in the Scriptures (Comp. Isa. lv. 
I; John vii. 37; Rev. xxii. 17), is uni- 
versal, and proves that the invitations 
of the gospel are made, and are to be 
made, not to a part only, but fully and 
freely to all men ; for, although this 
originally had reference to the members 
of the church in Laodicea, yet the lan- 
guage chosen seems to have been of de- 
sign so universal (idv n$) as to be appli- 
cable to every human being; and any 
one, of any age, and in any land, would 
be authorized to apply this to himself, 
and, under the protection of this invita- 
tion to come to the Saviour, and to plead 
this promise as one that fairly included 
himself. It may be observed farther, 
that this also recognizes the freedom of 
man. It is submitted to him whether 
he will hear the voice of the Redeemer 
or not; and whether he will open the 
door and admit him or not. He speaks 
loud enough, and distinctly enough, to 
be heard, but he does not force the door 
it' it is not voluntarily opened. *[ And 
open the door. As one would when a 
stranger or friend stood and knocked. 
The meaning here is simply, if any one 
will admit me; that is, receive me as a 
friend. The act of receiving him is 
as voluntary on our part as it is when 
we rise and open the door to one who 
knocks. It may be added (1) that 
this is an easy thing. Nothing is more 
easy than to open the door when one 
knocks; and so everywhere in the 
Scriptures it is represented as an easy 
thing, if the heart is willing, to secure 
the salvation of the soul. (2) This is a 
-easonable thing. We invite him who 



I grant to sit * with me in my throne, 

b Lu. 22. 30. 

knocks at the door, to come in. We al- 
ways assume, unless there is reason to 
suspect the contrary, that he applies for 
peaceful and friendly purposes. We 
deem it the height of rudeness to let 
one stand and knock long; or to let him 
go away with no friendly invitation to 
enter our dwelling. Yet, how different 
does the sinner treat the Saviour! How 
long does he suffer him to knock at the 
door of his heart, with no invitation to 
enter — no act of common civility such 
as that with which he would greet even 
a stranger ! And with how much cool- 
ness and indifference does he see him 
turn away — perhaps to come back no 
more, and with no desire that he ever 
should return ! 5[ 1 w ^ come in to him, 
and will sup with him, and he with me. 
This is an image denoting intimacy and 
friendship. Supper, with the ancients, 
was the principal social meal ; and the 
idea here is, that between the Saviour 
and those who would receive him, there 
would be the intimacy which subsists 
between those who sit down to a friendly 
meal together. In all countries and 
times, to eat together, to break bread 
together, has been the symbol of friend- 
ship, and this the Saviour promises here. 
The truths, then, which are taught in 
this verse, are (1) that the invitation of 
the gospel is made to all — " if any man 
hear my voice ;" (2) that the movement 
towards reconciliation and friendship is 
originated by the Saviour — "behold, I 
stand at the door and knock;" (3) that 
there is a recognition of our own free 
agency in religion — "if any man will 
hear my voice, and open the door ;" (4) 
the ease of the terms of salvation, re- 
presented by "hearing his voice," and' 
"opening the door;" and (5) the bless- 
edness of thus admitting him, arising 
from his friendship — "I will sup with 
him, and he with me." What friend 
can man have who would confer so 
many benefits on him as the Lord Jesus 
Christ? Who is there that he should 
so gladly welcome to his bosom ? 

21. To him that overcometh. See 
Notes on ch. ii. 7. f Will I grant to 
sit with me in my throne. That is, they 
will share his honors and his triumphs. 
See Notes ch. ii. 26, 27 ; comp. Notes on 
Rom. viii. 17. % Even as 1 v&o over* 



A. D. 98.] 



CHAPT 



ER III. 



120 



even as I also overcame, ° and am 
set dovro with my Father in his 
throne. 

a Jno. 15. 33. 



came. As I gained a victory over the 
world, and over the power of the 
Tempter. As the reward of this, he is 
exalted to the throne of the universe 
(Phil. ii. 6-11), and in these honors 
achieved by their great and glorious 
Head, all the redeemed will share. 
If And am set down with my Father in 
his throne. Comp. Notes on Phil. ii. 
6-11. That is, he has dominion over 
the universe. All things are put under 
his feet, and in the strictest unison, and 
with perfect harmony, he is united with 
the Father in administering the affairs 
of all worlds. The dominion of the 
Father is that of the Son ; that of the 
Son is that of the Father — for they are 
one. See Notes on John v. 19 ; comp. 
Notes on Eph. i. 20-22; 1 Cor. xv. 
24-28. 

22. lie that hath an ear, &c. See 
Notes on ch. ii. 7. 

This closes the, epistolary part of this 
book, and the " visions" properly com- 
mence with the next chapter. Two 
remarks may be made in the conclusion 
of this exposition. (1) The first relates 
to the truthfulness of the predictions in 
these epistles. As an illustration of that 
truthfulness, and of the present cor- 
respondence of the condition of those 
churches with what the Saviour said to 
John they would be, the following 
striding passage may be introduced 
from Mr. Gibbon. It occurs in his de- 
scription of the conquests of the Turks 
(Dec. & Fall, iv. 260, 261) :— " Two 
Turkish chieftains, Sarukhan and Aidiu, 
left their names to their conquests, and 
their conquests to their posterity. The 
captivity or ruin of the seven churches 
of Asia was consummated; and the bar- 
barous lords of Ionia aad Lydia still 
trample on the monuments of classic 
and Christian antiquity. In the loss of 
Ephesus, the Christians deplored the 
fall of the first angel, the extinction of 
the first candlestick of the Revelations : 
the destitution is complete ; and the 
temple of Diana, or the church of Mary, 
will equally elude the search of the 
surious traveller. The circus and three 
stately theatres of Laodicea are now 



22 He b that hath an ear, let him 
hear what the Spirit saith unto the 
churches. 

b c. 2. 7. 



peopled with wolves and foxes j Sardis 
is reduced to a miserable village ; tha 
God of Mahomet, without a rival or a 
son, is invoked in the mosques of 
Thyatira and* Pergamos; and the popu- 
lousness of Smyrna is supported by the 
foreign trade of Franks and Armenians. 
Philadelphia alone has been saved by 
prophecy or courage. At a distance 
from the sea, forgotten by the emperors, 
encompassed on all sides by the Turks, 
her valiant citizens defended the^ reli- 
gion and freedom above fourscore years, 
and at length capitulated with the 
proudest of the Ottomans. Among the 
Greek colonies and churches of Asia, 
Philadelphia is still erect, a column 
in a scene of ruins; a pleasing example 
that the paths of honor and safety may 
sometimes be the same." 

(2) The second remark relates to the 
applicability of these important truths 
to us. There is perhaps no part of the 
New Testament more searching than 
these brief epistles to the seven churches ; 
and though those to whom they were 
addressed have long since passed away, 
and the churches have long since become 
extinct; though darkness, error, and 
desolation have come over the places 
where these churches once stood, yet 
the principles laid down in these epistle? 
still live, and they are full of admonition 
to Christians in all ages and all lands. 
It is a consideration of as much import- 
ance to us as it was to these churches, 
that the Saviour now knows our works ; 
that he sees in the church and in any 
individual, all that there is to commend 
and all that there is to reprove ; that he 
has power to reward or punish now as 
he had then ; that the same rules in ap- 
portioning rewards and punishments will 
still be acted on ; that he who overcomes 
the temptations of the world will find an 
appropriate reward, that those who live 
in sin must meet with the proper re« 
compense, and that those who are luke- 
warm in his service will be spurned with 
unutterable loathing. His rebukes are 
awful ; but his promises are full of ten- 
derness and kindness. While they who 
have embraced error, and they who ar* 



130 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



living in sin, have occasion to tremble 
before him, they who are endeavoring to 
perform their duty, may find in these 
epistles enough to cheer their hearts, and 
to animate them with the hope of final 
victory, and of the most ample and glo- 
rious reward. 

CHAPTER IV. 

ANALYSIS OP THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter properly* commences 
the series of visions respecting future 
events, and introduces those remarkable 
symbolical descriptions which were de- 
signed to cheer the hearts of those to 
whom the book was first sent, in their 
trials, and the hearts of all believers in 
all ages, with the assurance of the final 
triumph of the gospel. See the Intro- 
duction. 

In regard to the n ature of these visions, 
or the state of mind of the writer, there 
have been different opinions. Some have 
supposed that all that is described was 
made only to pass before the mind, with 
no visible representation ; others, that 
there were visible representations so 
made to him that he could copy them ; 
others, that all that is said or seen was 
only the production of the author's ima- 
gination. The latter is the view princi- 
pally entertained by German writers on 
the book. All that would seem to be 
apparent on the face of the book, — and 
that is all that we can judge by — is, 
that the following things occurred : — (1) 
The writer was in a devout frame of 
mind — a state of holy contemplation — 
when the scenes were represented to 
him, ch. i. 10. (2) The representations 
were supernatural, — that is, they were 
something which was disclosed to him, 
in that state of mind, beyond any na- 
tural reach of his faculties. (3) These 
things were so made to pass before him 
that they had the aspect of reality, and 
he could copy and describe them as real. 
It is not necessary to suppose that there 
was any representation to the bodily 
eye ; but they had, to his mind, such a 
reality that he could describe them as 
pictures or symbola — and his office was 
limited to that. He does not attempt to 
explain them — nor does he intimate that 
he understood them ; but his office per- 
tains to an accurate record — a fair tran- 
script — of what passed before his mind. 
For any thing that appears, he may 
have been as ignorant of their significa- 



tion as any of his readers, and may have 
subsequently studied them with the same 
kind of attention which we now give to 
them (comp. Notes on 1 Pet. i. 11, 12), 
and may have, perhaps, remained igno- 
rant of their signification to the day of 
his death. It is no more necessary to 
suppose that he understood all that was 
implied in these symbols, than it is that 
one who can describe a beautiful land- 
scape understands all the laws of the 
plants and flowers in the landscape ; or, 
that one who copies all the designs and 
devices of armorial bearings in heraldry 
should understand all that is meant by 
the symbols that are used; or, that one 
who should copy the cuniform inscrip- 
tions of Persepolis, or the hieroglyphics 
of Thebes, should understand the mean- 
ing of the symbols. All that is demanded 
or expected, in such a case, is, that the 
copy should be accurately made; and, 
ivhen made, this copy may be as much 
an object of study to him who made it 
as to any one else. (4) Yet, there was 
a sense in which these symbols were 
real; that is, they were a real and pro- 
per delineation of future events. They 
were not the mere workings of the ima- 
gination. He who saw them in vision, 
though there may have been no repre- 
sentation to the eye, had before him 
what was a real and appropriate re- 
presentation of coming events. If not, 
the visions are as worthless as dreams 
are. 

Tho visions open (ch. iv.j with a 
Theophany, or a representation of God. 
John is- permitted to look into hea- 
ven, and to have a view of the throne 
of God, and of the worship celebrated 
there. A door (Bvpa) or opening is made 
into heaven, so that he, as it were, looks 
through the concave above, and sees 
what is beyond. He sees the throne of 
God, and him who sits on the throne, 
and the worshippers there; he sees the 
lightnings play around the throne, and 
hears the thunder's roar; he sees the 
rainbow that encompasses the throne, 
and hears the songs of the worshippers. 
In reference to this vision, at the com- 
mencement of the series of symbols 
which he was about to describe, and 
the reason why this was vouchsafed 
to him, the following remarks may be 
suggested : — 

(1) There is, in some respects, a striking 
resemblance between this and the visions 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEE IV. 



131 



of Isaiah (ch. vi.) and Ezekiel (ch. i.). 
As those prophets, when about to enter on 
their office, were solemnly inaugurated 
by being permitted to have a vision of 
the Almighty, so John was inaugurated 
to the office of making known future 
things — the last prophet of the world — 
by a similar vision. We shall see, in- 
deed, that the representation made to 
J ohn was not precisely the same as that 
which was made to Isaiah, or that which 
was made to Ezekiel ; but the most 
striking symbols are retained, and that 
of John is as much adapted to impress 
the mind as either of the others. Each 
of them describes the throne, and the 
attending circumstances of sublimity and 
majesty; each of them speaks of one on 
the throne, but neither of them has at- 
tempted any description of the Almighty. 
There is no delineation of an image, or a 
figure representing God, but every thing 
respecting him is veiled in such obscu- 
rity as to fill the mind with awe. 

(2) The representation is such as to 
produce deep solemnity on the mind of 
the writer and the reader. Nothing 
could have been better adapted to pre- 
pare the mind of John for the important 
communications which he was about to 
make than to be permitted to look, as it 
were, directly into heaven, and to see 
the throne of God. And nothing is better 
fitted to impress the mind of the reader 
than the view which is furnished, in the 
opening vision, of the majesty and glory 
of God. Brought, as it were, into his 
very presence ; permitted to look upon 
his burning throne ; seeing the reverent 
and profound worship of the inhabitants 
of heaven, we feel our minds awed, and 
our souls subdued, as we hear the God 
of heaven speak, and as we see seal 
after seal opened, and hear trumpet 
after trumpet utter its voice. 

(3) The form of the manifestation — ■ 
the opening vision — is eminently fitted 
to show us that the communications in 
this book proceed from heaven. Look- 
ing into heaven, and seeing the vision 
of the Almighty, we are prepared to feel 
that what follows has a higher than any 
human origin ; that it has come direct 
from the throne of God. And, 

(4) There was a propriety that the vi- 
sions should open with a manifestation 
of the throne of God in heaven, or with 
a vision of heaven, because that also is 
the termination of the whole; it is that 



to which all the visions in the book 
tend. It begins in heaven, as seen by 
the exile in Patmos; it terminates in 
heaven, when all enemies of the church 
are subdued, and the redeemed reign 
triumphant in glory. 

The substance of the introductory 
vision in this chapter can be stated in 
few words : — (a) A door is opened, and 
John is permitted to look into heaven, 
and to see what is passing there, vs. 1, 2. 
(b) The first thing that strikes him is a 
throne, with one sittirjg on the throne, ver. 
2. (c) The appearance of him who sits 
upon the throne is described, ver. 3. He 
is like "a jasper and a sardine-stone." 
There is no attempt to portray his form; 
there is no description from which an 
image could be formed that could become 
an object of idolatrous worship — for who 
would undertake to chisel any thing 
so indefinite as that which is merely 
" like a jasper or a sardine-stone V And 
yet, the description is distinct enough to 
fill the mind with emotions of awe and 
sublimity, and to leave the impression 
that he who sat on the throne was a 
pure and holy God. (d) Round about 
the throne there was a bright rainbow — 
a symbol of peace, ver. 3. (e) Around 
the throne are gathered the elders of the 
church, having on their heads crowns 
of gold : — symbols of the ultimate tri- 
umph of the church, ver. 4. (/) Thun- 
der and lightning, as at Sinai, announce 
the presence of God, and seven burning 
lamps before the throne represent the 
Spirit of God, in his diversified opera- 
tions, as going forth through the world 
to enlighten, sanctify, and save, ver. 5. 
(g) Before the throne, there is a pellucid 
pavement, as of crystal, spread out like 
a sea: — emblem of calmness, majesty, 
peace, and wide dominion, ver. 6. (h) 
The throne is supported by four living 
creatures, full of eyes : — emblems of the 
all-seeing power of him that sits upon 
the throne, and of his ever-watchful 
Providence, ver. 6. (?) To each one of 
these living creatures there is a peculiar 
symbolic face : — respectively emblematic 
of the authority, the power, the wis- 
dom of God, and of the rapidity with 
which the purposes of Providence are 
executed, ver. 7. All are furnished with 
wings : — emblematic of their readiness to 
do the will of God, ver. 8, but each on« 
individually with a peculiar form, (j ) 
All these creatures pay ceaseless homage 



132 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



CHAPTER IV. 
FTER this I looked, and, be- 
hold, a door ivas opened in 
heaven ; and the first voice • which 
a c. 1. 10. 



to God, whose throne they are repre- 
sented as supporting : — emblematic of the 
fact that all the operations of the divine 
government do, in fact, promote his 
glory, and, as it were, render him praise, 
vs. 8, 9. (k) To this the elders, the re- 
presentatives of the church, respond : — 
representing the fact that the church 
acquiesces in all the arrangements of 
Providence, and in the execution of all 
the divine purposes, and finds in them 
all ground for adoration and thanks- 
giving, vs. 10, 11. 

1. After this. Gr. " after these things 
that is, after what he had seen, and after 
what he had been directed to record in 
the preceding chapters. How long after 
these things this occurred, he does not 
say — whether on the same day, or at 
some subsequent time: and conjecture 
would be useless. The scene, however, 
is changed. Instead of seeing the Sa- 
viour standing before him (ch. i.), the 
scene is transferred to heaven, and he is 
permitted to look in upon the throne of 
God, and upon the worshippers there. 

/ looked. Gr. / sate — elSov. Our word 
look would rather indicate purpose or 
attention, as if he had designedly directed 
his attention to heaven, to see what 
could be discovered there. The mean- 
ing, however, is simply that he saw a 
new vision, without intimating whether 
there was any design on his part, and 
without saying how his thoughts came 
to be directed to heaven, A door was 
opened. That is, there was apparently 
an opening in the sky, like a door, so 
that he could look into heaven, In 
heaven. Or, rather, in the expanse 
above — in the visible heavens as they 
appear to spread out over the earth. So, 
Ezek. i. 1> "The heavens were opened, 
and I saw Tisions of God." The He- 
brews spoke of the sky above as a solid 
expanse ; or, as a curtain stretched out; 
or, as an extended arch above the earth 
— describing it as it appears to the eye. 
In that expanse, or arch, the stars are 
set as gems (comp. Notes on Isa. xxxiv> 
i); through apertures or windows in 



I heard was as it were of a trum 
pet talking with me ; which said, 
Come b up hither, and I will shew 
thee things which must be hereafter. 

b c. 11. 12. 



;hat expanse the rain comes down, Gen. 
vii. 11 ; and that is opened when a hea- 
venly messenger comes down to the 
earth, Matt. iii. 16. Comp. Luke iii. 21 ; 
Acts vii. 56 ; x. 11. Of course, all this 
is figurative, but it is such language as 
all men naturally use. The simple mean- 
ing here is, that John had a vision of 
what is in heaven as if there had been 
such an opening made through the sky, 
and he had been permitted to look into 
the world above. ^[ And the first voice 
which I heard. That is, the first sound 
which he heard was a command to come 
up and see the glories of that world. 
He afterwards heard other sounds — the 
sounds of praise j but the first notes that 
fell on His ear were a direction to come 
up there and to receive a revelation re- 
specting future things. This does not 
seem to me to mean, as Prof. Stuart, 
Lord, and others, suppose, that he now 
recognized the voice which had first, or 
formerly, spoken to him (ch. i. 10), but 
that this was the first in contradistinc- 
tion from other voices which he after- 
wards heard. It resembled the former 
"voice" in this that it was "like the 
sound of a trumpet," but besides that 
there does not seem to^have been any 
thing that i>ould suggest to him that it 
came from the same source. It is cer- 
tainly possible that the Greek would 
admit of that interpretation, but it is not 
the most obvious or probable, Was as 
it were of a trumpet. It resembled the 
sound of a trumpet, ch. i. 10. ^[ Talking 
with me. As of a trumpet that seemed 
to speak directly to me. Which said. 
That is, the voice said, *j Come up 
hither. To the place whence the voice 
seemed to proceed — heaven. ^ f 
will shew thee things which must be here- 
after. Gr. " after these things." The 
reference is to future events; and the 
meaning is, that there would be dis- 
closed to him events that were to ocour 
at some future period. There is no inti- 
mation here when they would occur, or 
what would be embraced in the period 
referred to. All that the words would 



A. B. 96.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



2 And immediately I was in ° the 
Spirit ; and, behold, a throne b was 
set in heaven, and one sat c . on the 
throne. 

a Ez. 3. 12-14; c. 17. 3 ; 21. 10. b Is. 6. 1 ; 
Je. 17 . 12 ; Ez. 1. 26, 28. c Da. 7. 9 ; He. 8. 1. 



properly convey would be, that there 
would be a disclosure of things that 
were to occur in some future time. 

2. And immediately I was in the Spirit. 
See Notes on ch. i. 10. He does not 
affirm that he was caught up into hea- 
ven, nor does he say what an impression 
was on his own mind, if any, as to the 
place where he was, but he was at once 
absorbed in the contemplation of the 
visions before him. He was doubtless 
still in Patmos, and these things were 
made to pass before his mind as a 
reality ; that is, they appeared as real 
to him as if he saw them, and they were 
in fact a real symbolical representation 
of things occurring in heaven, And, 
behold, a throne was set in heaven. That 
is, a throne was placed there. The first 
thing that arrested his attention was a 
throne. This was "in heaven" — an ex- 
pression which proves that the scene of 
the vision was not the temple in Jeru- 
salem, as some have supposed. There 
is no allusion to the temple, and no 
imagery drawn from the temple. Isaiah 
had his vision (Isa. vi.) in the holy of 
holies of the temple; Ezekiel (ch. i. 1), 
by the river Chebar ; but John looked 
directly into heaven, and saw the throne 
of God, and the encircling worshippers 
there, % And one sat on the throne. It 
is remarkable that John gives no de- 
scription of him who sat on the throne, 
nor does he indicate who he was by 
name. Neither do Isaiah or Ezekiel 
attempt to describe the appearance of 
the Deity, nor are there any intimations 
of that appearance given from which a 
picture or an image could be formed. 
So much do their representations accord 
with what is demanded by correct taste ; 
and so sedulously have they guarded 
against any encouragement of idolatry. 

3. And he that sat was to look upon. 
Was in appearance ; or, as I looked upon 
him, this seemed to be his appearance. 
He does not describe his form, but his 
splendor, Like a jasper — Idairiht. The 
jasper, properly, is " an opaque, impure 
rariety of quartz, of red, yellow, and 

12 



3 And he that sat was to look 
upon like a jasper and a sardine- 
stone : and there was a rainbow 
round about the throne, in sight 
like unto an emerald. 



also of some dull colors, breaking with 
a smooth surface. It admits of a high 
polish, and is used for vases, seals, snuff- 
boxes, &c. When the colors are in 
stripes or bands, it i3 called striped jas- 
per." — Dana, in Webster's Die. The co- 
lor here is not designated, whether red 
or yellow. As the red was, however, the 
common color worn by princes, it is 
probable that that was the color that 
appeared, and that John means to say 
that he appeared like a prince in his 
royal robes. Comp. Isa. vi. 1. % And 
a sardine-stone — <jap&ivy. This denotes 
a precious stone of a blood-red, or some- 
times of a flesh-color, more commonly 
known by the name of carnelian. — Rob. 
Lex. Thus it corresponds with the jas- 
per, and this is only an additional cir- 
cumstance to convey the exact idea in 
the mind of John, that the appearance 
of him who sat on the throne was that 
of a prince in his scarlet robes. This is 
all the description which he gives of 
his appearance; and this is (a) entirely 
appropriate, as it suggests the idea of a 
prince or a monarch ; and (b) it is well 
adapted to impress the mind with a 
sense of the majesty of him who cannot 
be described, and of whom no image 
should be attempted. Comp. Deut. iv. 
12. " Ye heard the voice of his words, 
but saw no similitude." And there 
was a rainbow round about the throne. 
This is a beautiful image, and was pro- 
bably designed to be emblematical as 
well as beautiful. The previous repre- 
sentation is that of majesty and splen- 
dor ; this is adapted to temper the ma- 
jesty of the representation. The rain- 
bow has always, from its own nature, 
and from its associations, been an em- 
blem of peace. It appears on the cloud 
as the storm passes away. It contrasts 
beautifully with the tempest that has 
just been raging. It is seen as the rays 
of the sun again appear clothing all 
things with beauty — the more beautiful 
from the fact that the storm has come, 
and that the rain has fallen. If the rain 
has been gentle, nature smiles serenely, 



134 



KEVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



4 And round about the throne 
were four and twenty seats : a and 
upon the seats I saw four and 

a c. 11. 16. 

and the leaves and flowers refreshed 
appear clothed with new beauty ; if the 
storm has raged violently, the appear- 
ance of the rainbow is a pledge that the 
war of the elements has ceased, and that 
God smiles again upon the earth. It 
reminds us too of the "covenant," when 
God did " set his bow in the cloud," and 
solemnly promised that the earth should 
no more be destroyed by a flood. Gen. 
ix. 9-16. The appearance of the rain- 
bow, therefore, around the throne was a 
beautiful emblem of the mercy of God, 
and of the peace that was to pervade the 
world as the result of the events that 
were to be disclosed to the vision of 
John. True, there were lightnings and 
thunderings and voices, but there the 
bow abode calmly above them all, assur- 
ing him that there was to be mercy and 
peace. ^[ In sight like unto an emerald. 
The emerald is green, and this color so 
predominated in the bow that it seemed 
to be made of this species of precious 
stone. The modified and mild color of 
green appears to every one to predomi- 
nate in the rainbow. Ezekiel (i. 28) has 
introduced the image of the rainbow also 
in his description of the vision that ap- 
peared to him, though not as calmly en- 
circling the throne, but as descriptive 
of the general appearance of the scene. 
"As is the appearance of the bow that 
is on the cloud in the day of rain, so 
was the appearance of the brightness 
round about." Milton also has intro- 
duced it, but it is also as a part of the 
coloring of the throne : — 

" Over tbsir heads a crystal firmament, 
Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure 
Amber, and colors of the showery arch." 

Par. Lost, B. vii. 

4. And round about the throne were 
four amd twenty seats, Or rather 
thrones — $p6voi — the same word being 
used as that which is rendered throne — 
fydvog. The word, indeed, properly de- 
notes a seat, but it came to be employed 
to denote particularly the seat on which 
a monarch sat, and is properly translated 
thus in vs. 2, 3. So it is rendered in 
Matt. y. 34, xix. 28, xxiii. 22, xxv. 31 ; 
Luke i. 32, and uniformly elsewhere in 
the New Testament (fifty-three places 



twenty elders sitting, clothed in 
white b raiment ; and they had on 
their heads crowns c of gold. 



b c. 3. 4, 5. 



in all), except in Luke i. 52; Rom. ii. 
13, iv. 4, xi. 16, xvi. 10, where it is ren- 
dered seat and seats. It should have 
been rendered throne here, and is so 
translated by Prof. Stuart. Coverdale 
and Tyndall render the word seat in 
each place in vs. 2, 3, 4, 5. It was un- 
doubtedly the design of the writer to 
represent those who sat on those seats 
as, in some sense, kings, for they have 
on their heads crowns of gold, and that 
idea should have been retained in the 
translation of this word, And upon 
the seats I saw four and twenty elders 
sitting. Very various opinions have 
been entertained in respect to those who 
thus appeared sitting around the throne, 
and to the question why the number 
twenty-four is mentioned. Instead of 
examining those opinions at length, it 
will be better to present, in a summary 
manner, what seems to be probable in 
regard to the intended reference. The 
following points, then, would appear to 
embrace all that can be known on this 
subject: (1) These elders have a regal 
character, or are of a kingly order. This 
is apparent (a) because they are repre- 
sented as sitting on " thrones/' and (6) 
because they have on their heads 
" crowns of gold." (2) They are em- 
blematic. They are designed to sym- 
bolize or represent some class of per- 
sons. This is clear because (a) it cannot 
be supposed that so small a number 
would compose the whole of those who 
are in fact around the throne of God, 
and (6) because there are other symbols 
there designed to represent something 
pertaining to the homage rendered to 
God, as the four living creatures and 
the angels, and this supposition is ne- 
cessary in order to complete the sym- 
metry and harmony of the representa- 
tion. (3) ^They are human beings, and 
are designed to have some relation to 
the race of man, and somehow to con- 
nect the human race with the worship 
of heaven. The four living creatures 
have another design; the angels (ch. 
v.) have another ; but these are mani- 
festly of our race — persons from this 
world before the throne. (4) They are 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER IY. 



135 



5 And out of the throne proceeded 



designed in some way to be symbolic 
of the church as redeemed. Thus they 
say (ch. v. 9), "Thou hast redeemed us 
to God by thy blood." (5) They are 
designed to represent the whole church 
in every land and every age of the world. 
Thus they say (ch. v. 9), "Thou hast 
redeemed us to God by thy blood, out 
of every ki?idred, and tongue, and people, 
and nation." This shows further that 
the whole representation is emblematic; 
for otherwise in so small a number — 
twenty-four — there could not be are- 
presentation out of every nation. (6) 
They represent the church triumphant; 
the church victorious. Thus they have 
crowns on their heads ; they have harps 
in their hands (ch. v. 8) ; they say that 
they are " kings and priests/' and that 
they will " reign on the earth" (ch. v. 10). 

(7) The design, therefore, is to represent 
the church triumphant — redeemed — 
saved — as rendering praise and honor 
to God; as uniting with the hosts of 
heaven in adoring him for his perfec- 
tions and for the wonders of his grace. 
As representatives of the church they 
are admitted near to him ; they encircle 
his throne ; they appear victorious over 
every foe; and they come, in unison 
with the living creatures, and the angels, 
and the whole universe (ch. v. 13), to 
ascribe power and dominion to God. 

(8) As to the reason why the number 
"twenty-four" is mentioned, perhaps 
nothing certain can be determined. 
Ezekiel, in his vision (Ezek. viii. 16, xi. 
1), saw twenty-five men between the 
porch and the altar, with their backs 
toward the temple, and their faces to- 
ward the earth — supposed to be repre- 
sentations of the twenty-four "courses" 
into which the body of priests was di- 
rided (1 Chron. xxiv. 3-19), with the 
high priest among them, making up the 
number twenty-five. It is possible that 
John in this vision may have designed 
to refer to the church considered as a 
priesthood (comp. Notes on 1 Pet. ii. 9), 
and to have alluded to the fact that the 
priesthood under the Jewish economy 
was divided into twenty-four courses, 
each with a presiding officer, and who 
was a representative of that portion of 
the priesthood over which he presided. 
If so, then the ideas which enter into 



lightnings a and thunderings and 

a c. 8. 5. 16. 18. 



the representation are these: — (a) that 
the whole church may be represented as 
a priesthood, or a community of priests — 
an idea which frequently occurs in the 
New Testament, (b) That the church, 
as such a community of priests, is em- 
ployed in the praise and worship of 
God — an idea, also, which finds abun- 
dant countenance in the New Testament. 
(c) That, in a series of visions having a 
designed reference to the church, it was 
natural to introduce some symbol or 
emblem representing the church, and 
representing the fact that this is its of- 
fice and employment. And (d) that this 
would be well expressed by an allusion 
derived from the ancient dispensation — 
the division of the priesthood into classes, 
over each one of which there presided 
an individual who might be considered 
as the representative of his class. It is 
to be observed, indeed, that in one re- 
spect they are represented as "kings" 
but still this does not forbid the suppo- 
sition that there might have been inter- 
mingled also another idea, that they 
were also "priests." Thus, the two 
ideas are blended by these same elders 
in ch. v. 10 : — "And hath made us unto 
our God kings and priests." — Thus un- 
derstood, the vision is designed to denote 
the fact that the representatives of the 
church, ultimately to be triumphant, 
are properly engaged in ascribing praise 
to God. The word elders here seems to 
be used in the sense of aged and vene- 
rable men, rather than as denoting office. 
They were such as by their age were 
qualified to preside over the different 
divisions of the priesthood, % Clothed 
in white raiment. Emblem of purity, 
and appropriate therefore to the repre- 
sentatives of the sanctified church. 
Comp. ch. iii. 4, vi. 11, vii. 9. ^ And 
they had on their heads crowns of gold. 
Emblematic of the fact that they sus- 
tained a kingly office. There was blended 
in the representation the idea that they 
were both "kings and priests." Thus 
the idea is expressed by Peter (1 Pet. 
ii. 9), "a royal priesthood" — BaatXeiov 
hpareviia. — — — -**°"~ 

5. And out of the throne proceed 
ed lightnings and thunderings ana 
voices. Expressive of the majesty and 
glory of him that sat upon it* W« are 



186 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



voices : and there were seven lamps 
• of fire burning before the throne, 
which are the seven Spirits b of God. 

eGe.15.17. Ex. 37. 23. Zee. 4. 2. b c. 1. 4. 



at once reminded by this representation 
of the sublime scene that occurred at 
Sinai (Ex. xix. 16), where "there were 
thunders and lightnings, and a thick 
cloud upon the Mount, and the voice of 
the trumpet exceeding loud." Comp. 
Ezek. i. 13, 24. So Milton, 

"Forth rushed with whirlwind sound 
The chariot of Paternal Deity, 
Flashing thick flames." 

•* And from about him fierce effusion rolled 
Of smoke, and lightning flame, and sparkles dire." 

Par. Lost. B. vi. 

The word "voices" here connected with 
"thunders" perhaps means "voices even 
thunders" — referring to the sound made 
by the thunder. The meaning is, that 
these were echoing and re-echoing 
sounds, as it were a multitude of voices 
that seemed to speak on every side. 
^[ And there were seven lamps of fire 
burning before the throne. Seven burn- 
ing lamps that constantly shone there, 
illuminating the whole scene. These 
steadily burning lamps would add much 
to the beauty of the vision. ^ Which 
are the seven Spirits of God. Which re- 
present, or are emblematic of the seven 
Spirits of G-od. On the meaning of the 
phrase, " the seven Spirits of God," see 
Notes on ch. i. 4. If these lamps are de- 
signed to be symbols of the Holy Spirit, 
according to the interpretation proposed 
in ch. i. 4, it may be perhaps in the fol- 
lowing respects: — (1) They may repre- 
sent the manifold influences of that 
Spirit in the world — as imparting light; 
giving consolation; creating the heart 
anew; sanctifying the soul, &c. They 
may denote that all the operations of 
that Spirit are of the nature of light, 
dissipating darkness, and vivifying and 
animating all things. (3) Perhaps their 
being placed here before the throne, in 
the midst of thunder and lightning, may 
be designed to represent the idea that 
amidst all the scenes of magnificence 
and grandeur; all the storms, agitations, 
and tempests on the earth ; all the politi- 
cal changes, all the convulsions of empire 
under the providence of God, and all 
fche commotions in the soul of man pro- 
duced by the thunders of the law, the 



6 And before the throne there 
was a sea c of glass like unto crys- 
tal : and in the midst of the throne / 

c c. 15. 2. 



Spirit of God beams calmly and serenely 

— shedding a steady influence over all 

— like lamps burning in the very midst 
of lightnings, and thunderings, and 
voices. In all the scenes of majesty and 
commotion that occur on the earth, the 
Spirit of God is present, shedding a 
constant light, and undisturbed in his 
influence by all the agitations that are 
abroad. 

6. And before the throne there was a 
sea of glass. An expanse spread out 
like a sea composed of glass : — that is, 
that was pellucid and transparent like 
glass. It is not uncommon to compare 
the sea with glass. See numerous ex- 
amples in Wetstein, in loc. The point 
of the comparison here seems to be 
its transparent appearance. It was 
perfectly clear — apparently stretch- 
ing out in a wide expanse, as if it 
were a sea. If Like a crystal. The 
word crystal means properly any thing 
congealed and pellucid, as ice; then 
any thing resembling that, particu- 
larly a certain species of stone dis- 
tinguished for its clearness — as the 
transparent crystals of quartz; limpid 
and colorless quartz ; rock or mountain 
quartz. The word crystal now, in 
mineralogy, means an inorganic body 
which, by the operation of affinity, has 
assumed the form of a regular solid, by 
a certain number of plane and smooth 
faces. It is here used manifestly in its 
popular sense to denote any thing that 
is perfectly clear like ice. The com- 
parison, in the representation cf the 
expanse spread around the throne, turna 
on these points : — (a) it appeared like a 
sea — stretching afar ; (b) it resembled, 
in its general appearance, glass, and 
this idea is strengthened by the addition 
of another image of the same character 
— that it was like an expanse of crystal, 
perfectly clear and pellucid. This would 
seem to be designed to represent the 
floor or pavement on which the throne 
stood. If this is intended to be em- 
blematical it may denote (a) that the 
empire of God is vast — as if it were 
spread out like the sea; — or (o) it may 
be emblematic of the calmness — the 



A. D. 96.J 



C H APT 



EK IY, 



137 



and round about the throne, were 

a Ezek. 1. 5, &c. 10. 14. 

placidity of the divine administration — 
like an undisturbed and unruffled ocean 
of glass. 'Perhaps, however, we should 
not press such circumstances too far to 
find a symbolical meaning, And in 
the midst of the throne. \v jutc^ rdv 
§p6vov. Not occupying the throne, but 
so as to appear to be intermingled with 
the throne, or "in the midst" of it, in 
the sense that it was beneath the centre 
of it. The meaning would seem to be, 
that the four living creatures referred to 
occupied such a position collectively 
that they at the same time appeared to 
be under the throne, so that it rested 
on them, and around it, so that they 
could be seen from any quarter. This 
would occur if their bodies were under 
the throne, and if they stood so that 
they faced outward. To one approaching 
the throne they would seem to be around 
it, though their bodies were under, 
or "in the midst" of it as a support. 
The form of their bodies is not specified, 
but it is not improbable that though 
their heads were different, their bodies, 
that were under the throne, and that 
sustained it, were of the same form. 

And round about the throne. In the 
sense above explained — that, as they 
stood, they would be seen on every side 
of the throne, Were four beasts. This 
is a very unhappy translation, as the 
word beasts by no means conveys a 
correct idea of the original word. The 
Greek word — £wov — means properly a 
living thing ; and it is thus indeed 
applied to animals, or to the living 
creation, but the notion of their being 
living things, or living creatures should 
be retained in the translation. Prof. 
Stuart renders it, " living creatures." 
Isaiah (vi.), in his vision of Jehovah, saw 
two Seraphim ; Ezekiel, whom John 
more nearly resembles in his descrip- 
tion, saw four " living creatures" — 

ni*n (ch. i. 5), that is, living, animated, 

moving beings. The words l( living 
beings" would better convey the idea 
than any other which could be em- 
ployed. They are evidently, like those 
which Ezekiel saw, symbolical beings ; 
but the nature and purpose of the 
symbol is not perfectly apparent. The 
* four and twenty elders" are evidently 
12* 



four * beasts, full of eyes, before 
and behind. 



human beings, and are representatives^ 
as above explained, of the church. In 
ch. v. 11, angels are themselves intro- 
duced as taking an important part in 
the worship of heaven, and these living 
beings, therefore, cannot be designed to 
represent either angels or men. In 
Ezekiel, they are either designed as 
poetic representations of the majesty 
of God, or of his providential govern- 
ment, showing what sustains his throne: 
— symbols denoting intelligence, vigi- 
lance, the rapidity and directness with 
which the divine commands are exe- 
cuted, and the energy and firmness with 
which the government of God is ad- 
ministered. The nature of the case, 
and the similarity to the representa- 
tion in Ezekiel, would lead us to suppose 
that the same idea is to be found sub- 
stantially in John, and there would be 
no difficulty in such an interpretation, 
were it not that these " living creatures" 
are apparently represented in ch. v. 8, 
9, as uniting with the redeemed from 
the earth, in such a manner as to imply 
that they were themselves redeemed. 
But perhaps the language in ch. v. 9, 
"And they sung a new song," &c, 
though apparently connected with the 
"four beasts" in ver. 8, is not designed 
to be so connected. John may intend 
there merely to advert to the fact 
that a new song was sung, without 
meaning to say that the "four living 
beings" united in that song. For, if he 
designed merely to say that the "four 
living beings," and the "four and twenty 
elders" fell down to worship, and then 
that a song was heard, though in fact 
sung only by the four and twenty elders, 
he might have employed the language 
which he actually has done. If this 
interpretation be admitted, then the 
most natural explanation to be given 
of the " four living beings" is to sup- 
pose that they are symbolical beings 
designed to furnish some representa- 
tion of the government of God — to illus- 
trate, as it were, that on which the 
divine government rests, or which con- 
stitutes its support — to wit, power, 
intelligence, vigilance, energy. This 
is apparent (a) because it was not 
unusual for the thrones of monarchs 
to be supported by carved animals of 



138 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



Tarioua forms, which were designed un- 
doubtedly to be somehow emblematic of 
government — either of its stability, vigi- 
lance, boldness, or firmness. Thus Solo- 
mon had twelve lions carved on each 
side of his throne — no improper em- 
blems cf government. 1 Kings x. 19, 
20. (6) These living beings are de- 
scribed as the supports of the throne 
of God, or as that on which it rests, and 
would be, therefore, no improper sym- 
bols of the great principles or truths 
which give support or stability to the 
divine administration, (c) They are, in 
themselves, well adapted to be repre- 
sentatives of the great principles of the 
divine government, or of the divine 
providential dealings, as we shall see in 
the more particular explanation of the 
symbol. \d) Perhaps it might be added, 
that, so understood, there would be com- 
pleteness in the vision. The "elders" 
appear there as representatives of the 
church redeemed; the angels in their 
own proper persons render praise to 
God. To this it was not improper to 
add, and the completeness of the repre- 
sentation seems to make it necessary to 
add, that all the doings of the Almighty 
unite in his praise ; his various acts in 
the government of the universe har- 
monize with redeemed and unfallen in- 
telligences in proclaiming his glory. 
The vision of the "living beings," 
therefore, is not, as I suppose, a repre- 
sentation of the attributes of God as 
such, but an emblematic representa- 
tion of the divine government — of the 
throne of Deity resting upon, or sus- 
tained by, those things of which these 
living beings are emblems — intelligence, 
firmness, energy, &c. This supposition 
seems to combine more probabilities 
than any other which has been proposed, 
for according to this supposition all the 
acts, and ways, and creatures of God 
unite in his praise. It is proper to add, 
however, that expositors are by no 
means agreed as to the design of this 
representation. Prof. Stuart supposes 
that the attributes of God are referred 
to ; Mr. Elliott (i. 93) that the " twenty- 
four elders and the four living creatures 
symbolize the church, or the collective 
body of the saints of God ,• and that as 
there are two grand divisions of the 
church, the larger one that of the de- 
parted in Paradise, and the other that 
militant on earth, the former is depicted 



by the twenty-four elders, and the latter 
by the living creatures j" Mr. Lord (pp. 
53, 54;) that the living creatures and the 
elders are both of one race, the former 
perhaps denoting those like Enoch and 
Elijah, who were translated, 'and those 
who were raised by the Saviour after .his 
resurrection, or those who have been 
raised to special eminence, the latter 
the mass of the redeemed; Mr. Mede 
that the living creatures are symbols of 
the church worshipping on earth ; Mr. 
Daubuz that they are symbols of the 
ministers of the church on earth ; 
Vitringa that they are symbols of emi- 
nent ministers and teachers in every 
age; Dr. Hammond regards him who 
sits on the throne as the Metropolitan 
Bishop of Judea, the representative of 
God, the elders as diocesan bishops of 
Judea, and the living creatures as four 
apostles, symbols of the saints who are 
to attend the Almighty as assessors in 
judgment! See Lord on the Apoca- 
lypse, pp. 58, 59. Full of eyes. 
Denoting omniscience. The ancients 
fabled Argus as having one hundred 
eyes, or as having the power of seeing 
in any direction. The emblem here 
would denote an ever-watchful and ob- 
serving Providence ; and in accordance 
with the explanation proposed above, it 
means that, in the administration of the 
divine government, every thing is dis- 
tinctly contemplated; nothing escapes 
observation ; nothing can be concealed. 
It is obvious that the divine govern- 
ment could not be administered unless 
this were so ; and it is the perfection of 
the government of God that all things 
are seen just as they are. In the vision 
seen by Ezekiel (ch. i. 18), the "rings" 
of the wheels on which the living crea- 
tures moved, are represented as " full of 
eyes round about them," emblematic of 
the same thing. So Milton, 

"As with stars their bodies all, 
And wings were set with eyes ; with eyes the wheelf 
Of beryl, and careening fires between." 

Before. In front. As one looked on 
their faces, from whatever quarter the 
throne was approached, he could see a 
multitude of eyes looking upon him. 
*fi And behind. On the parts of their 
bodies which were under the throne. 
The meaning is, that there is universal 
vigilance in the government of God. 
Whatever is the form of the divine ad 



A. D. 96.] CHAPTER IV. 139 

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a 



ministration; whatever part is contem- 
plated; however it is manifested — whe- 
ther as activity, energy, power, or intelli- 
gence, it is based on the fact that all 
things are seen from every direction. 
There is nothing that is the result of 
blind fate or of chance. 

7. And the first beast was like a lion. 
A general description has been given, 
applicable to all, denoting that in what- 
ever form the divine government is ad- 
ministered, these things will be found ; a 
particular description now follows, con- 
templating that government under par- 
ticular aspects, as symbolized by the 
living beings on which the throne rests. 
The first is that of a lion. The lion is 
the monarch of the woods, the king of 
beasts, and he becomes thus the emblem 
of dominion, of authority, of govern- 
ment in general. Comp. Gen. xlix, 9 ; 
Amos iii. 8 ; Joel iii. 16 ; Dan. vii. 4. 
As emblematic of the divine administra- 
tion, this would signify that he who sits 
on the throne is the ruler over all, and 
that his dominion is absolute and entire. 
It has been made a question whether 
the whole body had the form of a lion, 
or whether it had the appearance of a 
lion only as to its face or front part. It 
would seem probable that the latter only 
is intended, for it is expressly said of 
the "third beast" that it had "the face 
of a man," implying that it did not re- 
semble a man in other respects, and it 
is probable, that, as these living crea- 
tures were the supports of the throne, 
they had the same form in all other par- 
ticulars except the front part. The wri- 
ter has not informed us what was the 
appearance of these living creatures in 
other respects, but it is most natural to 
suppose that it was in the form of an ox, 
as being adapted to sustain a burden. 
It is hardly necessary to say that the 
thing supposed to be symbolical here in 
the government of God — his absolute 
rule — actually exists, or that it is im- 
portant that this should be fairly exhi- 
bited to men. ^ -^nd the second beast 
was like a calf. Or, more properly, a 
young bullock, for so the word — fJt6<T%os 
— means. The term is given by Hero- 
dotus (ii. 41; iii. 28) to the Egyptian 
god Apis, that is, a young bullock. 
Such an emblem, standing under a 
ihrone as one of its supports, would 



symbolize firmness, endurance, strength 
(comp. Prov. xiv. 4) ; and, as used to 
represent qualities pertaining to him 
who sat on the throne, would denote 
stability, firmness, perseverance : — qua- 
lities that are found abundantly in the 
divine administration. There was clearly, 
in the apprehension of the ancients, some 
natural fitness or propriety in such an 
emblem. A young bullock was worship- 
ped in Egypt as a god. Jeroboam set 
up two idols in the form of a calf, the 
one in Dan, and the other in Bethel. 
1 Kings xii. 28, 29. A similar object of 
worship was found in the Indian, Greek, 
and Scandinavian mythologies, and the 
image appears to have been adopted 
early and extensively to represent the 
divinity. — The following figure is a re- 
presentation of a calf-idol, copied from 
the collection made by the artists of the 
French Institute at Cairo. It is recum- 
bent, with human eyes, the skin flesh- 
colored, and the whole afterparts covered 
with a white and sky-blue drapery : the 
horns not on the head, but above it, and 
containing within them the symbolical 
globe surmounted by two feathers. The 
meaning of the emblems on the back is 
not known. It is copied here merely to 
show that, for some cause, the calf was 
regarded as an emblem of the divinity. 




It may illustrate this, also, to remark 
that among the sculptures found by Mr, 
Layard, in the ruins of Nineveh, were 
not a few winged bulls, some of them of 
large structure, and probably all of them 
emblematic. One of these was removed 
with great difficulty, to be deposited in 



140 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



calf, and the third beast had a face 



the British Museum. See Mr. Layard's 
" Nineveh and its Remains/' vol. ii. pp. 
64-75. Such emblems were common in 
the East; and, being thus common, they 
would be readily understood in the time 
of John. ^[ And the third beast had a 
face as a man. There is no intimation 
as to what was the form of the remain- 
ing portion of this living creature, but 
as the beasts were a in the midst of the 
throne/' that is, under it as a support, 
it may be presumed that they had such a 
form as was adapted to that purpose — as 
supposed above perhaps the form of an 
ox. To this living creature there was 
attached the head of a man, and that 
would be what would be particularly 
visible to one looking on the throne. 
The aspect of a man here would denote 
intelligence — for it is this which distin- 
guishes man from the creation beneath 
him ; and, if the explanation of the sym- 
bol above given be correct, then the 
meaning of this emblem is, that the ope- 
rations of the government of God are 
conducted with intelligence and wisdom. 
That is, the divine administration is not 
the result of blind fate or chance ; it is 
founded on a clear knowledge of things, 
on what is best to be done, on what will 



as a man, and the fourth beast was 
like a flying eagle. 



most conduce to the common good. Of 
the truth of this there can be no doubt; 
and there was a propriety that in a vi- 
sion designed to give to man a view of 
the government of the Almighty, this 
should be appropriately symbolized. It 
may illustrate this to observe, that in 
ancient sculptures it was common to 
unite the head of a man with the figure 
of an animal, as combining symbols. 
Among the most remarkable figures dis- 
covered by Mr. Layard, in the ruins of 
Nineveh, were winged, human-headed 
lions. These lions are thus described 
by Mr. Layard : — " They were about 
twelve feet in height, and the same num- 
ber in length. The body and limbs were 
admirably portrayed; the muscles and 
bones, although strongly developed, to 
display the strength of the animal, 
showed, at the same time, a correct 
knowledge of its anatomy and form. 
Expanded wings sprung from the shoul- 
der and spread over the back ; a knotted 
girdle, ending in tassels, encircled the 
loins. These sculptures, forming an en- 
trance, were partly in full, and partly in 
relief. The head and forepart, facing 
the chambers, were in full; but onl^ 
one side of the rest of the slab was sculp. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



141 



hired, the back being placed against the 
wall of sun-dried bricks." — Nineveh and 
its Remains, vol. i. p. 75. The preceding 
cut will give an idea of one of these hu- 
man-headed animals, and will serve to 
illustrate the passage before us — alike 
in reference to the head, — indicating in- 
telligence, and the wings, denoting ra- 
pidity. On the use of these figures, 
found in the ruins of Nineveh, Mr. La- 
yard makes the following sensible re- 
marks — remarks admirably illustrating 
the view which I take of the symbols 
before us : — "I used to contemplate for 
hours these mysterious emblems, and 
muse over their intent and history. 
What more noble forms could have ush- 
ered the people into the temple of their 
gods ? What more sublime images could 
have been borrowed from nature by men 
Who sought, unaided by the light of re- 
vealed religion, to embody their concep- 
tions of the wisdom, power, and ubiquity 
of a Supreme Being ? They could find 
no better type of intellect and knowledge 
than the head of a man; of strength, 
than the bcdy of the lion ; of rapidity 
of motion, than the wings of a bird. 
These winged, human-headed lions were 
not idle crsations, the offspring of mere 
fancy ; their meaning was. written upon 
them. They had awed and instructed 
races which flourished 3000 years ago. 
Through the portals which they guarded, 
kings, priests, and warriors had borne 
sacrifices to their altars, long before the 
wisdom of the East had penetrated into 
Greece, and had furnished its mythology 
with symbols long recognized by the As- 
syrian votaries." — Nineveh and its Re- 
mains, i. 75, 76. ^[ And the fourth beast 
was like a flying eagle. All birds, in- 
deed, fly ; but the epithet flying is here 
employed to add intensity to the de- 
scription. The eagle is distinguished, 
among the feathered race, for the rapi- 
dity, the power, and the elevation of its 
flight. No other bird is supposed to fly 
so high ; none ascends with so much 
power; none is so majestic and grand in 
his ascent towards the sun. That which 
would be properly symbolized by this 
would be the rapidity with which the 
commands of God are executed; or this 
characteristic of the divine government, 
that the purposes of God arc carried into 
prompt execution. There is, as it were, 
a vigorous, powerful, and rapid flight 
tc wards the accomplishment of the de- 



signs of God — as the eagle ascends un 
molested towards the sun. Or, it may 
be that this symbolizes protecting care, 
or is an emblem of that protection which 
God by his Providence extends over 
those who put their trust in him. Thus 
in Ez. xir.. 4: "Ye have seen how I 
bore you on eagles' wings." Ps. xvii. 
8 : " Hide me under the shadow of thy 
wings." Ps. lxiii. 7: "In the shadow 
of thy wings will I rejoice." Deut. xxxii. 
11, 12 : " As an eagle stirreth up her nest, 
fluttereth over her young, spreadeth 
abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth 
them on her wings, so the Lord alone did 
lead him," &c. As in the case of the other 
living beings, so it is to be remarked of 
the fourth living creature, also, that the 
form of the body is unknown. There is 
no impropriety in supposing that it is 
only its front aspect that John here 
speaks of, for that was sufiicient for the 
symbol. The remaining portion "in the 
midst of the throne," may have corre- 
sponded with that, of the other living 
beings, as being adapted to a support. 
In further illustration of this it may be 
remarked, that symbols of this descrip- 
tion were common in the Oriental world. 
Figures in the human form, or in the 
form of animals, with the head of an 
eagle or a vulture, are found in the ruins 
of Nineveh, and were undoubtedly de- 
signed to be symbolic. " On the earliest 
Assyrian monuments," says Mr. Layard 
(Nineveh and its Ruins, ii. 348, 349), 
" one of the most prominent sacred types 
is the eagle-headed, or the vulture- 
headed, human figure. Not only is it 
found in colossal proportions on the 
walls, or guarding the portals of the 
chambers, but it is also constantly re- 
presented in the groups on the embroi- 
dered robes. When thus introduced, it 
is generally seen contending with other 
mythic animals, — such as the human- 
headed lion or bull ; and in these con- 
tests it is always the conqueror. It may 
hence be inferred that it was a type of 
the Supreme Deity, or of one of his prin- 
cipal attributes. A fragment of the Zo- 
roastrian oracles, preserved by Eusebius, 
declares that ' God is he that has the 
head of a hawk. He is the first, inde- 
structible, eternal, 'mbegotten, indivi- 
sible, dissimilar ; tLe dispenser of all 
good ; incorruptible ; the best of the 
good, the wisest of the wise ; he is the 
father of equity and justice, eelf-taught* 



142 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



8 And the four beasts had each 
of them six a wings about Mm; 

a Is. 6. 2, &c. 



physical and perfect, and wise, and the 
only inventor of the sacred philosophy.' 
Sometimes the head of this bird is added 
to the body of a lion. Under this form 
of the Egyptian hieraco-sphinx it is the 
conqueror in combats with other sym- 
bolical figures, and is frequently repre- 
sented as striking down a gazelle or wild' 
goat. It also clearly resembles the 
gryphon of the Greek mythology, avow- 
edly an eastern symbol, and connected 
with Apollo, or with the sun, of which 
the Assyrian form was probably an 
emblem." The following figure found 
in Nimroud, or ancient Nineveh, may 
furnish an illustration of one of the 
usual forms. 




If these views of the meaning of 
these symbols are correct, then the 
idea which would be conveyed to the 
mind of John, and the idea, therefore, 
which should be conveyed to our minds, 
is, that the government of God is 
energetic, firm, intelligent, and that in 
the execution of its purposes it is rapid 
like the unobstructed flight of an eagle, 
or protective like the care of the eagle 
for its young. When, in the subsequent 
parts of the vision, these living creatures 
are represented as offering praise and 
adoration to Him that sits on the throne 
(ver. 8. ch. v. 8, 14), the meaning would 
be, in accordance with this representa- 
tion, that all the acts of divine govern- 
ment do, as if they were personified, 
unite in ^ne praise which the redeemed 
and the angels ascribe to God. All 
living things, and all acts of the Al- 



and tJiey were full of eyes within : 
and they * rest not day and nightj 



b have no rest. 



mighty, conspire to proclaim his glory. 
The church by her representatives the 
" four and twenty elders" honor God ; 
the angels without number, unite in the 
praise ; all creatures in heaven, in earth, 
under the earth, and in the sea (ch. v. 
13) join in the song; and all the acts 
and ways of God declare also his 
majesty and glory: — for around his 
throne, and beneath his throne, are ex- 
pressive symbols of the firmness, en- 
ergy, intelligence and power with which 
his government is administered. 

8. And the four beasts had each of them 
six wings about him. An emblem com- 
mon to them all, denoting that, in refe- 
rence to each and all the things here 
symbolized, there was one common cha- 
racteristic — that in heaven there is the 
utmost promptness in executing the 
divine commands. Comp. Isa. vi. 2 ; 
Ps. xviii. 10, civ. 3 ; Jer. xlviii. 40. No 
mention is made of the manner in which 
these wings were arranged, and conjec- 
ture in regard to that is vain. The 
Seraphim, as seen by Isaiah, had each 
one six wings, with two of which the 
face was covered, to denote profound 
reverence; with two the feet, or lower 
parts — emblematic of modesty ; and with 
two they flew — emblematic of their cele- 
rity in executing the commands of God, 
Isa. vi. 2. Perhaps without impropriety 
we may suppose that in regard to these 
living beings seen by John, two of the 
wings of each were employed, as in 
Isaiah, to cover the face — token of pro- 
found reverence; and that the remainder 
were employed in flight— denoting the 
rapidity with which the divine com- 
mands are executed. Mercury, the 
messenger of Jupiter among the hea- 
then, was represented with wings, and 
nothing is more common in the paint- 
ings and bas-reliefs of antiquity than such 
representations. ^ And they were full of 
eyes within. Prof. Stuart more correctly 
renders this — " around and within are 
full of eyes;" — connecting the word 
"around," not with the wings, as in our 
version, but with the eyes. The mean- 
ing is, that the portions of the beasts 
that were visible from the outside of the 
throne, and the portions under or within 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



143 



Baying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
Almighty, which was, and is, and 
is to come. 

9 And when those beasts give 
glory, and honor, and thanks to 
him that sat on the throne, who 
a liveth for ever and ever, 

a c. 5. 14. 



the throne, were covered with eyes. The 
obvious design of this is to mark the 
universal vigilance of divine providence, 
f And they rest not. Marg. have no 
rest. That is, they are constantly em- 
ployed ; there is no intermission. The 
meaning, as above explained, is, that 
the works and ways of God are con- 
stantly bringing praise to him. Day 
and night. Continually. They who 
are employed day and night fill up the 
whole time — for this is all. % Saying, 
Holy, holy, holy. For the meaning of 
this, see Notes on Isa. vi. 3. Lord 
God Almighty. Isaiah (vi. 3) expresses 
it, "Jehovah of hosts." The reference 
is to the true God, and the epithet 
Almighty is one that is often given him. 
It is peculiarly appropriate here, as there 
were to be, as the sequel shows, remark- 
able exhibitions of power in executing 
the purposes described in this book. 
% Which was, and is, and is to come. 
Who is eternal — existing in all past 
time ; existing now ,* and to continue to 
exist forever. See Notes on ch. i. 4. 

9. And when those heasts give glo- 
ry, &g. As often as those living beings 
ascribe glory to God. They did this 
continually (ver. 8), and, if the above 
explanation be correct, then the idea 
is, that the ways and acts of God 
in his providential government are 
continually of such a nature as to honor 
him. 

10. The four and twenty elders fall 
down before him, &e. The representa- 
tives of the redeemed church in heaven 
|. (Notes, ver. 4) also unite in the praise. 
[ The meaning, if the explanation of the 
i symbol be correct, is, that the church 
I universal unites in praise to God for all 
I that characterizes his administration. 

In the connexion in which this stands 
here, the sense would be, that as often 
I as there is any new manifestation of the 
principles of the divine government, the 
churcla ascribes new praise to God, 



10 The four and twenty elders 
fall down before him that sat on 
the throne, and worship him that 
liveth for ever and ever, and cast 
their crowns b before the throne, 
saying, 

11 Thou art worthy, e Lord, 

b ver. 4. c c. 5. 1% 



Whatever may be thought of this ex- 
planation of the meaning of the sym- 
bols, of the fact here stated there can 
be no doubt. The church of God always 
rejoices when there is any new mani- 
festation of the principles of the divine 
administration. As all these acts, in 
reality bring glory and honor to God, 
the church as often as there is any new 
manifestation of the divine character 
and purposes, renders praise anew. 
Nor can it be doubted that the view 
here taken is one that is every way ap- 
propriate to the general character of this 
book. The great design was to disclose 
what God was to do in future times, in 
the various revolutions that were to take 
place on the earth, until his govern- 
ment should be firinly established, and 
the principles of his administration 
should everywhere prevail; and there 
was a propriety, therefore, in describing 
the representatives of the church as 
taking part in this universal praise, and 
as casting every crown at the feet of 
him who sits upon the throne. *f And 
cast their crowns before the throne. 
They are described as " crowned" (ver. 
4), that is as triumphant, and as kings 
(comp. ch. v. 10), and they are here 
represented as casting their crowns at 
his feet in token that they owe their 
triumph to him. To his providential 
dealings, to his wise and merciful go- 
vernment, they owe it that they are 
crowned at all, and there is, therefore, a 
propriety that they should acknowledge 
this in a proper manner by placing their 
crowns at his feet. 

11. Thou art worthy, Lord. In 
thy character, perfections, and govern- « 
ment there is that which makes it 
proper that universal praise should be 
rendered. The feeling of all true wor- 
shippers is, that God is worthy of the 
praise that is ascribed to him. No man 
worships him aright who does not feel 
that there is that in his nature and 



144 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



to receive glory and honor and 
power : • for thou hast created all 

a Col. 1. 16. 

his doings which makes it proper that he 
should receive universal adoration. % To 
receive glory. To have praise or glory 
ascribed to thee, And honor. To be 
honored : — that is, to be approached and 
adored as worthy of honor, A nd power. 
To have power ascribed to thee, or to be 
regarded as having infinite power. Man 
can confer no power on God, but he may 
acknowledge that which he has, and 
adore him for its exertion in his behalf 
and in the government of the world. 
% For thou hast created all things. Thus 
laying the foundation for praise. No 
one can contemplate this vast and won- 
derful universe without seeing that he 
who has made it is worthy to "receive 
glory and honor and power. Comp. 
Notes on Job xxxviii. 7. And for thy 
pleasure they are. They exist by thy 
will — Sia rb $f.\rjfjid. The meaning is, 
that they owe their existence to the will 
of God, and therefore their creation lays 
the foundation for praise. " He spake, 
and it was done ; he commanded, and it 
stood fast." " He said, Let there be 
light, and there was light." There is no 
other reason why the universe exists at 
all than that such was the will of God ; 
there is nothing else that is to be ad- 
duced as explaining the fact that any- 
thing has now a being. The putting forth 
of that will explains all; and consequently 
whatever wisdom, power, goodness is 
manifested in the universe, is to be 
traced to God, and is the expression of 
what was in him from eternity. It is 
proper, then, to " look up through nature 
to nature's God," and wherever we see 
greatness or goodness in the works of 
creation to regard them as the faint ex- 
pression of what exists essentially in the 
Creator, % And were created. Bring- 
ing more distinctly into notice the fact 
that they owe their existence to his will. 
They are not eternal; they are not 
* self-existent; they were formed from 
nothing. 

This concludes the magnificent intro- 
luction to the principal visions in this 
book. It is beautifully appropriate to 
the solemn disclosures which are to be 
made in the following portions of the 
book, and as in the case of Isaiah and 



things, and for thy pleasure they 
are and were created. 



Ezekiel, was eminently adapted to im- 
press the mind of the holy seer with 
awe. Heaven is opened to his view ; the 
throne of God is seen ; there is a vision 
of Him who sits upon that throne ; thun- 
ders and voices are heard around the 
throne ; the lightnings play, and a rain- 
bow, symbol of peace, encircles all ; the 
representatives of the redeemed church, 
occupying subordinate thrones, and in 
robes of victory, and with crowns on 
their heads, are there ; avast smooth ex- 
panse like the sea is spread out before 
the throne ; and the emblems of the 
wisdom, the power, the vigilance, the 
energy, the strength of the divine ad- 
ministration are there, represented as in 
the act of bringing honor to God, and 
proclaiming his praise. The mind of 
John was doubtless prepared by these 
august visions for the disclosures which 
follow ; and the mind of the reader should 
in like manner be deeply and solemnly 
impressed when he contemplates them, 
as if he looked into heaven, and saw the 
impressive grandeur of the worship there. 
Let us fancy ourselves, therefore, with 
the holy seer looking into heaven, and 
listen with reverence to what the Great 
God discloses respecting the various 
changes that are to occur until every 
foe of the church shall be subdued, and 
the earth shall acknowledge his sway, 
and the whole scene shall close in the 
triumphs and joys of heaven. 

CHAPTER V. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter introduces the disclo- 
sure of future events. It is done in a 
manner eminently fitted to impress the 
mind with a sense of the importance of 
the revelations about to be made. The 
proper state of mind for appreciating 
this chapter is that when we look on the 
future and are sensible that important 
events are about to occur; when we 
feel that that future is wholly impene- 
trable to us; and when the efforts of 
the highest created minds fail to lift i 
the mysterious veil which hides thos* ] 
events from our view. It is in ac- j 
cordance with our nature that the ! 



A. D 96.] 



CHAPTEK V. 



145 



mind should be impressed with solemn 
awe on such circumstances ; it is not a 
violation of the laws of our nature that 
one. who had an earnest desire to pene- 
trate that future, and who saw the 
volume before him which contained the 
mysterious revelation, and who yet felt 
that there was no one in heaven or 
earth who could break the seals, and 
disclose what was to come, should weep. 
Comp. ver. 4. The design of the whole 
chapter is, evidently, to honor the Lamb 
of God, by showing that the power was 
entrusted to him which was confided to 
no one else in heaven or earth, of dis- 
closing what is to come. Nothing else 
would better illustrate this than the fact 
that he alone could break the mysterious 
seal which barred out the knowledge of 
the future from all created eyes ; and 
nothing would be better adapted to im- 
press this on the mind than the repre- 
sentation in this chapter — the exhibition 
of a mysterious book in the hand of 
God ; the proclamation of the angel, 
calling on any who could do it to open 
the book ; the fact that no one in hea- 
ven or earth could do it ; the tears shed 
by John when it was found that no one 
could do it,- the assurance of one of the 
elders that the Lion of the tribe of 
Judah had power to do it; and the pro- 
found adoration of all in heaven and 
in earth and under the earth, in view of 
the power entrusted to him of breaking 
these mysterious seals. 

The main points in the chapter are 
these: — (1) Having in ch. iv. described 
God as sitting on a throne, John here 
(ver. 1) represents himself as seeing in 
his right hand a mysterious volume — 
written all over on the inside and the 
outside, yet sealed with seven seals — a 
volume manifestly referring to the fu- 
ture, and containing important disclo- 
sures respecting coming events. (2) A 
mighty angel is introduced making a 
proclamation, and asking who is worthy 
to open that book, and to break those 
seals — evidently implying that none 
frntess of exalted rank could do it, ver. 2. 
(3) There is a pause :--no one in hea- 
ven, or in earth, or under the earth, 
approaches to do it, or claims the right 
to do it, ver. 3. (4) John, giving way 
to the expressions of natural emotion — 
indicative of the longing and intense 
desire in the human soul to be made 
acquainted with the secret* of the fu- I 

7 3 



ture — pours forth a fiood of tears because 
no one is found who is worthy to open 
the seals of this mysterious book, or to 
read what was recorded there, ver. 4. 
(5) In his state of suspense and of grief, 
one of the elders — the representatives of 
that church for whose benefit these re- 
velations of the future were to be made 
(Note on ch. iv. 4) — approaches him and 
says that there is one who is able to 
open the book; one who has the powfir 
to loose its seals, ver. 5. This is the 
Messiah — the Lion of the tribe of Judah, 
the Root of David — coming now to make 
the disclosure for which the whole book 
was given, ch. i. 1. (6) Immediately 
the attention of John is attracted by the 
Messiah, appearing as a Lamb in" the 
midst of the throne — with horns, the 
symbols of strength, and eyes, the sym- 
bols of all-pervading intelligence. He 
approaches and takes the book from the. 
hand of him that sits on the throne — 
symbolical of the fact that it is the pro- 
vince of the Messiah to make known to 
the church and the world the events 
which are to occur, vs. 6, 7. He ap- 
pears here in a different form from that 
in which he manifested himself in oh. i., 
for the purpose is different. There he 
appears clothed in majesty, to impress 
the mind with a sense of his essential 
glory. Here he appears in a form that 
recalls the memory of his sacrifice; — to 
denote perhaps that it is in virtue of his 
atonement that the future is to be dis- 
closed; and that therefore there is a 
special propriety that he should appear 
and do what no other one in heaven or 
earth could do. (7) The approach of 
the Messiah to unfold the mysteries in 
the book; the fact that he had "pre- 
vailed" to accomplish what there was so 
strong a desire should be accomplished, 
furnishes an occasion for exalted thanks- 
giving and praise, vs. 8-10. This as- 
cription of praise in heaven is instantly 
responded to, and echoed back, from all 
parts of the universe — all joining in ac- 
knowledging the Lamb as worthy of the 
exalted office to which he was raised, 
vs. 11-13. The angels around the 
throne — amounting to thousands of 
myriads — unite with the living crea- 
tures and the elders; and to these 
are joined the voices of every crea- 
ture in heaven, on the earth" under 
the earth, and in the sea, ascribing to 
him that sits upon the throne and tha 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



CHAPTER V. 



ND I saw in the right hand of 
him that satr on the throne a 



Lamb universal praise. (9) To this loud 
ascription of praise from far-distant 
worlds, the living creatures respond a 
hearty Amen, and the elders fall down 
and worship him that lives forever and 
ever, ver. 14. The universe is held in 
wondering expectation of the disclosures 
which are to be made, and from all 
parts of the universe there is an ac- 
knowledgment that the Lamb of God 
alone has the right to break the mys- 
terious seals. The importance of the 
developments justifies the magnificence 
of this representation; and it would 
not be possible to imagine a more 
sublime introduction to these great 
events. 

1. And I saw in the right hand of 
him that sat on the throne. Of God. 
Ch. iv. 3, 4. His form is not described 
there, nor is there any intimation of it 
here except the mention of his "right 
hand." The book or roll seems to have 
been so held in his hand that John 
could see its shape, and see distinctly 
how it was written and sealed. <|f A 
book (fiiftXiov). This word is properly a 
diminutive of the word commonly ren- 
dered book (fiifiXos), and would strictly 
mean a small book, or a book of diminu- 
tive size — a tablet, or a letter. Liddell 
and Scott, Lex. It is used, however, to 
denote a book of any size — a roll, scroll, 
or volume ; and is thus used (a) to de- 
note the Pentateuch, or the Mosaic 
law, Heb. ix. 19, x. 7; (b) the book 
of life, Rev. xvii. 8, xx. 12, xxi. 27 ; 
(c) epistles, which were also rolled up, 
Rev. i. 11 ; (d) documents, as a bill of 
divorce, Matt. xix. 7, Mark x. 4. When 
it is the express design to speak of 
a small book, another word is used 
(PiPXapMov), Rev. x. 2, 8, 9, 10. The 
book or roll referred to here was that 
which contained the revelation in the 
subsequent chapters, to the end of the 
description of the opening of the seventh 
seal — for the communication that was to 
be made was all included in the seven 
seals ; and to conceive of the size of the 
book, therefore, we are only to reflect on 
the amount of parchment that would 
naturally be written over by the com- 
munications here made. The form of 



book ° written within and on the 
back side, * sealed with seven seals. 

a Eze 2. 9,10. 6 Is. 29. 11. 



the book was undoubtedly that of a 
scroll or roll,- for that was the usual 
form of books among the ancients, and 
such a volume could be more easily 
sealed with a number of seals, in the 
manner here described, than a volume in 
the form in which books are made now. 
On the ancient form of books, see Notes 
on Luke iv. 17. The following cut will 
furnish an additional illustration of their 




usual form, ^ Written within and on 
the back side. Gr. ( Within and behind/ 
It was customary to write only on one 
side of the paper or vellum, for the sake 
of convenience in reading the volume as 
it was unrolled. If, as sometimes was 
the case, the book was in the same form 
as books are now — of leaves bound 
together — then it was usual to write on 
both sides of the leaf, as both sides of a 
page are printed now. But in the other 
form it was a very uncommon thing to 
write on both sides of the parchment, 
and was never done unless there was a 
scarcity of writing material; or unless 
there was an amount of matter beyond 
what was anticipated; or unless some- 
thing had been omitted. It is not 
necessary to suppose that John saw 
both sides of the parchment as it was 
held in the hand of him that sat on the 
throne. That it was written on the 
back side he would naturally see, and, as 
the book was sealed he would infer that 
it was written in the usual manner on 
the inside, \ Sealed with seven seals 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER V. 



147 



2 And I saw a strong angel pro- 
claiming with a loud voice, Who is 
worthy to open the book, and to 
loose the seals thereof? 



On the ancient manner of sealing, see 
Notes on Matt, xxvii. 66; comp. Notes 
on Job xxxviii. 14. The fact that there 
were seven seals — an unusual number in 
fastening a volume — would naturally 
attract the attention of John, though it 
might not occur to him at once that 
there was any thing significant in the 
number. It is not stated in what man- 
ner the seals were attached to the 
volume, but it is clear that they were so 
attached that each seal closed one part 
of the volume, and that when one was 
broken and the portion which that was 
designed to fasten was unrolled, a second 
would be come to, which it would be 
necessary to break in order to read the 
next portion. The outer seal would in- 
deed bind the whole ; but when that was 
broken it would not give access to the 
whole volume unless each successive 
seal were broken. May it not have 
been intended by this arrangement to 
suggest the idea that the whole future is 
unknown to us, and that the disclosure 
of any one portion, though necessary if 
the whole would be known, does not 
disclose all, but leaves seal after seal 
still unbroken, and that they are all to 
be broken one after another if we would 
i know all? How these were arranged, 
John does not say. All that is neces- 
sary to be supposed is, that the seven 
seals were put successively upon the 
margin of the volume as it was rolled 
up, so that each opening would extend 
only as far as the next seal, when 
the unrolling would be arrested. Any 
one by rolling up a sheet of paper could 
so fasten it with pins, or with a suc- 
! cession of seals, as to represent this with 
! sufficient accuracy. 

2. And I saw a strong angel. An 
| angel endowed with great strength, as 
I if such strength was necessary to enable 
| him to give utterance to the loud voice 
of the enquiry. " Homer represents 
his heralds as powerful, robust men, in 
order consistently to attribute to them 
I deep-toned and powerful voices." Prof. 
| Stuart. The enquiry to be made was 
I one of vast importance; it was to be 
i made of all in heaven, all on the earth, 



3 And no man in heaven, nor in 
earth, neither under the earth, was 
able to open the book, neither to 
look thereon. 



and all under the earth, and hence an 
angel is introduced so mighty that his 
voice could be heard in all those distant 
worlds. Proclaiming with a loud 
voice. That is, as a herald or crier. 
He is rather introduced here as appoint- 
ed to this office than as self-moved. The 
design undoubtedly is to impress the 
mind with a sense of the importance of 
the disclosures about to be made, and at 
the same time with a sense of the impos- 
sibility of penetrating the future by any 
created power. That one of the highest 
angels should make such a proclama- 
tion would sufficiently show its impor- 
tance; that such an one, by the mere 
act of making such a proclamation, 
should practically confess his own ina- 
bility, and consequently the inability of 
all of similar rank, to make the dis- 
closures, would show that the revela- 
tions of the future were beyond mere 
created power. f[ Who is worthy to 
open the book, &c. That is, who i? 
" worthy" in the sense of having a rank 
so exalted, and attributes so compre- 
hensive, as to authorize and enable him 
to do it. In other words, Who has the 
requisite endowments of all kinds to 
enable him to do it ? It would require 
moral qualities of an exalted character 
to justify him in approaching the seat of 
the holy God to take the book from his 
hands ; it would require an ability be- 
yond that of any created being to pene- 
trate the future, and disclose the mean- 
ing of the symbols which were employed. 
The fact that the book was held in the 
hand of him that was on the throne, and 
sealed in this manner, was in itself a 
sufficient proof that it was not his pur- 
pose to make the disclosure directly, and 
the natural enquiry arose whether there 
was any one in the wide universe who, 
by rank, or character, or office, would 
be empowered to open the mysterious 
volume. 

3. And no man in heaven. No one — 
6v6sig. There is no limitation in tht 
original to man. The idea is, that there 
was no one in heaven — evidently allud- 
ing to the created beings there — who 
could open the volume. Is it not taught 



14* 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



4 And I wept much, because no 
man was found worthy to open and 
to read the book, neither to look 
thereon. 



here that angels cannot penetrate the 
future, and disclose what is to come? 
Are not their faculties limited in this 
respect like those of man ? % Nor in 
earth. Among all classes of men — 
sages, divines, prophets, philosophers, 
who among those have ever been able 
to penetrate the future, and disclose 
what is to come? Neither under the 
earth. These divisions compose, in com- 
mon language, the universe: — what is 
in heaven above ; what is on the earth ; 
and whatever there is under the earth — 
the abodes of the dead. May there not 
be an allusion here to the supposed 
science of necromancy, and an assertion 
that even the dead cannot penetrate the 
future, and disclose what is to come ? 
Comp. Notes on Isa. viii. 19. In all 
these great realms no one advanced who 
was qualified to undertake the office of 
making a disclosure of what the mys- 
terious scroll might contain, Was 
able to open the book. Had ability — 
rjdvvaro — to do it. It was a task beyond 
their power. Even if any one had been 
found who had a rank and a moral cha- 
racter which might have seemed to 
justify the effort, there was no one 
who had the power of reading what 
was recorded respecting coming events. 
% Neither to look thereon. That is, so 
to open the seals as to have a view of 
what was written therein. That it was 
not beyond their power merely to see the 
book, is apparent from the fact that John 
himself saw it in the hand of him that 
sat on the throne, and it is evident also 
(ver. 5), that in that sense the elders 
saw it. But no one could prevail to 
inspect the contents, or so have access 
to the interior of the volume as to be 
able to see what was written there. It 
could be seen, indeed, (ver. 1) that it was 
written on both sides of the parchment, 
but what the writing was no one could 
know. 

4. And I wept much, because no man 
was found, worthy, &c. Gr., as in ver. 3, 
no one. It would seem as if there was a 
pause to see if there were any response 
to the proclamation of the angel. There 
being none, John gave way to his deep 



5 And one of the elders saith 
unto me, Weep not: behold, the 
Lion ° of the tribe of Juda, the 
a Ge. 49.9,10. Nu. 24.9. He. 7. 14. 



emotions in a flood of tears. The tears 
of the apostle here may be regarded as 
an illustration of two things which are 
occurring constantly in the minds of 
men: — (1.) The strong desire to pene- 
trate the future ; to lift the mysterious 
veil which shrouds that which is to 
come; to find some way to pierce the 
dark wall which seems to stand up 
before us, and which shuts from our 
view that which is to be hereafter. 
There have been no more earnest efforts 
made by men than those which have 
been made to read the sealed volume 
which contains the record of what is 
yet to come. By dreams, and omens, 
and auguries, and astrology, and the 
flight of birds, and necromancy, men have 
sought anxiously to ascertain what is to 
be hereafter. Compare, for an expression 
of that intense desire, Foster's Life and 
Correspondence, vol. i. p. Ill, and vol. 
ii. pp. 237, 238. (2.) The weeping of the 
apostle may be regarded as an instance 
of the deep grief which men often 
experience when all efforts to pene- 
trate the future fail, and they feel that 
after all they are left completely in the 
dark. Often is the soul overpowered 
with grief, and often are the eyes filled 
with sadness at the reflection that there 
is an absolute limit to the human powers ; 
that all that man can arrive at by his 
own efforts is uncertain conjecture; and 
that there is no way possible by which 
he can make nature speak out and dis- 
close what is to come. No where does 
man find himself more fettered and 
limited in his powers than here; no- 
where does he feel that there is such an 
intense disproportion between his desires 
and his attainments. In nothing do we 
feel that we are more absolutely in need 
of divine help than in our attempts to 
unveil the future, and were it not for 
revelation man might weep in despair. 

5. And one of the elders saith unto 
me. See Notes on ch. iv. 4. No par- 
ticular reason is assigned why this mes- 
sage was delivered by one of the elders 
rather than by an angel.- If the elders 
were, however, (See Notes on ch. iv. 4) 
the representatives of the church, there 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEE "V 



149 



Root ° of David, hath prevailed to 
open the book, and to loose the 
seven seals thereof. 
6 And I beheld, and lo, in the 

a Is. 11. 1,10. c. 22.16. 



was a propriety that they should address 
John in his trouble. Though they were 
in heaven, they were deeply interested in 
all that pertained to the welfare of the 
church, and they had been permitted to 
understand what as yet was unknown to 
him, that the power of opening the mys- 
terious volume which contained the 
revelation of the future, was entrusted 
particularly to the Messiah. Having 
this knowledge they were prepared to 
comfort him with the hope that what 
was so mysterious would be made 
known, W eep not. That is, there is 
no occasion for tears. The object which 
you so much desire can be obtained. 
There is one who can break those seals, 
and who can unroll that volume and 
read what is recorded there, ^ Behold, 
the Lion of the tribe of Juda. This un- 
doubtedly refers to the Lord Jesus; 
and the points needful to be explained 
are, why he is called a Lion, and why 
he is spoken of as the Lion of the tribe 
of Juda. (a) As to the first : — This ap- 
pellation is not elsewhere given to the 
Messiah, but it is not difficult to see its 
propriety as used in this place. The 
lion is the king of beasts, the monarch 
of the forest, and thus becomes an em- 
blem of one of kingly authority and of 
power (see Notes on ch. iv. 7), and as 
such the appellation is used in this 
place. It is because Christ has power to 
open the seals — as if he ruled over the 
universe, and all events were under his 
control, as the lion rules in the forest — 
that the name is here given to him. 
(6) As to the other point : — He is called 
the "Lion of the tribe of Juda/' doubt- 
less with reference to the prophecy in 
Gen. xlix. 9, " Judah is a lion's whelp ; 
from the prey, my son, thou art gone 
up : he stooped down, he couched as a 
lion, and as an old lion and from the 
fact that the Messiah was of the tribe of 
Judah. Comp. Gen. xlix. 10. This use 
of the term would connect him in the 
apprehension of John with the prophecy, 
and would suggest to him the idea of 
his being a ruler, or having dominion. 
As such, therefore, it would be appro- 
13* 



midst of the throne and of the four 
beasts, and in the midst of the 
elders, stood a Lamb, A as it had 
been slain, having seven horns* 

b Is. 53. 7. Jno. 1. 29, 36. 



priate that the power of breaking these 
seals should be committed to him. 
\ The Boot of David. Not the Root ef 
David in the sense that David sprung 
from him as a tree does from a root, but 
in the sense that he himself was a "root- 
shoot" or sprout from David, and had 
sprung from him as a shoot or sprout 
springs up from a decayed and fallen 
tree. See Notes on Isa. xi. 1. This ex- 
pression would connect him directly with 
David, the great and glorious monarch 
of Israel, and as having a right to occupy 
his throne. As one thus ruling over the 
people of God, there was a propriety that 
to him should be entrusted the task of 
opening these seals, Raih prevailed. 
That is, he has acquired this power as 
the result of a conflict or struggle. The 
word used here — iviKrjaev — refers to such 
a conflict or struggle, properly meaning 
to come off victor; to overcome ; to con- 
quer; to subdue; and the idea here is 
that his power to do this, or the reason 
Trhy he does this, is the result of a con- 
flict in which he was a victor. As the 
series of events to be disclosed, resulting 
in the final triumph of religion, was the 
effect of his conflicts with the powers of 
evil, there was a special propriety that 
the disclosure should be made by him. 
The truths taught in this verse are, 
(1) That the power of making disclo- 
sures in regard to the future is entrusted 
to the Messiah; and (2) that this, so far 
as he is concerned, is the result of a 
conflict or struggle on his part. 

6. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst 
of the throne. We are not to suppose 
that he was in the centre of the throne 
itself, but he was a conspicuous object 
when the throne and the elders and the 
living beings were seen. He was so 
placed as to seem to be in the midst of 
the group made up of the throne, the 
living beings, and the elders, f And of 
the four beasts. See Notes, ch. iv. 6. 
% Stood a Lamb. An appellation often 
given to the Messiah, for two reasons : 
(1) because the lamb was an emblem 
of innocence; and (2) because a lamb 
was offered commonly in sacrifice. Comp, 



150 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



and seven eyes, & which are the 
seven Spirits of God sent forth 
into all the earth. 

a Zee. 4. 10. 



Notes on John i. 29. As it had been 
slain. That is, in some way having the 
appearance of having been slain ; having 
some marks or indications about it that 
it had been slain. What those were, the 
writer does not specify. If it were 
covered with blood, or there were marks 
of mortal wounds, it would be all that 
the representation demands. The great 
work which the Redeemer performed — 
that of making an atonement for sin — 
was thus represented to John in such a 
way that he at once recognized him, 
and saw the reason why the office of 
breaking the seals was entrusted to him. 
It should be remarked that this repre- 
sentation is merely symbolic, and we are 
not to suppose that the Redeemer really 
assumed this form, or that he appears in 
this form in heaven. We should no 
more suppose that the Redeemer ap- 
pears literally as a lamb in heaven with 
numerous eyes and horns, than that 
there is a literal throne and a sea of 
glass there; that there are " seats" there 
and "elders," and "crowns of gold." 
If Having seven horns. Emblems of 
authority and power — for the horn is 
a symbol of power and dominion. 
Comp. Dent, xxxiii. 17; 1 Kings xxii. 
11; Jer. xlviii. 25; Zech. i. 18; Dan. 
vii. 24. The propriety of this symbol is 
laid in the fact that the strength of an 
animal is in the horn, and that it is by 
this that he obtains a victory over 
other animals. The number seven here 
seems to be designed, as in other places, 
to denote completeness. See Notes on 
ch. i. 4. The meaning is, that he had so 
large a number as to denote complete 
dominion, And seven eyes. Symbols 
of intelligence.* The number seven here 
also denotes completeness, and the idea 
is, that he is able to survey all things. 
John does not say any thing as to the 
relative arrangement of the horns and 
eyes on the " Lamb," and it is vain to 
attempt to conjecture how it was. The 
whole representation is symbolical, and 
we may understand the meaning of the 
symbol without being able to form an 
exact conception of the figure as it ap- 



7 And he came and took the 
book out of the right hand of him 
that sat upon the throne. 



p eared to him. ^ Which are the seven 
Spirits of God sent forth into all the 
earth. See Notes on ch. i. 4. That is, 
which represent the seven Spirits of 
God ; or the manifold operations of the 
one divine Spirit. As the eye is the 
symbol of intelligence — outward objects 
being made visible to us by that — so it 
may well represent an all-pervading 
spirit that surveys and sees all things. 
The eye, in this view, among the Egyp- 
tians was an emblem of the Deity. By 
the " Seven Spirits" here the same thing 
is doubtless intended as in ch. i. 4; and 
if, as there supposed, the reference is to 
the Holy Spirit considered with respect 
to his manifold operations, the meaning 
here is, that the operations of that Spirit 
are to be regarded as connected with the 
work of the Redeemer. Thus, all the 
operations of the Spirit are connected 
with, and are a part of, the work of re- 
demption. The expression " sent forth 
into all the earth," refers to the fact 
that that Spirit pervades all things. 
The Spirit of God is often represented 
as sent or poured out; and the meaning 
here is, that his operations are as ifh.e was 
sent out to survey all things and to ope- 
rate everywhere. Comp. 1 Cor. xii.6-11. 

7. And he came and took the book out 
of the right hand, &c. As if it pertained 
to him by virtue of rank or office. There 
is a difficulty here arising from the 
incongruity of what is said of a lamb, 
which it is not easy to solve. The diffi- 
culty is in conceiving how a lamb could 
take the book from the hand of him who 
held it. To meet this several solutions 
have been proposed. (1) Vitringa sup- 
poses that the Messiah appeared as a 
lamb only in some such sense as the four 
living beings (ch. iv. 7) resembled a lion, 
a calf, and an eagle; that is, that they 
bore this resemblance only in respect to 
the head, while the body was that of a 
man. He thus supposes that, though in 
respect to the upper part, the Saviour 
resembled a lamb, yet that to the front 
part of the body hands were attached 
by which he could take the book. But 
there are great difficulties in this suppo- 



1 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER V. 



151 



eition. Besides that nothing of this 
kind is intimated by John, it is contrary 
to every appearance of probability that 
the Redeemer would be represented as a 
monster. In his being represented as a 
lamb there is nothing that strikes the 
mind as inappropriate or unpleasant, 
for he is often spoken of in this man- 
ner, and the image is one that is 
agreeable to the mind. But all this 
beauty and fitness of representation is 
destroyed, if we think of him as having 
human hands proceeding from his breast 
or sides, or as blending the form of a 
man and an animal together. The re- 
presentation of having an unusual num- 
ber of horns and eyes does not strike 
us as being incongruous in the same 
sense ; for, though the number is increas- 
ed, they are such as pertain properly to 
the animal to which they are attached. 
(2) Another supposition is that sug- 
gested by Prof. Stuart, that the form 
was changed, and a human form resumed 
when the Saviour advanced to take the 
book and open it. This would relieve 
the whole difficulty, and the only ob- 
jection to it is, that John has not given 
any express notice of such a change 
in the form ; and the only question can 
be whether it is right to suppose it in 
order to meet the difficulty in the case. 
In support of this it is said that all is 
symbol,- that the Saviour is represented 
in the book in various forms j that as his 
appearing as a lamb was designed to 
represent in a striking manner the fact 
that he was slain, and that all that he 
did was based on the atonement, so 
there would be no impropriety in sup- 
posing that when an action was at- 
tributed to him he assumed the form in 
which that act would be naturally or is 
usually done. And as in taking a book 
from the hand of another it is wholly 
incongruous to think of its being done by 
a lamh, is it not most natural to suppose 
that the usual form in which the Saviour 
is represented as appearing would be 
resumed, and that he would appear 
again as a man ? — But, is it absolutely 
certain that he appeared in the form of 
a lamb at all ? May not all that is meant 
be, that John saw him near the throne, 
and among the elders, and was struck 
at once with his appearance of meekness 
and innocence, and with the marks of 
lai: haying been slain as a sacrifice, and 



spoke of him in strong figurative lan- 
guage as a lamb ? And where his " seven 
horns" and "seven eyes" are spoken of, 
is it necessary to suppose that there was 
any real assumption of such horns and 
eyes ? May not all that is meant be 
that John was struck with that in the 
appearance of the Redeemer of which 
these would be the appropriate symbols, 
and described him as if these had been 
visible? When John the Baptist saw 
the Lord Jesus on the banks of the 
Jordan, and said, "Behold the Lamb of 
God which taketh away the sin of the 
world" (John i. 29), is it necessary to 
suppose that he actually appeared in the 
form of a lamb ? Do not all at once un- 
derstand him as referring to traits in his 
character, and to the work which he was 
to accomplish, which made it proper to 
speak of him as a lamb ? And why, there- 
fore, may we not suppose that J ohn in the 
Apocalypse designed to use language in 
the same way, and that he did not 
intend to present so incongruous a 
description as that of a lamb approach- 
ing a throne and taking a book from the 
hand of him that sat on it, and a lamb 
too with many horns and eyes ? If this 
supposition is correct, then all that is 
meant in this passage would be ex- 
pressed in some such language as the 
following : ' And I looked, and lo there 
was one in the midst of the space occu- 
pied by the throne, by the living crea- 
tures, and by the elders, who, in aspect, 
and in the emblems that represented his 
work on the earth, was spotless, meek, 
and innocent as a lamb ; — one with 
marks on his person which brought to 
remembrance the fact that he had been 
slain for the sins of the world, and yet 
one who had most striking symbols of 
power and intelligence, and who was 
therefore worthy to approach and take 
the book from the hand of him that sat 
on the throne/ It may do something to 
confirm this view to recollect that when 
we use the term "Lamb of God" now, 
as is often done in preaching and in 
prayer, it never suggests to the mind the 
idea of a lamb. - We think of the Re- 
deemer as resembling a lamb in his 
moral attributes and in his sacrifice, but 
never as to form. This supposition 
relieves the passage of all that is incon- 
gruous and unpleasant, and may be all 
that John meant. 



152 



EE VEL ATION, 



J A. D. 96. 



8 And when he had taken the 
book, the four a beasts and four 
and twenty elders, fell down before 
the Lamb, having every one of 

a c. 4. 4, 8, 10. 

8. And when he had taken the book, 
the four beasts, &c. The acts of adora- 
tion here described as rendered by the 
jour living creatures and the elders, are, 
according to the explanation given in 
ch. iv. 4-7, emblematic of the honor 
done to the Redeemer by the church 
and by the course of providential events 
in the government of the world, Fall 
down before the Lamb. The usual pos- 
ture of profound worship. Usually in 
such worship there was entire prostra- 
tion on the earth. See Notes on Matt, 
ii. 2 ; 1 Cor. xiv. 25. ^ Having every 
one of them harps. That is, as the con- 
struction, and the propriety of the case 
would seem to demand, the elders had 
each one of them harps. The whole 
prostrated themselves with profound 
reverence; the elders had harps and 
censers, and broke out into a song of 
praise for redemption. This construc- 
tion is demanded, because (a) the Greek 
word — e%ovTcs — more properly agrees 
with the word elders — -pecfivrEpoi — and 
not with the word beasts — £<5a ; (b) there 
is an incongruity in the representa- 
tion that the living creatures — in the 
form of a lion, a calf, an eagle, should 
have harps and censers; and (c) the song 
of praise that is sung (ver. 9) is one that 
properly applies to the elders as the re- 
presentatives of the church, and not to 
the living creatures, "Thou hast re- 
deemed us to God by thy blood." The 
harp was a well-known instrument used 
in the service of God. Josephus describes 
it as having ten strings, and as struck 
with a key. Ant. 7. 12. 3. See Notes 
on Isa. v. 12. And golden vials. The 
word vial with us, denoting a small 
slender bottle with a narrow neck, evi- 
dently does not express the idea here. 
The article here referred to was used for 
offering incense, and must have been a 
vessel with a large open mouth. The 
word bowl or goblet would better ex- 
press the idea, and it is so explained by 
Prof. Robinson, Lex., and by Prof. 
Stuart, in loc. The Greek word — <pid\rj 
— occurs in the New Testament only in 
Revelation (v. 8, xv. 7, xvi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 



them harps, b and golden vials full 
of odors, which are the prayers d 
of saints. 

b c. 15. 2. c Or, incense. d Ps. 141. 2. 



8, 10, 12, 17, xvii. 1, xxi. 9), and is uni- 
formly rendered vial and vials, though 
the idea is always that of a bowl or gob- 
let, f Full of odors. Or rather, as in 
the margin, full of incense — -Su/uarwv. 
See Notes on Luke i. 9. *jj Which are 
the prayers of saints. Which represent 
or denote the prayers of saints. Comp. 
Ps. cxli. 2, " Let my prayer be set forth 
before thee as incense." , The meaning 
is, that incense was a proper emblem of 
prayer. This seems to have been in 
two respects : (a) as being acceptable to 
God — as incense produced an agreeable 
fragrance ; and (b) in its being wafted 
towards heaven — ascending towards the 
eternal throne. In ch. viii 3, an angel 
is represented as having a golden censer ; 
"And there was given unit him much 
incense, that he should uffei it with the 
prayers of all saints upon the golden 
altar which was before tho vthrone." 
The representation there, undoubtedly 
is, that the angel is employed in pre- 
seniing the prayers of the saints which 
were offered on earth before the thronb. 
See Notes on that passage. It is most 
natural to interpret the passage before 
us in the same way. The allusion is 
clearly to the temple service, and to the 
fact that incense was offered by the 
priest in the temple itself at the time 
that prayer was offered by the people in 
the courts of the temple. See Luke i. 

9, 10. The idea here is, therefore, that 
the representatives of the church in hea- 
ven — the elders — spoken of as " priests" 
(ver. 10), are described as officiating in 
the temple above in behalf of the church 
still below, and as offering incense while 
the church is engaged in prayer. It is 
not said that they offer the prayers 
themselves, but that they offer incense as 
representing the prayers of the saints. 
If this be the correct interpretation, as 
it seems to be the obvious one, then the 
passage lays no foundation for the opinion 
expressed by Prof. Stuart, as derived 
from this passage (in loc), that prayer 
is offered by the redeemed in heaven. 
Whatever may be the truth on that 
point — on which the Bible seem3 to be 



A. D 96.] 



CHAPTER V. 



153 



9 And they sung a new a song, 
saying, Thou art worthy to take 

a c. 14. 3. 

silent — it will find no support from the 
passage before us. Adoration, praise, 
thanksgiving, are represented as the em- 
ployment of the saints in heaven ; the 
only representation respecting prayer 
as pertaining to that world is, that there 
are emblems there which symbolize its 
ascent before the throne, and which 
show that it is acceptable to God. It is 
an interesting and beautiful representa- 
tion that there are in heaven appro- 
priate symbols of ascending prayer, and 
that while in the outer courts here 
below we offer prayer, incense, emble- 
matic of it, ascends in the holy of 
holies above. The impression which 
this should leave on our minds ought to 
be, that our prayers are wafted before 
the throne, and are acceptable to God. 

9. Arid they sung a new song. Comp. 
ch. xiv. 3. New in the sense that it is 
a song consequent on redemption, and 
distinguished therefore from the songs 
sung in heaven before the work of re- 
demption was consummated. We may 
suppose that songs of adoration have 
always been sung in heaven ; we know 
that the praises of God were celebrated 
by the angelic choirs when the founda- 
tions of the earth were laid (J ob xxxviii. 
7); but the song of redemption was a 
different song, and is one that would 
never have been sung there if man had 
not fallen, and if the Redeemer had not 
died. This song strikes notes which the 
other songs do not strike, and refers to 
glories of the divine character, which 
but for the work of redemption would 
not have been brought into view. In 
this sense the song was new,' it will 
continue to be new in the sense that it 
will be sung afresh as redeemed millions 
continue to ascend to heaven. Comp. 
Ps. xl. 3, xcvi. 1, cxliv. 9 ; Isa. xlii. 10. 
51 Thou art worthy to take the hook, &o. 
This was the occasion or ground of the 
"new song/' that by his coming and 
deata he had acquired a right to ap- 
proach where no other one could ap- 
proach, and to do what no other one 
could d<y. For thou wast slain. The 
language here is such as would be ap- 
propriate to a lamb slain as a sacrifice ; 
ihe idea is, that the fact that he was thus 



the book, and to open the seals 
thereof: for thou wast slain, and 
hast redeemed us to God by thy 



slain constituted the ground of his 
worthiness to open the book. It could not 
be meant that there was in him no other 
ground of worthiness, but that this was 
that which was most conspicuous. It is 
just the outburst pf the grateful feeling 
resulting from redemption, that he who 
has died to save the soul is worthy of 
all honor, and is fitted to accomplish 
what no other being in the universe can 
do. However this may appear to the 
inhabitants of other worlds ; or however 
it may appear to the dwellers on the 
earth who have no interest in the work 
of redemption, yet all who are redeemed 
will agree in the sentiment that he who 
has ransomed them with his blood has 
performed a work to do which every 
other being was incompetent ; and that 
now all honor in heaven and on earth 
may appropriately be conferred on him. 

And hast redeemed tis. The word 
here used — ayopd^u) — means properly to 
purchase, to buy, and is thus employed 
to denote redemption, because redemp- 
tion was accomplished by the payment 
of a price. On the meaning of the 
word, see Notes on 2 Peter ii. 1. ^ To 
God. That is, so that we become his, 
and are to be henceforward regarded as 
such ; or so, that he might possess us 
as his own. See Notes on 2 Cor. v. 15. 
This is the true nature of redemption, 
that by the price paid we are rescued 
from the servitude of Satan, and are 
henceforth to regard ourselves as be- 
longing unto God. By thy blood. See 
Notes on Acts xx. 28. This is such 
language as they use who believe in the 
doctrine of the atonement ; and is such as 
would be used by them alone. It would 
not be employed by those who believe 
that Christ was a mere martyr, or that 
he lived and died merely as a teacher of 
morality. If he was truly an atoning 
sacrifice, the language is full of mean- 
ing; if not, it has no significance, and 
could not be understood, Out of 
every kindred. Literally, < of every 
tribe' — <pv\rjs. The word tribe means 
properly a comparatively small division 
or class of people associated together. 
Prof. Stuart. It refers to a family, or 
race, having a common ancestor, and 



154 



KEVELATION, 



[A. B. 96 



blood, ° out of every b kindred, and 
tongue, and people, and nation ; 

a Ac. 20. 28. Ep. 1. 7. He. 9. 12. 1 Pe. 
1. 18, 19. b e. 7. 9. 



usually associated or banded together — 
as one of the tribes of Israel ; a tribe of 
Indians ; a tribe of plants ; a tribe of 
animals, &c. This is such language as 
a Jew would use, denoting one of the 
smaller divisions that made up a nation 
of people ; and the meaning would seem 
to be, that it will be found ultimately to 
be true that the redeemed will have been 
taken from all such minor divisions of 
the human family — not only from the 
different nations but from the smaller 
divisions of those nations. This can 
only be true from the fact that the 
knowledge of the true religion will yet 
be diffused among all those smaller por- 
tions of the human race ; that is, that 
its diffusion will be universal. ^ And 
tongue. People speaking all languages. 
The word here used would seem to 
denote a division of the human family 
larger than a tribe but smaller than a 
nation. It was formerly a fact that a 
nation might be made up of those who 
spoke many different languages — as, for 
example, the Assyrian, the Babylonian, 
or the Roman nations. Comp. Dan. iii. 
29, iv. 1. The meaning here is, that no 
matter what language the component 
parts of the nations speak, the gospel 
will be conveyed to them, and in their 
own tongue they will learn the wonder- 
ful works of God. Comp. Acts ii. 8-11. 
^ And people. The word here used — 
Xad? — properly denotes a people con- 
sidered as a mass, made up of smaller 
divisions — as an association of smaller 
bodies, — or as a multitude of such bodies 
united together. It is distinguished 
from another word commonly applied to 
a people- — drinos — for that is applied to a 
community of free citizens, considered as 
on a level, or without reference to any 
minor divisions or distinctions. The 
words here used would apply to an 
army, considered as made up of regi- 
ments, battalions, or tribes ; to a mass- 
meeting, made up of societies of different 
trades or professions ; to a nation, made 
up of different associated communities, 
&c. It denotes a larger body of people 
than the previous words, and the idea 



10 And hast made us unto our 
God kings c and prieyts : and we 
shall d reign on the earth. 



c c. l. ( 



d c. 22. 5. 



is, that no matter of what people or 
nation, considered as made up of such 
separate portions, one may be, he will 
not be excluded from the blessings of 
redemption. The sense would be well 
expressed by saying, for instance, that 
there will be found there those of 
the Gaelic race, the Celtic, the Anglo- 
Saxon, the Mongolian, the African, &c. 
% And nation. E^vog. A word of still 
larger signification ; the people in a still 
wider sense ; a people or nation con- 
sidered as distinct from all others. The 
word would embrace all who come 
under one sovereignty or rule — as, for 
example, the British nation, however 
many minor tribes there may be ,• how- 
ever many different languages may be 
spoken; and however many separate 
people there may be — as the Anglo- 
Saxon, the Scottish, the Irish, the people 
of Hindustan, of Labrador, of New South 
Wales, &c. The words here used by 
John would together denote nations of 
every kind, great and small; and th6 
sense is, that the blessings of redemp- 
tion will be extended to all parts of the 
earth. 

10. And hast made us unto our God 
kings and priests. See Notes on ch. i. 
6. And we shall reign on the earth. 
The redeemed, of whom we are the 
representatives. The idea clearly is, in 
accordance with what is so frequently 
said in the Scriptures, that the dominion 
on the earth will be given to the 
saints ; that is, that there will be such a 
prevalence of true religion, and the re- 
deemed will be so much in the ascend- 
ency, that the affairs of the nations will 
be in their hands. Righteous men will 
hold the offices ; will fill places of trust 
and responsibility ; will have a con- 
trolling voice in all that pertains to 
human affairs. See Notes on Dan. vii. 
27, and Rev. xx. 1-6. To such a pre- 
valence of religion all things are tend- 
ing ; and to this, in all the disorder and 
sin which now exist, are we permitted to 
look forward. It is not said that this 
will be a reign under the Saviour in a 
literal kingdom on the earth ; nor is it 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAP TEE V. 



155 



11 And I beheld, and I heard 
the voice of many angels round 
about the throne and the beasts 
and the elders : and the a number 
of them was ten thousand times 

a Da. 7. 10. He. 12. 22. 



said that the saints will descend from 
heaven, and occupy thrones of power 
under Christ as a visible king. The 
simple affirmation is, that they will 
reign on the earth ; and as this seems 
to be spoken in the name of the re- 
deemed, all that is necessary to be un- 
derstood is, that there will be such a 
prevalence of true religion on the earth 
that it will become a vast kingdom of 
holiness, and that, instead of being in 
the minority, the saints will everywhere 
have the ascendency. 

11. And I beheld. And I looked 
again, And I heard the voice of many 
angels. The inhabitants of heaven 
uniting with the representatives of the 
redeemed church, in ascribing honor to 
the Lamb of God. The design is to 
show that there is universal sympathy 
and harmony in heaven, and that all 
worlds will unite in ascribing honor to 
the Lamb of God. ^f Round about the 
throne and the beasts and the elders. In 
a circle or area beyond that which was 
occupied by the throne, the living crea- 
tures, and the elders. They occupied 
the centre as it appeared to John, and 
this innumerable company of angels sur- 
rounded them. The angels are repre- 
sented here, as they are everywhere in 
the Scriptures, as taking a deep interest 
in all that pertains to the redemption of 
men, and it is not surprising that they 
are here described as uniting with the 
representatives of the church in ren- 
dering honor to the Lamb of God. Comp. 
Notes on 1 Pet. i. 12. ^f And the num- 
ber of them was ten thousand times 
ten thousand. One hundred millions — a 
general term to denote either a count- 
less number, or an exceedingly great 
number. We are not to suppose that it 
is to be taken literally, ^f And thou- 
sands of thousands. Implying that the 
number before specified was not large 
enough to comprehend all. Besides the 
"ten thousand times ten thousand" 
there was a vast, uncounted host which 
«*ne could not attempt to enumerate. 



ten thousand, and thousands of 
thousands ; 

12 Saying with a loud voice. 
Worthy * is the Lamb that was 
slain to receive power, and riches, 
b c. 4. 11. 



The language here would seem to be 
taken from Dan. vii. 10 : " Thousand 
thousands ministered unto him, and ten 
thousand times ten thousand stood be- 
fore him/' Comp. Ps. lxviii. 17 : " The 
chariots of God are twenty thousand, 
even thousands of angels." See also 
Deut. xxxiii. 2 ,• 1 Kings xxii. 19. 

12. Saying with a loud voice, Worthy 
is the Lamb that was slain. See Notes 
on vs. 2, 9. The idea here is, that the 
fact that he was slain, or was made a 
sacrifice for sin, was the ground or 
reason for what is here ascribed to him. 
Comp. Notes on ver. 5. *f To receive 
power. Power or authority to rule over 
all things. Comp. Notes on Matt, 
xxviii. 18. The meaning here is, that 
he was worthy that these things should 
be ascribed to him, or to be addressed 
and acknowledged as possessing them. 
A part of these things were his in virtue 
of his very nature — as wisdom, glory, 
riches ; a part were conferred on him as 
the result of his work — as the media- 
torial dominion over the universe, the 
honor resulting from his work, &c. In 
view of all that he was, and of all that 
he has done, he is here spoken of as 
"worthy" of all these things. ^ And 
riches. Abundance. That is, he is 
worthy that whatever contributes to 
honor, and glory, and happiness, should 
be conferred on him in abundance. 
Himself the original proprietor of all 
things, it is fit that he should be recog- 
nized as such ; and having performed 
the work which he has, ft is proper that 
whatever may be made to contribute to 
his honor should be regarded as his. 
^ And wisdom. That he should be 
esteemed as eminently wise; that is, 
that as the result of the work whicli 
he has accomplished, he should be re- 
garded as having ability to choose the 
best ends, and the best means to accom- 
plish them. The feeling here referred 
to is that which arises from the contem- 
plation of the work of salvation by the 
. Redeemer, as a work eminently charao- 



156 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



and wisdom, and strength, and 
honor, and glory, and blessing. 

13 And ° every creature which 
is in heaven, and on the earth, and 
under the earth, and such as are in 
the sea, and all that are in them, 
a Ph. 2. 10. 



terized by wisdom — wisdom manifested 
in meeting the evils of the fall ; in hon- 
oring the law ; in showing that mercy is 
consistent with justice ; and in adapting 
the whole plan to the character and 
wants of man. If wisdom was any 
where demanded, it was in reconciling 
a lost world to God ; if it has been any 
where displayed, it has been in the 
arrangements for that work, and in its 
execution by the Redeemer. See Notes 
on 1 Cor. i. 24; comp. Matt. xiii. 54; 
Luke ii. 40, 52; 1 Cor. i. 20, 21, 30; 
Eph. i. 8, iii. 10. % And strength. 
Ability to accomplish his purposes. 
That is, it is meet that he should be 
regarded as having such ability. This 
strength or power was manifested in 
overcoming the great enemy of man ; in 
his control of winds, and storms, and 
diseases and devils ; in triumphing over 
death ; in saving his people, ^ And 
honor. He should be esteemed and 
treated with honor for what he has 
done. ^[ And glory. This word refers 
to a higher ascription of praise than the 
word honor. Perhaps that might refer 
to the honor which we feel in our 
hearts ; this to the expression of that by 
the language of praise, And blessing. 
Every thing which would express the 
desire that he might be happy, honored, 
adored. To bless one is to desire that 
he may have happiness and prosperity ; 
that he may be successful, respected 
and honored. To bless God, or to as- 
cribe blessing to him, is that state where 
the heart is full of love and gratitude, 
and where it desires that he may be 
every where honored, loved, and obeyed 
as he should be. The words here ex- 
press the wish that the universe would 
ascribe to the Redeemer all honor, and 
that he might be every where loved and 
adored. 

13. And every creature wh:ch is in 
heaven. The meaning of this verse is, 
that all created things seemed to unite 
la rendering honor to him who sat on 
Jrs throne and to the Lamb. In the 



heard I saying, Blessing, b and 
honor, and glory, and power, be 
unto him that sitteth upon the 
throne, and unto the Lamb for 
ever and ever. 

b 1 Ch. 29. 11. 1 Ti. 6. 16. 1 Pe. 4. 11. 



previous verse, a certain number — a vast 
host — of angels are designated as ren- 
dering praise as they stood round the 
area occupied by the throne, the elders, 
and the living creatures; here it is 
added that all who were in heaven 
united in this ascription of praise. 
% And on the earth. All the universe 
was heard by John ascribing praise to 
God. A voice was heard from the hea- 
vens, from all parts of the earth, from 
under the earth, and from the depths of 
the sea, as if the entire universe joined 
in the adoration. It is not necessary 
to press the language literally, -aand still 
less is it necessary to understand by it, 
as Prof. Stuart does, that the angels 
who presided over the earth, over the 
under- world, and over the sea, are in- 
tended ; it is evidently popular language, 
and the sense is that John heard a uni- 
versal ascription of praise. All worlds 
seemed to join in it; all the dwellers on 
the earth and under the earth and in 
the sea partook of the spirit of heaven 
in rendering honor to the Redeemer. 

Under the earth. Supposed to be 
inhabited by the shades of the dead. 
See Notes on Job x. 21, 22; Isa. xiv. 9. 
% And such as are in the sea. All that 
dwell in the ocean. In Ps. cxlviii. 7- 
10, " Dragons and all deeps ; beasts and 
all cattle ; creeping things, and flying 
fowl," are called on to praise the Lord ; 
and there is no more incongruity or im- 
propriety in one description than in the 
other. In the Psalm, the universe is 
called on to render praise ; in the pas- 
sage before us it is described as actually 
doing it. The hills, the streams, the 
floods ; the fowls of the air, the dwellers 
in the deep, and the beasts that roam 
over the earth ; the songsters in the 
grove, and the insects that play in the 
sunbeam, in fact declare the glory of 
their Creator, and it requires no very 
strong effort of the fancy to imagine the 
universe as sending up a constant voice 
of thanksgiving, Blessing and hj%4)r s 
&c. There is a slight change he?d £ro» 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER V. 



157 



14 And a the four beasts said, 1 
Amen. And the four and twenty 

a c. 19. 4. 

ver. 12, but it is the same thing sub- 
stantia? hr. It is an ascription of all 
glory to God and to the Lamb. 

14. And the four beasts said, Amen. 
The voice of universal praise came to 
them from abroad, and they accorded 
with it, and ascribed honor to God. 
% And the four and twenty elders fell 
dou.n, &c. The living creatures and the 
elders began the work of praise (ver. 8), 
and it was proper that it should con- 
clude with them ; that is, they give the 
last and final response. Prof. Stuart. 
The whole universe, therefore, is sub- 
limely represented as in a state of 
profound adoration, waiting for the 
developments to follow on the opening 
of the mysterious volume. All feel an 
interest in it ; all feel that the secret is 
with God ; all feel that there is but one 
who can open this volume; and all gather 
around, in the most reverential posture, 
awaiting the disclosure of the great 
mystery. 

The truths taught in this chapter are 
the following : — 

1. The knowledge of the future is with 
<xod, ver. 1. It is as in a book held in 
his hand, fully written over, yet sealed 
with seven seals. 

2. It is impossible for man or angel 
to penetrate the future, vs. 2, 3. It 
seems to be a law of created being, 
that the ability to penetrate the future 
is placed beyond the reach of any 
of the faculties by which a creature is 
endowed. Of the past we have a record 
and we can remember it ; but no created 
being seems to have been formed with a 
power in reference to the future cor- 
responding with that in reference to the 
past: — with no faculty of foresight cor- 
responding to memory. 

3. It is natural that the mind should 
be deeply affected by the fact that we 
cannot penetrate the future, ver. 4. 
John wej)t in view of this ; and how 
often is the mind borne down with heavi- 
ness in view of that fact. What things 
there are, there must be, in that future 
of interest to us ! What changes there 
may be for us to experience ; what trials 
to pass through; what happiness to 
enjoy ; what scenes of glory to witness ! 
What progress may we make in know- 

14 



elders fell down and worshipped 
him that liveth for ever and ever. 



ledge; what new friendships may wo 
form ; what new displays of the divine 
perfections may we witness ! All our 
great interests are in the future ; in that 
which is to us now unknown. There is 
to be all the happiness which we are to 
enjoy, all the pain that we are to suffer; 
all that we hope, all that we fear. All 
the friends that we are to have are to bo 
there ; all the sorrows that we are to ex- 
perience are to be there. Yet an im- 
penetrable veil is set up to hide alJ 
that from our view. We cannot re- 
move it; we cannot penetrate it. There 
it stands to mock all our efforts, and in 
all our attempts to look into the future, 
we soon come to the barrier, and are 
repelled and driven back. Who has not 
felt his heart sad that he cannot look 
into that which is to come ! 

4. The power of laying open tho 
future to mortals has been entrusted to 
the Redeemer, vs. 5-7. It is a part of 
the work which was committed to him to 
make known to men as much as it was 
proper to be known. Hence he is at 
once a prophet, and is the inspirer of the 
prophets. Hence he came to teach men 
what is to be in the future pertaining 
to them, and hence he has caused to 
be recorded by the sacred writers all 
that is to be known of what is to 
come until it is slowly unfolded as 
events develop themselves. The Saviour 
alone takes the mysterious book and 
opens the seals ; he only unrols the 
volume and discloses to man what is 
to come. 

5. The fact that he does this is the 
foundation of joy and gratitude for the « 
church, vs. 8-10. It is impossible that 
the church should contemplate what the 
Saviour has revealed of the future with- 
out gratitude and joy ; and how often in 
times of persecution and trouble has the 
church joyfully turned to the develop- 
ments made by the Saviour of what is 
to be when the gospel shall spread over 
the world, and when truth and righteous- 
ness shall be triumphant. 

6. This fact is of interest to the an- 
gelic beings, and for them also it lays 
the foundation of praise, vs. 11-12. This 
may arise from these causes : — (a) from 
the interest which they take in the 



EEVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



o»tlurra., ui ohe h&\ pin ess which, they 
have iro. a *jny thing that increases its 
numbers or fragments its joy; (b) from 
the fact that in the disclosures of the 
future made by the Redeemer, there may 
b<" much that is new, and of interest 
to them (comp. IsToteo on 1 Pet. i. 12) ; 
and (c) from the fact that they cannot 
but rejoice in the revelations which are 
made of the final triumphs of truth in 
the universe. 

7. The universe at large has an in- 
terest in these disclosures, and the fact 
that they are to be made by the Re- 
deemer lays the foundation for universal 
joy, vs. 13, 14. These events pertain to 
all worlds, and it is proper that all the 
inhabitants of the universe should join 
in the expressions of adoration and 
thanksgiving. The universe is one ; and 
what affects one portion of it really per- 
tains to every part of it. Angels and 
men have one and the same God and 
Father, and may unite in the same ex- 
pressions of praise. 

CHAPTER VI. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter contains an account of the 
opening of six of the seven seals. It need 
hardly be said to any one who is at all 
familiar with the numerous — not to say 
numberless — expositions of the Apoca- 
lypse, that it is at this point that inter- 
preters begin to differ, and that hero 
commences the divergence towards those 
various, discordant, and many of them 
wild and fantastic theories, which have 
been proposed in the exposition of this 
wonderful book. IJp to this point, 
though there may be unimportant diver- 
sities in the exposition of words and 
phrases, there is no material difference 
•of opinion as to the general meaning of 
the writer. In the epistles to the seven 
churches, and in the introductory scenes 
to the main visions, there can be no 
doubt, in the main, as to what the 
writer had in view, and what he meant 
to describe. He addressed churches 
then existing (chs. i.-iii.), and set before 
them their sins and their duties ; and he 
described scenes passing before his eyes 
as then present (chs. iv., v.), which 
were merely designed to impress his 
own mind with the importance of what 
was to be disclosed, and to bring the 
great actors on the stage, and in refe- 
rence to which there could be little 



ground for diversity in the interpre- 
tation. Here, however, the scene opens 
into the future, comprehending all the 
unknown period until there shall be 
a final triumph of Christianity, and all 
its foes shall be prostrate. The actors 
are the Son of God, angels, men, Satan, 
— storms, tempests, earthquakes, — the 
pestilence and fire ; the scene is heaven, 
earth, hell. There is no certain desig- 
nation of places ; there are no mention 
of names — as there is in Isaiah (xlv. 
1), of Cyrus, or as there is in Daniel 
(viii. 21, x. 20, xi. 2), of the "king of 
Grecia there is no designation of time 
that is necessarily unambiguous; and 
there are no characteristics of the sym- 
bols used that make it antecedently 
certain that they could be applied only 
to one class of events. In the boundless 
future that was to succeed the times of 
John there would be, of necessity, many 
events to which these symbols might be 
applied, and the result has shown that 
it has required but a moderate share of 
pious ingenuity to apply them, by dif- 
ferent expositors, to events differing 
widely from each other in their charac- 
ter, and in the times when they would 
occur. It would be too long to glance 
even at the various theories which have 
been proposed and maintained in regard 
to the interpretation of the subsequent 
portions of the Apocalypse, and wholly 
impossible to attempt to examine those 
theories. Time, in its developments, 
has already exploded many of them; 
and time, in its future developments, 
will doubtless explode many more, and 
each one must stand or fall as in the dis- 
closures of the future it shall be found to 
be true or false. It would be folly to 
add another to those numerous theories, 
even if I had any such theory (see the 
Preface), and perhaps equal folly to pro- 
nounce with certainty on any one of 
those which have been advanced. Yet 
this seems to be an appropriate place to 
state, in few words, what principles it is 
designed to pursue in the interpretation 
of the remainder of the book. 

1. It may be assumed that large por- 
tions of the book relate to the future 
that is, to that which was future when 
John wrote. In this all expositors are 
agreed, and this is manifest indeed on 
the very face of the representation. It 
would be impossible to attempt «m inter 
pretation on any other supposition, and 



A. D. 96.J 



CH APT 



EE VI. 



159 



somewhere in that vast future the events 
are to be found to which the symbols 
here used had reference. This is as- 
sumed, indeed, on the supposition that 
the book is inspired: — a fact which is 
assumed all along in this exposition, and 
which should be allowed to control our 
interpretation. But assuming that the 
book relates to the future, though that 
supposition will do something to deter- 
mine the true method of interpretation, 
yet it leaves many questions still un- 
solved. Whether it refers to the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, on the supposition 
that the work was written before that 
event, or to the history of the church 
subsequent to that; whether it is de- 
signed to describe events minutely, 
or only in the most general manner ; 
whether it is intended to furnish a 
syllabus of civil and ecclesiastical his- 
tory, or only a very general outline of 
future events ; whether the times are so 
designated that we can fix them with 
entire certainty ; or whether it was in- 
tended to furnish any certain indication 
of the periods of the world when these 
things should occur ; all these are still 
open questions, and it need not be said 
that on these the opinions of expositors 
have been greatly divided. 

2. It may be assumed that there is 
meaning in these symbols, and that they 
were not used without an intention to 
convey some important ideas to the 
mind of John and to the minds of his 
readers — to the church then, and to the 
church in future times. Comp. Notes 
on ch. i. 3. The book is indeed sur- 
passingly sublime. It abounds with the 
highest flights of poetic language. It is 
Oriental in its character, and exhibits 
everywhere the proofs of a most glowing 
imagination in the writer. But it is also 
to be borne in mind that it is an inspired 
book, and this fact is to determine the 
character of the exposition. If inspired, 
it is to be assumed that there is a mean- 
ing in these symbols; an idea in each 
one of them, and in all combined, of 
importance to the church and the world. 
Whether we can ascertain the meaning 
is another question ; but it is never to be 
doubted by an expositor of the Bible that 
there is a meaning in the words and 
images employed, and that to find out 
that meaning is worthy of earnest study 
and prayer. 

8. Predictions respecting the future 



are often necessarily obscure to man. 
It cannot be doubted, indeed, that God 
could have foretold future events in the 
most clear and unambiguous language. 
He who knows all that is to come as 
intimately as he does all the past, could 
have caused a record to have been made, 
disclosing names, and dates, and places, 
so that the most minute statements of 
what is to occur might have been in the 
possession of man as clearly as the re- 
cords of the past now are. But, there 
were obvious reasons why this should 
not occur, and in the prophecies it is 
rare that there is any such specification. 
To have done this might have been to 
defeat the very end in view ; for it would 
have given to man, a free agent, the 
power of embarrassing or frustrating the 
divine plans. But if this course is not 
adopted, then prophecy must, from the 
nature of the case, be obscure. The 
knowledge of any one particular fact in 
the future is so connected with many 
other facts, and often implies so much 
knowledge of other things, that without 
that other knowledge it could not be un- 
derstood. Suppose that it had been 
predicted, in the time of John, that at 
some future period, some contrivance 
should be found out by which what was 
doing in one part of the world could be 
instantaneously known in another re- 
mote part of the world, and spread 
abroad by thousands of copies in an 
hour to be read by a nation. Suppose, 
for instance, that there had been some 
symbol or emblem representing what 
actually occurs now, when in a morning 
newspaper we read what occurred last 
evening at St. Louis, Dubuque, Galena, 
Chicago, Cincinnati, Charleston, New 
Orleans. It is clear that at a time when 
the magnetic telegraph and the printing- 
press were unknown, any symbol or 
language describing it that could be 
employed must be obscure, and the im- 
pression must have been that this could 
be accomplished only by miracle — and 
it would not be difficult for one who was 
disposed to scepticism to make out an 
argument to prove that this could not 
occur. It would be impossible to explain 
any symbol that could be employed to 
represent this until these wonderful 
descriptions should become reality, and 
in the mean time the book in which the 
symbols were found might be regarded 
as made up of mere riddles and enigmas; 



160 



EEYEL 



ATION, 



I A. D. 96. 



but when these inventions should he 
actually found out, however much ridi- 
cule or contempt had been poured on 
the book before, it might be per- 
fectly evident that the symbol was the 
most appropriate that could be used, 
and no one could doubt that it was a 
divine communication of what was to be 
in the future. Something of the same 
kind may have occurred in the symbols 
used by the writer of the book be- 
fore us. 

4. It is not necessary to suppose that 
a prophecy will be understood in all its 
details until the prediction is accom- 
plished. In the case just referred to, 
though the fact of the rapid spread of 
intelligence might be clear, yet nothing 
would convey any idea of the mode, or 
of the actual meaning of the symbols 
used, unless the inventions were them- 
selves anticipated by a direct revelation. 
The trial of faith in the case would be 
the belief that the fact would occur, 
but would not relate the mode in 
which it was to be accomplished, or 
-to the language employed to describe 
it. There might be great obscurity in 
regard to the symbols and language, 
and yet the knowledge of the fact be per- 
fectly plain. When, however, the fact 
should occur as predicted, all would be 
clear. So it is in respect to prophecy. 
Many recorded predictions that are now 
clear as noon-day, were once as am- 
biguous and uncertain in respect to 
their meaning as in the supposed case of 
the press and the telegraph. Time has 
made them plain ; for the event to which 
they referred has so, entirely correspond- 
ed with the symbol as to leave no doubt 
in regard to the meaning. Thus many 
of the prophecies relating to the Messiah 
were obscure at the time when they were 
uttered; were apparently so contradic- 
tory that they could not be reconciled ; 
were so unlike any thing that then ex- 
isted, that the fulfilment seemed to be 
impossible ; and were so enigmatical in 
the symbols employed, that it seemed in 
vain to attempt to disclose their mean- 
ing. The advent of the long-promised 
Messiah, however, removed the obscu- 
rity, and now they are read with no 
uncertainty as to their meaning, and 
with no doubt that those predictions, 
once so obscure, had a divine origin. 

Dhe view just suggested may lead us 
Uj some just conceptions of what is 



necessary to be done in attempting to 
explain the prophecies. Suppose then, 
first, that there had been, say in the 
dark ages, some predictions that claimed 
to be of divine origin, of the invention 
of the art of printing and of the magnetic 
telegraph. The proper business of an j 
interpreter, if he regarded this as a 
divine communication, would have con- - 
slsted in four things : — (1) to explain, as 
well as he could, the fair meaning of the 
symbols employed, and the language 
used; (2) to admit the fact referred to, 
and implied in the fair interpretation 
of the language employed, of the rapid 
spread of intelligence in that future 
period, though he could not explain how 
it was to be done; (3) in the mean tirae 
it would be a perfectly legitimate object 
for him to inquire whether there wtre 
any events occurring in the world, or 
whether there had been any, to which 
these symbols were applicable, or which 
would meet all the circumstances in- 
volved in them ; (4) if there were, then 
his ctety would be ended; if there 
were not, then the symbols, with such 
explanation as could be furnished of 
their meaning, should be handed on to 
future times to be applied when the pre- 
dicted events should actually occur. 
Suppose, then v secondly, the case of the 
predictions respecting the Messiah, scat- 
tered along through many books, and 
given in various forms, ?nd by various 
symbols. The proper business of an ; 
interpreter would have been, as in the 
other case, (1) to explain th<3 fair mean- 
ing of the language used, and to bring | 
together all the circumstances in one 
connected whole, that a distinct con- 
ception of the predicted Messiah ir^ighi 
be before the mind; (2) to admit fhs 
facts referred to, and thus predicted, 
however incomprehensible and appa 
rently contradictory they might appear 
to be; (3) to enquire whether any one 
had appeared who combined within 
himself all the characteristics of the 
description ; and (4) if no one had thua 
appeared, to send on the prophecies, 
with such explanations of words and 
symbols as could be ascertained to be 
correct, to future times, to have their 
full meaning developed when the object 
of all the predictions should be accom- 
plished, and the Messiah should appear. 
Then the mear- ing of all would be plain ; 
and then the argument from prophecy 



A. D. 96.] 



CH APT 



EE Yl 



161 



would be complete. This is obviously 
now the proper state of the mind in 
regard to tbs predictions in the Bible, 
and these are the principles which 
should be applied in examining the 
book of Revelation. 

5. It may be assumed that new light 
will be thrown upon the prophecies by 
time, and by the progress of events. It 
cannot be supposed that the investiga- 
tions of the meaning of the prophetic 
symbols will all be in vain. Diffi- 
culties, it is reasonable to hope, may be 
cleared up; errors may be detected in 
regard to the application of the prophe- 
cies to particular events; and juster 
views on the prophecies, as on all other 
subjects, will prevail as the world grows 
older. We become wiser by seeing the 
errors of those who have gone before us, 
and an examination of the causes which 
led them astray may enable us to avoid 
such errors in the future. Especially 
may it be supposed that light will be 
thrown on the prophecies as they shall 
be in part, or wholly fulfilled. The pro- 
phecies respecting the destruction of 
Babylon, of Petra, of Tyre, of Jeru- 
salem, are now fully understood; the 
prophecies respecting the advent of the 
Messiah, and his character and work, 
once so obscure, are now perfectly 
clear. So, we have reason to suppose, 
it will be with all prophecy in the pro- 
gress of events, and sooner or later the 
world will settle down into some uniform 
belief in regard to the design and mean- 
ing of these portions of the sacred 
writings. Whether the time has yet 
come for this, or whether numerous 
other failures are to be added to the 
melancholy catalogue of past failures on 
this subject, is another question; but 
ultimately all the now unfulfilled pro- 
phecies will be as clear as to their 
meaning as are those which have been 
already fulfilled. 

6. The plan, therefore, which I pro- 
pose in the examination of the remaining 
portion of the Apocalypse, is the follow- 
ing : — (1) To explain the meaning of the 
symbols ; that is, to show, as clearly as 
possible, what those symbols properly 
express, independently of any attempt 
to apply them. This opens, of itself, 
an interesting field of investigation, and 
one where essential service may be done, 
even if nothing further is intended. 
Without any reference to the applica- 
nt 



tion of those symbols, this, of itself, is 
an important work of criticism, and, if 
successfully done, would be rendering a 
valuable service to the readers of the 
sacred volume. (2) To state, as briefly 
as possible, what others who have written 
on this book, and who have brought 
eminent learning and talent to bear on 
its interpretation, have supposed to be 
the true interpretation of the symbols 
employed by John, and in regard to the 
times in which the events referred to 
would occur. It is in this way only that 
we can be made acquainted with the 
real progress made in interpreting this 
book, and it will be useful at least to 
know how the subject has struck other 
minds, and how, and why they have 
failed to perceive the truth. I propose, 
therefore, to state as I go along, some 
of the theories which have been held as 
to the meaning of the Apocalypse, and 
as to the events which have been sup- 
posed by others to be referred to. My 
limits require, however, that this should 
be briefly done, and forbid my attempt- 
ing to examine those opinions at length. 
(3) To state, in as brief and clear a 
manner as possible, the view which I 
have been led to entertain as to the 
proper application of the symbols em- 
ployed in the book, with such historical 
references as shall seem to me to confirm 
the interpretation proposed. (4) Yv r here 
I cannot form an opinion as to the 
meaning, to confess my ignorance. He 
does no service in a professed interpre- 
tation of the Bible, who passes over a diffi- 
culty without attempting to remove it, 
or who, to save his own reputation, con- 
ceals the fact that there is a real diffi- 
culty ; and he does as little service who 
is unwilling to confess his ignorance on 
many points, or who attempts an ex- 
planation where he has no clear and 
settled views. As his opinion can be of 
no value to any one else unless it is 
based on reasons in his own mind that 
will bear examination, so it can usually 
be of little value unless those reasons 
are stated. It is as important for his 
readers to have those reasons before 
their own minds as it is for him, and 
unless he has it in his power to state 
reasons for what he advances, his 
opinions can be worth nothing to the 
world. He who lays down this rule of 
interpretation may expect to have ample 
opportunity in interpreting such a book 



162 



BE VEL ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



CHAPTER VI. 

AND I saw when the Lamb open- 
ed one of the seals; a and I 

a c. 5. 5. 

as the Apocalypse to confess his igno- 
rance ; but he who interprets a book 
which he believes to be inspired, may- 
console himself with the thought that 
what is now obscure will be clear here- 
after, and that he performs the best 
service which he can, if he endeavors to 
explain the book up to the time in which 
he lives. There will be developments 
hereafter which will make that clear 
which is now obscure ; developments 
which will make this book, in all past 
ages apparently so enigmatical, as clear 
as any other portion of the inspired 
volume, as it is now, even with the 
imperfect view which we may have of 
its meaning, beyond all question one of 
the most sublime books that has ever 
been written. 

This chapter describes the opening of 
the first six seals. 

1. The first discloses a white horse 
with a rider armed with a bow. A 
crown is given to him, symbolical of 
triumph and prosperity, and he goes 
forth to conquer, vs. 1, 2. 

2. The second discloses a red-colored 
horse with a rider. The emblem is that 
of blood — of sanguinary war. Power is 
given him to take peace from the earthy 
and a sword is given him — emblem of 
war, but not of certain victory. Triumph 
and prosperity are denoted by the former 
symbol ; war, discord, bloodshed by this, 
vs. 3, 4. 

3. The third discloses a black horse 
with a rider. He has a pair of balances 
in his hand, as if there were scarcity in 
the earth, and he announces the price 
of grain in the times of this calamity, 
and a command is given not to hurt the 
oil and the wine, vs. 5, 6. The emblem is 
that of scarcity — as if there were op- 
pression, or as a consequence of war or 
discord, while at the same time there is 
care bestowed to preserve certain portions 
of the produce of the earth from injury. 

4. The fourth discloses a pale horse 
with a rider. The name of this rider is 
Death, and Hell, or Hades, follows him 
— as if the hosts of the dead came again 
on the earth. Power is given to the 
rider over the fourth part of the earth, 
to kill with sword, with hunger, with 



heard, as it were the noise of thun 
der, one of the four beasts, saying, 
Come, and see. 



death, and with wild beasts. This em- 
blem would seem to denote war, wide- 
wasting pestilence, famine, and desola- 
tion — as if wild beasts were suffered to 
roam over lands that had been inha- 
bited : — something of which paleness 
would be an emblem. Here ends the 
array of horses — and it is evidently in- 
tended by these four symbols to refer to 
a series of events that have a general 
resemblance — something that could be 
made to stand by themselves, and that 
could be grouped together. 

5. The fifth seal opens a new scene. 
The horse and the rider no longer ap- 
pear. It is not a scene of war, and of 
the consequences of war, but a scene of 
persecution. The souls of those who 
were slain for the word of God and the 
testimony which they held, are seen 
under the altar, praying to God that he 
would avenge their blood. White robes 
are given them — tokens of the divine 
favor, and emblems of their ultimate 
triumph — and they are commanded to 
" rest for a little season, till their fellow- 
servants and their biethren that should 
be killed as they were, should be ful- 
filled ;"— - that is, tliat they should be 
patient until the number of the martyrs 
was filled up. In other words, there was 
(a) the assurance of the divine favor 
towards them; (6) vengeance, or the 
punishment of those who had perse- 
cuted them, WLtild not be immediate; 
but (c) there was the implied assurance 
that just punishment would be inflicted 
on their persecutors, and that the cause 
for which they had suffered would ulti- 
mately triumph, vs. 9-11. 

6. The opening of the sixth seal, vs. 
12-17. There was an earthquake, and 
the sun became dark, and the moon 
was turned to blood, and the stars 
fell, and all kings and people were 
filled with consternation. This symbol 
properly denotes a time of public com- 
motion, of revolution, of calamity; and 
it was evidently to be fulfilled by some 
great changes on the earth, or by the 
overturning of the seats of power, and 
by such sudden revolutions as would fill 
the nations with alarm. 

1. And I saw. Or, I looked. He 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



163 



2 And I saw, and behold a 



: fixed his eye attentively on what wa*s 
passing, as promising important dis- 
closures. No one had been found in the 
universe who could open the seals but 
: the Lamb of God (ch. v. 2-4), and it 
i was natural for John, therefore, to look 
upon the transaction with profound 
interest, f When the Lamb opened one 
of the seals. See Notes on ch. v. 1, 5. 
This was the first or outermost of the 
seal?, and its being broken would per- 
mit a certain portion of the volume to 
be unrolled and read. See Notes on ch. 
v. 1. The representation in this place 
is, therefore, that of a volume with a 
small portion unrolled, and written on 
both sides of the parchment, And I 
heard, as it were, the noise of thunder. 
One of the four living creatures speak- 
ing as with a voice of thunder, or with 
a loud voice, One of the four beasts. 
Notes ch. iv. 6, 7. The particular one 
is not mentioned, though what is said 
\ in the subsequent verses leaves no doubt 
I that it was the first in order as seen by 
John — the one like a lion, ch. iv. 7. In 
the opening of the three following seals, 
it is expressly said that it was the 
second, the third, and the fourth of the 
living creatures that drew near, and 
hence the conclusion is certain that the 
one here referred to was the first. If 
the four living creatures be understood 
to be emblematic of the divine provi- 
dential administration, then there was a 
propriety that they should be repre- 
sented as summoning John to witness 
what was to be disclosed. These events 
pertained to the developments of the 
divine purposes, and these emblematic 
beings would therefore be interested in 
what was occurring, Come and see. 
Addressed evidently to John. He was 
requested to approach and see with his 
own eyes what was disclosed in the 
portion of the volume now unrolled. 
He had wept much (ch. v. 4) that no 
one was found who was worthy to open 
that book, but he was now. called on to 
approach and see for himself. Some 
have supposed (Lord, in loc.) that the 
address here was not to John, but to the 
horse and his rider, and that the com- 
mand to them was not to " come and 
Bee," but to come forth, and appear on 
the stage, and that the act of the Re- | 



white ° horse, and he that sat on 

a Zee. 6. 3, &c. 



deemer in breaking the seal, and un- 
rolling the scroll, was nothing more than 
an emblem signifying that it was by his 
act that the divine purposes were to be 
unfolded. But, in order to this inter- 
pretation, it would be necessary to omit 
from the received text the words teal 
P'Xine — "and see." This is done indeed 
by Hahn and Tittmann, and this reading 
is followed by Prof. Stuart, though he 
says that the received text has " proba- 
bility" in its favor, and is followed by 
some of the critical editions. The most 
natural interpretation, however, is that 
the words were addressed to John. 
John saw the Lamb open the seal,* he 
heard the loud voice ; he looked and 
beheld a white horse; that is, evidently, 
he looked on the unfolding volume and 
saw the representation of a horse and 
his rider. That the voice was addressed 
to John is the common interpretation; 
is the most natural ; and is liable to no 
real objection. 

2. And I saw, and behold. A ques- 
tion has arisen as to the mode of repre- 
sentation here ; whether what John 
saw in these visions was a series of 
pictures, drawn on successive portions 
of the volrme as one seal was broken 
after another; or whether the descrip- 
tion of the horses and of the events was 
written on the volume, so that John 
read it himself or heard it read by 
another; or whether the opening of the 
seal was merely the occasion of a scenic 
representation, in which a succession of 
horses was introduced, with a written 
statement of the events which are re- 
ferred to. Nothing is indeed said by 
which this can be determined with cer- 
tainty ; but the most probable suppo- 
sition would seem to be that there was 
some pictorial representation in form 
and appearance, such as he describes in 
the opening of the six seals. In favor 
of this it may be observed (1) That, ac- 
cording to the interpretation of ver. 1, it 
was something in or on the volume— 
since he was invited to draw nearer, in 
order that he might contemplate it. 
(2) Each one of the things under the 
five first seals where John uses the word 
" saw," is capable of being represented 
by a picture or painting. (3) The lan- 
guage used is net such as would have 



164 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



him had a how ; and a crown was 

a Ps. 45. 3-5. 



been employed if he had merely read 
the description, or had heard it read. 
(4) The supposition that the pictorial 
representation was not in the volume, 
but that the opening of the seal was the 
occasion merely of causing a scenic re- 
presentation to pass before his mind, is 
unnatural and forced. What would be 
the use of a sealed volume in that case ? 
What the use of the writing within and 
without? On this supposition the re- 
presentation would be that, as the suc- 
cessive seals were broken, nothing was 
disclosed in the volume but a succession 
of blank portions, and that the mystery 
or the difficulty was not in any thing in 
the volume, but in the want of ability to 
summon forth these successive scenic 
representations. The most obvious in- 
terpretation is, undoubtedly, that what 
John proceeds to describe was in some 
way represented in the volume ; and the 
idea of a succession of pictures or draw- 
ings, better accords with the whole 
representation than the idea that it was 
a mere written description. In fact these 
successive scenes could be well repre- 
sented now in a pictorial form on a 
scroll. ^[ And behold a xuhite horse. In 
order to any definite understanding of 
what was denoted by these symbols, it 
is proper to form in our minds, in the 
first place, a clear conception of what 
the symbol properly represents, or an 
idea of what it would naturally convey. 
It may be assumed tha,t the symbol was 
significant, and that there was some 
reason why that was used rather than 
another; why, for instance, a horse was 
employed rather than an eagle or a 
lion : why a white horse was employed 
in one case, and a red one, a black one, 
a pale one in the others ; why in this 
case a bow was in the hand of the 
rider, . and a crown was placed on his 
head. Each one of these particulars 
enters into the constitution of the sym- 
bol ; and we must find something in 
the event which fairly corresponds with 
each — for the symbol is made up of 
all these things grouped together. It 
may be farther observed, that where 
the general symbol is the same — as 
in the opening of the first four seals — 
it may bo assumed that the same 



given unto him : and he went forth 
conquering a and to conquer. 

object or class of objects is referred 
to; and the particular thing? denoted, 
or the diversity in the general appli- 
cation, is to be found in the variety 
in the representation — the color, &c, of 
the horse, and the arms, apparel, &c, of 
the rider. The specifications under the 
first seal are four: — (1) The general 
symbol of the horse — common to the 
first four seals; (2) the color of the 
horse ; (3) the fact that he that sat on 
him had a bow; and (4) that a crown 
was given him by some one as indica- 
tive of victory. The question now is, 
what these symbols would naturally 
denote. 

(1) The horse. The meaning of this 
symbol must be drawn from the natural 
use to which the symbol is applied, 
or the characteristics which it is known 
to have; and, it may be added, that 
there might have been something for 
which that was best known in the 
time of the writer who uses it, which 
would not be so prominent at another 
period of the world, or in another 
country, and that it is necessary to have 
that before the mind in order to obtain 
a correct understanding of the symbol 
The use of the horse, for instance, may 
have varied at different times to some 
degree — at one time the prevailing use 
of the horse may have been for battle ; 
at another for rapid marches — as of 
cavalry ; at another for draught ; at 
another for races; at another for con- 
veying messages by the establishment 
of posts or the appointment of couriers. 
To an ancient Roman the horse might 
suggest prominently one idea; to a mo- 
dern Arab another; to a teamster in 
Holland another. The things which 
would be most naturally suggested by 
the horse as a symbol, as distinguished, 
for instance, from an eagle, a lion, a 
serpent, &c, would be the following: 
(a) war, as this was probably one of the 
first uses to which the horse was applied. 
So in the magnificent description of the 
horse in Job xxxix. 19-25, no notice is 
taken of any of his qualities but those 
which pertain to war. See, for a full 
illustration of this passage, and of the 
frequent reference in the classic writers 
to the horse as connected with war. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



165 



Bochart, Hieroz. lib. ii. c. viii., par- 
ticularly p. 149. Comp. Virg. Geor. iii. 
83, 84 : 

" Si qua sonum procul arma dedere, 
Stare loco nescit, micat auribus, et tremit artus." 

Ovid. Metam. iii. : 

" Ut fremit acer equus, cum bellicus aere canoro 
Signa dedit tubicen, pugDaeque assumit amorem." 

Silius, lib. xiii. : 

" Is trepido alituum tinnitu, et stare negauti, 
Imperitans violenter equo." 

So Solomon says (Prov. xxi. 31), "The 
horse is prepared against the day of 
battle." So in Zech. x. 3, the prophet 
says, " God had made the house of 
Judah as his goodly horse in the battle;" 
that is, he had made them like the vic- 
torious war-horse. (6) As a consequence 
of this, and of the conquests achieved 
by the horse in war, he became the sym- 
bol of conquest — of a people that could 
! not be overcome. Comp. the above 
reference in Zech. Thus in Carthage 
the horse was an image of victorious 
war, in contradistinction to the ox, which 
was an emblem of the arts of peaceful 
agriculture. This was based on a tra- 
dition respecting the foundation of the 
city, referred to by Virgil, Mn. i. 441- 
444: 

" Quo primum jactati undis et turbine Poeni 
Effodere loco signum, quod regia Juno 
Monstrarat, caput acris equi: sic nam fore bello 
Egregiam, et facilem victu por Sicula gentem." 

In reference to this circumstance, Jus- 
tin, lib. xviii. 5, remarks, that "in 
laying the foundations of the city the 
head of an ox was found, which was re- 
garded as an emblem of a fruitful land, 
but of the necessity of labor, and of 
dependence ; on which account, the city 
was transferred to another place. Then 
the head of a horse was found, and this 
was regarded as a happy omen that the 
■ city would be warlike and prosperous." 
Comp. Creuzer, Symbolik, vol. ii. p. 456. 

(c) The horse was an emblem of jleet- 
ness, and, consequently, of the rapidity 
I of conquest. Comp. Joel ii. 4: "The 
appearance of them is as the appearance 
of horses ; and as horsemen, so shall they 
run." Jer. iv. 13: "Behold he shall 
come up as clouds, and his chariots shall 
be as a whirlwind; his horses are swifter 
than eagles." Compare Job xxxix. 18. 

(d) The horse is an emblem of strength, 
and consequently of safety, Ps. cxlvii. 
10 : " He delighteth not in the strength 
of the horse." In general, then, the 



horse would properly symbolize waiy 
conquest, or the rapidity with which a 
message is conveyed. The particular 
character or complexion of the event — 
as peaceful or warlike ; prosperous or 
adverse, is denoted by the color of the 
horse, and by the character of the 
rider. 

(2) The color of the horse : — " a white 
horse." It is evident that this is de- 
signed to be significant, because it is 
distinguished from the red, the black, 
and the pale horse, referred to in the fol- 
lowing verses. In general, it may be 
observed that white is the emblem of 
innocence, purity, prosperity — as the 
opposite is of sickness, sin, calamity. 
If the significance of the emblem turned 
alone on the color, we should look to 
something cheerful, prosperous, happy 
as the thing that was symbolized. But 
the significance in the case is to be found 
not only in the color — V)hite — but in the 
horse that was white ; and the enquiry 
is, what would a horse of that color 
properly denote ; that is, on what oc- 
casions, and with reference to what 
ends, was such a horse used? Now, 
the general notion attached to the 
mention of a white horse, according 
to ancient usage, would be that of 
state and triumph, derived from the 
fact that white horses were rode by 
conquerors on the days of their triumph ; 
that they were used in the marriage 
cavalcade ; that they were employed on 
coronation occasions, &c. In the tri- 
umphs granted by the Romans to their 
victorious generals, after a procession 
composed of musicians, captured princes, 
spoils of battle, &c, came the conqueror 
himself, seated on a high chariot drawn 
by four white horses, robed in purple, 
and wearing a wreath of laurel. Esch en- 
burg, Man. of Class. Literature, p. 283. 
Comp. Ovid de ArteAmandi, lib. v. 214. 
The name of XevKiimog — leucippos — was 
given to Proserpine, because she was 
borne from Hades to Olympos in a cha- 
riot drawn by white horses. Scol. Pind, 
01. vi. 161. See Creuzer's Symbol, iv. 
253. White horses are supposed, also, 
to excel others in fleetness. So Horace, 
Sat lib. i. vii. 8 : 

" Siseunas, Barrosque ut equis praecurreret albis." 

So Plaut. Asin. ii. 2, 12. So Homer, 
II. K. 437 : 

AevKorcpoi %vovos, Scietv <5' avipfteiv dfjmoi^ 



166 



REVEL 



AT ION, 



[A. D. 96 



■—"Whiter than the snow, and swifter 
than the winds." And in the JEneid, 
where Turnus was about to contend with 
iEneas, he demanded horses : 

" Qui candore nives anteirent cursibus auras," 

— "Which would surpass the snow in 
whiteness, and the wind in fleetness." 
JEn. xii. 84. 

So the poets everywhere describe the 
chariot of the sun as drawn by white 
horses. Bochart, ut supra. So con- 
querors and princes are everywhere 
represented as borne on white horses. 
Thus Propertius, lib. iv. eleg. i. : 

" Quatuor huic albos Romulus egit equos." 

So, Claudian, lib. ii., de Laudibus Sti- 
lichonis : 

" Deposito mitis clypeo, candentibus urbem 
Ingreditur trabeatus equis." 

And thus Ovid (Lib. i. de Arte) addresses 
Augustus, auguring that he would re- 
turn a victor : 

" Ergo erit ilia dies, qui tu, Pulchernme rerum, 
Quattuor in niveis aureus ibis equis." 

The preference of white to denote tri- 
umph or victory, was early referred to 
among the Hebrews. Thus Judges v. 
10, in the Song of Deborah : 

" Speak ye that ride on white asses, 
Ye that sit in judgment, 
And walk by the way." 

The expression, then, in the passage 
before us, would properly refer to some 
kind of triumph ; to some joyous occa- 
sion ; to something where there was 
success or victory — and so far as this 
expression is concerned, would refer to 
any kind of triumph, whether of the 
gospel, or of victory in war. 

(3) The bow : — And he that sat on him 
had a bow. The bow would be a natural 
emblem of war — as it was used in war ; 
or of hunting — as it was used for that 
purpose. It was a common instrument 
of attack or defence, and seems to have 
been early invented, for it is found in 
all rude nations. Comp. Gen. xxvii. 3, 
xlviii. 22, xlix. 24; Josh. xxiv. 12; 1 
Sam. xviii. 4 ; Ps. xxxvii. 15 ; Isa. vii. 
24. The bow would be naturally em- 
blematic of the following things : — 
{a) War. See the passages above. (6) 
Hunting. Thus it was one of the em- 
blems of Apollo as the god of hunting. 
(c) The effect of truth — as that which 
secured conquest, or overcame oppo- 
sition , in the heart. So far as this 



emblem is concerned, it might denote a 
warrior, a hunter, a preacher, a ruler — 
any one who exerted power over others, 
or who achieved any kind of conquest 
over them. 

(4) The crown : — And a crown was 
given unto him. The word here used — • 
artyavos — means a circlet, chaplet, or 
crown — usually such as was given to a 
victor, 1 Cor. ix. 25. It would properly 
be emblematic of victory or conquest — 
as it was given to victors in war, or tc 
the victors at the Grecian games, and a? 
it is given to the saints in heaven re- 
garded as victors, Rev. iv. 4. 10 ; 2 Tim. 
iv. 8. The crown or chaplet here was 
" given" to the rider as significant that 
he would be victorious, not that he had 
been; and the proper reference of the 
emblem was to some conquest yet to be 
made, not to any which had been made. 
It is not said by whom this was given to 
the rider ; the material fact being only 
that such a diadem was conferred on 
him. 

(5) The going forth to conquest: — 
And he went forth conquering, and t<? 
conquer. He went forth as a conqueror, 
and that he might conquer. That is, he 
went forth with the spirit, life, energy, 
determined purpose, of one who was con- 
fident that he would conquer, and who 
had the port and bearing of a conqueror. 
John saw in him two things : — one, that 
he had the aspect or port of a con- 
queror — that is, of one who had been 
accustomed to conquest and who was 
confident that he could conquer; the 
other was, that this was clearly the 
design for which he went forth, and 
this would be the result of his going 
forth. 

Having thus enquired into the natural 
meaning of the emblems used, perhaps 
the proper work of an expositor is done, 
and the subject might be left here. 
But the mind naturally asks what was 
this designed to signify, and to what 
events are these things to be applied? 
On this point, it is scarcely necessary to 
say, that the opinions of expositors have 
been almost as numerous as the expo- 
sitors themselves, and that it would be a 
hopeless task, and as useless as hopeles;, 
to attempt to enumerate all the opinions 
entertained. They who are desirous of 
examining those opinions, must be re- 
ferred to the various books on the Apoca 
lypse where they may be found. Perhaps 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER VI. 



167 



all the opinions entertained, though pre- 
sented by their authors under a great 
variety of forms, might be referred to 
three: — (1) That the whole passage in 
chs. vi.-xi. refers to the destruction of 
Jerusalem and the "wasting of Judea, 
principally by the Romans — and par- 
ticularly the humiliation and prostration 
of the Jewish persecuting enemies of the 
church : — • on the supposition that the 
book was written before the destruction of 
Jerusalem. This is the opinion of Prof. 
Stuart, and of those generally who hold 
that the book was written at that time. 

(2) The opinion of those who suppose 
that the book was written in the time of 
Domitian, about A. D. 95, or 96, and 
that the symbols refer to the Roman 
affairs subsequent to that time. This is 
the opinion of Mede, Elliott, and others. 

(3) The opinions of those who suppose that 
the different horses and horsemen refer 
to the Saviour, to ministers of the gospel, 
and to the various results of the ministry. 
This is the opinion of Mr. David C. Lord 
and others. My purpose does not re- 
quire me to examine these opinions in 
detail. Justice could not be done 
to them in the limited compass which 
I have; and it is better to institute 
a direct enquiry whether any events 
are known which can be regarded as 
corresponding with the symbols here 
employed. In regard to this, then, the 
following things may be referred to : — 

(a) It will be assumed here, as else- 
where in these Notes, that the Apoca- 
lypse was written in the time of Domi- 
tian, about A. D. 95 or 96. For the 
reasons for this opinion, see Intro. $ 2. 
Comp. an article by Dr. Geo. Duffield in 
the Biblical Repository, July, 1847, pp. 
385-411. It will also be assumed that 
;the book is inspired, and that it is not 
to be regarded and treated as a work of 
mere human origin. These suppositions 
will preclude the necessity of any refer- 
ence in the opening of the seals to the 
time of Nero, or to the events pertaining 
to the destruction of Jerusalem and the 
overthrow of the Jewish persecuting 
enemies of the church — for the opinion 
that those events are referred to can be 
held only on one of two suppositions : — 
either that the work was written in the 
time of Nero, and before the Jewish 
wars, as held by Prof. Stuart and 
\ others ; or that it was penned after the 
j events referred to had occurred, and 



is such a description Df the past as could 
have been made by one who was un- 
inspired. 

(b) It is to be presumed that the 
events referred to, in the opening of the 
first seal, would occur soon after the 
time when the vision appeared to John 
in Patmos. This is clear, not only 
because that would be the most natural 
sup 1 >?ition, but because it is fairly im- 
plied in ch. i. 1 : " The Revelation of 
Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, 
to show unto his servants things which 
must shortly come to pass." See Notes 
on that verse. Whatever may be said 
of some of those events — those lying 
most remotely in the series — it would 
not accord with the fair interpretation 
of the language to suppose that the 
beginning of the series would be far 
distant, and we therefore naturally look 
for that beginning in the age succeed- 
ing the time of the apostle, or the reign 
of Domitian. 

(c) The enquiry then occurs whether 
there were any such events in that age 
as would properly be symbolized by the 
circumstances before us — the horse ; the 
color of the horse ; the bow in the hand 
of the rider ; the crown given him ; the 
state and bearing of a conqueror. 

(d) Before proceeding to notice what 
seems to me to be the interpretation 
which best accords with all the circum- 
stances of the symbol, it may be proper 
to refer to the only other one which 
has any plausibility, and which is 
adopted by Grotius, by the author of 
"Hyponia," by Dr. Keith (Signs of the 
Times, i. 181, Seq.), by Mr. Lord and 
others, that this refers to Christ and his 
church — to Christ and his ministers in 
spreading the gospel. The objections to 
this class of interpretations seem to me 
to be insuperable : (1) The whole de- 
scription, so far as it is a representation 
of triumph, is a representation of the 
triumph of war, not of the gospel of 
peace. All the symbols in the opening 
of the first four seals are warlike; all 
the consequences in the opening of each 
of the seals where the horseman appears, 
are such as are usually connected with 
war. It is the march of empire; the 
movement of military power. (2) A 
horseman thus armed is not the usual 
representation of Christ, much less of his 
ministers or of his church. Once indeed 
(ch. xix. 14-16) Christ himself is thus 



168 



REVELATION, 



LA. D. 96 



represented ; but the ordilary repre- 
sentation of the Saviour in this book is 
either that of a man — majestic and glo- 
rious, holding the stars in his right hand 
— or of \ lamb. Besides, if it were the 
design of the emblem to refer to Christ, 
it m ist be a representation of him per- 
tona.'ly and literally going forth in this 
manner; for it would be incongruous to 
suppose that this relates to him, and then 
to give it a metaphorical application, 
referring it not to himself but to his 
truth, his gospel, his ministers. (3) If 
there is little probability that this refers 
to Christ, there is still less that it refers 
to ministers of the gospel — as held by 
Lord and others — for such a symbol is 
employed nowhere else to represent an 
order of ministers, nor do the circum- 
stances find a fulfilment in them. The 
minister of the gospel is a herald of peace, 
und is employed in the service of the 
Prince of Peace. He cannot well be re- 
presented by a warrior, nor is he in the 
Scriptures. In itself considered, there is 
nothing more unlike or incongruous than 
a warrior going forth to conquest with 
hostile arms, and a minister of Christ. 
Besides, (4) this representation of a 
horse and his rider, when applied in 
the following verses, on this principle 
becomes most forced and unnatural. If 
the warrior on the white horse denotes 
the ministry, then the warrior on the red 
horse, the black horse, the pale horse, 
must denote the ministry also, and no- 
thing is more fanciful and arbitrary than 
to attempt to apply these to teachers of 
various kinds of error — error denoted by 
the red, black, and pale color — as must 
be done on that supposition. It seems 
plain, therefore, to me, that the repre- 
sentation was not designed to symbolize 
the ministry, or the state of the church 
considered with reference to its exten- 
sion, or the various forms of belief which 
prevailed. But, if so, it only remains to 
enquire whether a state of things existed 
in the Roman world of which these 
would be appropriate symbols. We 
have, then, the following facts, which 
are of such a nature as would properly 
be symbolized by the horse of the first 
seal; that is, they are such facts that if 
one were to undertake to devise an ap- 
propiate symbol of them since they 
occurred, they would be well represent- 
ed by the image here employed. 

1. It was in general a period of pros- 



perity, of triumph, of conquest — well 
represented by the horseman on the; ; 
white horse going forth to conquest. I 
refer now to the period immediately! 
succeeding the time of John's banish- 
ment, embracing some ninety years, ! 
and extending through the successive 
reigns of Nerva, Trajan, Adrian, andl| 
the two Antonines, from the death of: | 
Domitian, A. D. 96, to the accession ofi 
Commodus, and the peace made by him I 
with the Germans, A. D. 180. As an;; 
illust ration of this period, and of the per- 
tinency of the symbol, I will first copy 
from an historical chart drawn up with i 
no reference to the symbol here, and in 
the mind of whose author the applica- 
tion to this symbol never occurred. The 
chart, distinguished for accuracy, is that ! 
of A. S. Lyman, published A. D. 1845. 
The following is the account of this 1 
period, beginning at the death of Domi- 
tian :- — " Domitian, a cruel tyrant, the 
last of the twelve Cesars." (His death, 
therefore, was an important epoch.) 
"A. D. 96, Nerva, noted for his virtues 
but enfeebled by age." "A. D. 9©| 
Trajan, a great general, and popular em 
peror ; under him the empire attains its 
greatest extent." "A. D. 117, Adrian, 
an able sovereign ,• spends thirteen years 
travelling through the empire, reforming 
abuses, and rebuilding cities." " A. D. 
138, Antoninus Pius, celebrated for his 
wisdom, virtue and humanity." " A. D. 
161, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the 
Stoic philosopher, noted for his virtues." 
Then begins anew era — a series of wicked 
princes, and of great calamities. The 
next entry in the series is, " A. D. 180, 
Commodus, profligate and cruel." Then 
follows a succession of princes of the 
same general description. Their charac- 
ter will be appropriately considered under 
the succeeding seals. But in regard to 
the period now supposed to be repre- 
sented by the opening of the first seal, 
and the general applicability of the 
description here to that period, we have 
the fullest testimony in Mr. Gibbon, in 
his Decline and Fall of the Roman Em- 
pire : — a writer who, sceptic as he was, 
seems to have been raised up by Divine 
Providence to search deeply into historic 
records, and to furnish an inexhaustible 
supply of materials in confirmation of 
the fulfilment of the prophecies, and of 
the truth of revelation. For (1) he was 
eminently endowed by talent, and learn 



A. D. 96.] 



CH APT 



ER VI. 



169 



ng, and patience, and general candor, 
and accuracy, to prepare a history of that 
period of the world, and to place his 
name in the very first rank of historians. 
His history commences at about the 
period supposed in this interpretation to 
be referred to by these symbols, and ex- 
tends over a very considerable portion 
of the time embraced in the book of 
Revelation. (3) It cannot be alleged 
that he was biassed in his statements 
of facts by a desire to favor reve- 
lation ,• nor can it be charged on him 
that he perverted facts with a view to 
overthrow the authority of the volume 
of inspired truth. He was, indeed, 
thoroughly sceptical as to the truth of 
Christianity, and he lost no opportunity 
to express his feelings towards it by a 
sneer — for it seems to have been an un- 
fortunate characteristic of his mind to 
:-r:eer at every thing — but there is no 
evidence that he ever designedly per- 
verted a fact in history to press it into 
the service of infidelity, or that he de- 
signedly falsified a statement for the 
purpose of making it bear against Chris- 
I tlanity. It cannot be suspected that he 
had any design by the statements which 
he makes, to confirm the truth of Scrip- 
ture prophecies. Infidels, at least, are 
bound to admit his testimony as impar- 
tial. (4) Not a few of the most clear 
and decisive proofs of the fulfilment of 
prophecies are to be found in his history. 
\ They are frequently such statements as 
I would be expected to occur in the 
.writings of a partial friend of Chris- 
tianity who was endeavoring to make 
j the records of history speak out in favor 
. of his religion, and if they had been 
found in such a writer, they would be 
, suspected of having been shaped with a 
view to the confirmation of the prophe- 
cies, and, it may be added also, with an 
intention to defend some favorite inter- 
pretation of the Apocalypse. In regard 
to the passage before us — the opening 
of the first seal, and the general ex- 
planation of the meaning of that seal, 
above given, there is a striking re- 
semblance between that representation 
and the state of the Roman empire 
as given by Mr. Gibbon at the period 
.under consideration — from the end of 
: the reign of Domitian to the accession 
of Commodus. By a singular coinci- 
1 dence, Mr. Gibbon begins his history at 
about the period supposed to be referred 



to by the opening of the seal — the 
period following the death of Domitian, 
A. D. 96. Thus in the opening sen- 
tences of his work, he says, "In the 
second century of the Christian era, the 
empire of Rome comprehended the fair- 
est part of the earth, and the most civil- 
ized portion of mankind. During a 
happy period of more than four-score 
years, the public administration was 
conducted by the virtue and abilities of 
Nerva, Trajan, Adrian, and the two 
Antonines. It is the design of this, and 
the two succeeding chapters, to describe 
the prosperous condition of their em- 
pire ; and afterwards, from the death of 
Marcus Antoninus, to deduce the most 
important circumstances of its decline 
and fall ; a revolution which will ever be 
remembered, and is still felt by the 
nations of the earth," vol. i. 1. Before 
Mr. Gibbon proceeds to give the history 
of the fall of the empire, he pauses to 
describe the happy condition of the Ro- 
man world during the period now re- 
ferred to — for this is substantially his 
object in the first three chapters of his 
history. The titles of these chapters 
will show their object. They are re- 
spectively the following : — Chapter I., 
" The Extent and Military Force of the 
Empire, in the Age of the Antonines ;" 
Ch. II., " Of the Union and Internal 
Prosperity of the Roman Empire, in the 
Age of the Antonines ;" Ch. III., " Of the 
Constitution of the Roman Empire, in 
the Age of the Antonines." In the lan- 
guage of another, this is "the bright 
ground of his historic picture, from 
which afterwards more effectively to 
throw out in deep coloring, the succes- 
sive traits of the empire's corruption 
and decline." Elliott. The introduc- 
tory remarks of Mr. Gibbon, indeed, 
professedly refer to "the age of the 
Antonines" (A. D. 138-180), but that he 
designed to describe, under this general 
title, the actual condition of the Roman 
world during the period which I sup- 
pose to be embraced under the first seal, 
as a time of prosperity, triumph, and 
happiness — from Domitian to Coinmo- 
dus — is apparent (a) from a remarkable 
statement which there will be occasion 
again to quote, in which he expressly 
designates this period, in these words 
"If a man were called to fix the period 
in the hisrory of the world, during which 
the condiv ^n of the human race wan 



170 



EEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



most happy and prosperous, he would, 
without hesitation, name that which 
elapsed from the death of Domitian 
to the accession of Commodus," i. 47. 
The same thing is apparent also from a 
remark of Mr. Gibbon in the general 
summary which he makes of the Roman 
affairs, showing that, this period con- 
stituted, in his view, properly an era in 
the condition of the world. Thus he 
says (i. 4), " Such was the state of the 
Roman frontiers, and such the maxims 
of imperial policy, from the death of 
Augustus ti the accession of Trajan." 
This was A. D. 98. The question now 
is, whether during this period the events 
in the Roman empire were such as ac- 
cord with the representation in the first 
seal. There was nothing in the first 
century that could accord with this, and 
if John wrote the Apocalypse at the 
time supposed (A. D. 95 or 96), of course 
it does not refer to that. Respecting 
that century, Mr. Gibbon remarks, " The 
only accession which the Roman empire 
received, during the first century of the 
Christian era, was the province of 
Britain. In this single instance, the 
successors of Caesar and Augustus were 
persuaded to follow the example of the 
former lather than the precept of the 
latter. After a war of about forty years, 
undertaken by the most stupid, main- 
tained by the most dissolute, and termi- 
nated by the most timid of all the 
emperors, the far greater part of the 
island submitted to the Roman yoke," 
i. 2, 3. Of course, the representation in 
the first seal could not be applied to such 
a period as this. In the second century, 
however, and especially in the early 
part of it — the beginning of the period 
supposed to be embraced in the opening 
of the first seal — a different policy began 
to prevail, and though the main charac- 
teristic of the period, as a whole, was 
comparatively peaceful, yet it began with 
a career of conquests, and its general 
state might be- characterized as triumph 
and prosperity. Thus Mr. Gibbon speaks 
of Trajan on his accession after the death 
of Nerva : — " That virtuous and active 
prince had received the education of a 
soldier, and possessed the talents of a 
general. The peaceful system of his 
predecessor was interrupted by scenes of 
war and conquest ; and the legions, after 
a long interval, beheld a milita: y leader 
at their head. The first c iploits of 



Trajan were against the Dacians, the 
most warlike of men, who dwelt beyond 
the Danube, and who during the reign 
of Domitian had insulted the majesty 
of Rome. This memorable war, with 
a very short suspension of hostilities, 
lasted five years; and as the emperor 
could exert, without control, the whole 
force of the state, it was terminated by 
an absolute submission of the barba- 
rians. The new province of Dacia,, 
which formed a second exception to the 
precept of Augustus, was about thirteen 
hundred miles in circumference," i. 4. 
Speaking of Trajan (p. 4), he says 
farther, " The praises of Alexander, 
transmitted by a succession of poets and 
historians, had kindled a dangerous 
emulation in the mind of Trajan. Like 
him, the Roman emperor undertook an 
expedition against the nations of the 
East, but he lamented with a sigh, that 
his advanced age scarcely left him any 
hopes of equalling the renown of the son 
of Philip. Yet the success of Trajan, 
however transient, was rapid and spe- 
cious. The degenerate Parthians, broken 
by intestine discord, fled before his arms. 
He descended the river Tigris in triumph, 
from the mountains of Armenia to the 
Persian gulf. He enjoyed the honor of 
being the first, as he was the last, of the 
Roman generals who ever navigated that 
remote sea. His fleets ravaged the 
coasts of Arabia; and Trajan vainly 
flattered himseif that he was approach- 
ing towards the confines of India. Every 
day the astonished senate received the 
intelligence of new names and new 
nations, that acknowledged his sway. 
They were informed that the kings of 
Bosphorus, Colchos, Iberia, Albania, 
Osrhoene, and even the Parthian mo- 
narch himself, had accepted their dia- 
dems from the hand of the emperor; 
that the independent tribes of the Me- 
dian and Carduchian hills had implored 
his protection ; and that the rich coun- 
tries of Armenia, Mesopotamia and 
Assyria were reduced into the state of 
provinces." Of such a reign what more 
appropriate symbol could there be than 
the horse and the rider of the first seal ? 
If Mr. Gibbon had been writing a de- 
signed commentary on this, what more 
appropriate language could he have used 
in illustration of it? The reign of 
Hadrian, the successor of Trajan (A. D. 
117-138), was comparatively a teign of 



A. 1). 96.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



171 



peace — though one of his first acts was 
to lead an expedition into Britain ; but 
though comparatively a time of peace, it 
was a reign of prosperity and triumph. 
Mr. Gibbon, in the following language, 
gives a general characteristic of that 
reign : " The life of [Hadrian] was 
almost a perpetual journey j and as he 
possessed the various talents of the 
soldier, the statesman, and the scholar, 
he gratified his curiosity in the dis- 
charge of his duty. Careless of the 
dhTerence of seasons and of climates, he 
marched on foot, and bareheaded, over 
the snows of Caledonia, and the sultry 
plains of Upper Egypt; nor was there a 
province of the empire, which in the 
course of his reign was not honored with 
the presence of the monarch/' p. 5. On 
p. 6, Mr. Gibbon remarks of this period, 
" The Roman name was revered amongst 
the most remote nations of the earth. 
The fiercest barbarians frequently sub- 
mitted their differences to the arbitra- 
tion of the emperor ; and we are inform- 
ed by a contemporary historian, that he 
had seen ambassadors who were refused 
the honor which they came to solicit, of 
being admitted into the rank of sub- 
jects." And again, speaking of the 
reign of Hadrian, Mr. Gibbon remarks 
(i. 45), " Under his reign, as has been 
already mentioned, the empire flourished 
in peace and prosperity. He encouraged 
the arts, reformed the laws, asserted 
military discipline, and visited all the 
provinces in person." Hadrian was suc- 
ceeded by the Antonines, Antoninus 
Pius, and Marcus Aurelius (the former 
from A. D. 138 to 161, the latter from 
A. D. 161, to the accession of Corn- 
modus, A. D. 180). The general cha- 
racter of their reigns is well known. It 
"is thus stated by Mr. Gibbon: "The 
two Antonines governed the world forty- 
two years with the same invariable spirit 
of wisdom and virtue. Their united 
reigns are possibly the only period of 
history in which the happiness of a 
great people was the sole object of go- 
vernment," i. 46. And, after describing 
the state of the empire in respect to its 
military and naval character, its roads, 
and architecture, and constitution, and 
laws, Mr. Gibbon sums up the whole 
description of this period in the follow- 
ing remarkable words (vol. i. p. 47) : 
" If a man were called to fix a period in 
\he history of the world, during which the 



condition of the human race was most 
happy and prosperous, he would, without 
hesitation, name that which elapsed 
from the death of Domitian to the ac- 
cession of Commodus. The vast extent 
of the Roman ewpire was governed by 
absolute power, under the guidance of 
virtue and wisdom. The armies were 
restrained by the firm but gentle hands 
of four successive emperors, whose cha- 
racters and authority commanded uni- 
versal respect. The forms of the civil 
administration were carefully preserved 
by Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the 
Antonines, who delighted in the image 
of liberty, and were pleased with con- 
sidering themselves as the accountable 
ministers of the laws. Such princes de- 
served the honor of restoring the republic, 
had the Romans of their days been 
capable of enjoying a rational freedom." 
If it be supposed now that John designed 
to represent this period of the world, 
could he have chosen a more expressive 
and significant emblem of it than occurs 
in the horseman of the first seal ? If Mr. 
Gibbon had intended to prepare a com- 
mentary on it, could he have shaped the 
facts of history so as better to furnish an 
illustration ? 

2. The particular things represented 
in the symbol, (a) The bow — a symbol 
of war. Mr. Eliott has endeavored to 
show that the bow at that period was 
peculiarly the badge of the Cretians, and 
that Nerva, who succeeded Domitian, 
was a Cretian by birth. The argument 
is too long to be abridged here, but, if 
well founded, the fulfilment is remark- 
able; for, although the sword or the 
javelin was usually the badge of the Ro- 
man emperor, if this were so, there 
would be a peculiar propriety in making 
the bow the badge during this period. 
See Eliott, vol. i. pp. 133-140. But, 
whatever may be said of this, the bow was 
.so generally the badge of a warrior that 
there would be no impropriety in using 
it as a symbol of Roman victory, (b) The 
crown — cri<pavoi — was up to the time of 
Aurelian, A. D. 270 (see Spanheim, p. 
60), the distinguishing badge of the Ro- 
man emperor; after that, the diadem 
set with pearls and other jewels, was 
adopted and worn. The crown, com- 
posed usually of laurel, was properly tho 
badge of the emperor considered as a 
military leader or commander. See 
Eliott, i. 130. At the period now under 



L72 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



3 And when he had opened the 
second seal, I heard the second 
beast say, Come and see. 

consideration, the proper badge of the 
Roman emperor would be the crown; 
after the time of Aurelian, it would have 
been the diadem. In illustration of 



4 And there went out another 
horse that was red: and power 
was given to him that sat thereon 

this, two cuts may be introduced, the 
one representing the emperor Nerve 
with the crown, or crtyavos, the other tht 
emperor Valentinian, with the diadem. 





(c) The fact that the crown was given to 
the rider. It was common among the 
Romans to represent an emperor in this 
manner ; either on medals, bas-reliefs, or 
triumphal arches. The emperor ap- 
pears going forth on horseback, and 
with Victory represented as either crown- 
ing him, or as preceding him with a 
crown in her hand to present to him. 
The following cut, copied from one of 
the bas-reliefs on a triumphal arch 
erected to Claudius Drusus on occasion 




of his victories over the Germans, will 
furnish a good illustration of this, and, 
indeed, is so similar to the symbol 
described by John, that the one seems 
almost a copy of the other. Except that 
the bow is wanting, nothing could have 
a closer resemblance, and the fact that 
such symbols were employed, and were 
well understood by the Romans, may 
be admitted to be a confirmation of 
the view above taken of the meaning 
of the first seal. Indeed, so many 
things combine to confirm this, that 
it seems impossible to be mistaken in 
regard to it : for if it should be supposed 
that John lived after this time, and that 
he meant to furnish a striking emblem of 
this period of Roman history, he could 
not have employed a more significant 
and appropriate symbol than he has 
done. 

3. And when he had opened the second 
seal. So as to disclose another portion 
of the volume. Notes ch. v. 1. I heard 
the second beast say. The second beast 
was like a calf or an ox. Notes ch. iv. 
7. It cannot be supposed that there is 
any special significancy in the fact that 
the second beast addressed the seer on 
the opening of the second seal, or that, 
so far as the symbol was concerned, 
there was any reason why this living 



A. D. 96.] 



CH APT 



ER VI. 



173 



to take peace from the earth, and 
that they should kill one another : 



creature should approach on the open- 
ing of this seal rather than on either of 
the others. All that seems to be de- 
signed is, that as the living creatures 
are intended to be emblems of the Pro- 
vidential government of God, it was 
proper to represent that government as 
concerned in the opening of each of these 
four seals indicating important events 
among the nations, Come and see. 
See Notes on ver. 1. 

4. And there went out another horse. 
In this symbol there were, as in the others, 
several particulars which it is proper to 
explain in order that we may be able to 
understand its application. The par- 
ticular things in the symbol are the 
following : — 

(a) The horse. See this explained in 
the Notes on ver. 2. 

(b) The color of the horse : — Another 
horse that was red. This symbol cannot 
be mistaken. As the white horse denoted 
prosperity, triumph, and happiness, so 
this would denote carnage, discord, 
bloodshed. This is clear, not only from 
the nature of the emblem, but from the 
explanation immediately added : — " And 
power was given to him that sat thereon 
to take peace from the earth, and that 
they should kill one another." On the 
color, compare Bochart, Hieroz. P. 1. 
lib. ii. c. vii. p. 104. See also Zech. i. 8. 
There is no possibility of mistaking this, 
that a time of slaughter is denoted by 
this emblem. 

(c) The power given to him that sat 
on the horse : — And power was given to 
him that sat thereon to take peace from 
the earth, and that they should kill one 
another. This would seem to indicate 
that the condition immediately pre- 
ceding this was a condition of tran- 
quillity, and that this was now disturbed 
by some cause producing discord and 
bloodshed. This idea is confirmed by 
the original words — Trjvriprjvrjv — "the 
peace that is, the previously existing 
peace. When peace in general is referred 
to, the word is used without the article : 
Matt. x. 34, " Think not that I came to 
Bend peace — ($a\iiv elpfjvrjv — upon the 
earth." Comp. Luke i. 79, ii. 14, xix. 38 ; 
Mark v. 34; John xiv. 27, xvi. 33 ; Acts 
vii. 26, ix. 31, et al. in the Greek. In 

15* 



and there was given unto him a 
great sword. 



these cases the word peace is without the 
article. The characteristics of the period 
referred to by this, are (a) that peace 
and tranquillity existed before ; (6) that 
such peace and tranquillity were now 
taken away, and were succeeded by 
confusion and bloodshed; and (c) that 
the particular form of that confusion 
was civil discord,, producing mutual 
slaughter : — " that they should kill one 
another." 

(d) The presentation of a sword: — 
And there was given unto him a great 
sword. As an emblem of what he was 
to do, or of the period that was referred 
to by the opening of the seal. The 
sword is an emblem of war; of slaughter; 
of authority (Rom. xiii. 4), and is here 
used as signifying that that period 
would be characterized by carnage. 
Comp. Isa. xxxiv. 5; Rev. xix. 17, 18; 
Lev. xxvi. 25; Gen. xxvii. 40; Matt, 
xxvi. 52, x. 34. It is not said by whom 
the sword was presented, but the fact is 
merely referred to, that the rider urns 
presented with a sword as a symbol of 
what would occur. 

In enquiring now into the period re- 
ferred to by this symbol, we naturally 
look to that which immediately suc- 
ceeded the one which was represented 
by the opening of the first seal; that is 
the period which followed the accession 
of Commodus, A. D. 180. We shall 
find, in the events which succeeded his 
accession to the empire, a state of things 
which remarkably accords with the ac- 
count given by John in this emblem — so 
much so that, if it were supposed that 
the book was written after these events 
had occurred, and that John had de- 
signed to represent them by this symbol, 
he could not have selected a more ap- 
propriate emblem. The only authority 
which it is necessary to refer to here is 
Mr. Gibbon; who, as before remarked, 
seems to have been raised up by a Special 
Providence to make a record of those 
events which were referred to by some 
of the most remarkable prophecies in the 
Bible. As he had the highest qualifi- 
cations for an historian, his statements 
may be relied on as accurate ; and as he 
had no belief in the inspiration of the 
prophetic records, his testimony will nok 



174 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



be charged with partiality in their 
favor. The following particulars, there- 
fore, will furnish a full illustration of the 
opening of the second seal : — 

(a) The previous state of peace. This 
is implied in the expression, u and power 
was given to him to take peace from the 
earth." Of this we have had a full con- 
firmation in the peaceful reign of Hadrian 
and the Antonines. See the Notes on 
the exposition of the first seal. Mr. 
Gibbon, speaking of the accession of 
Commodus to the imperial throne, says 
that he " had nothing to wish, and 
tjvery thing to enjoy. The beloved son 
of Marcus [Commodus] succeeded his 
father amidst the acclamations of the 
senate and armies ; and when he ascend- 
ed the throne, the happy youth saw 
around him neither competitor to re- 
move, nor enemies to punish. In this 
calm elevated station it was surely 
natural that he should prefer the love 
of mankind to their detestation, the 
mild glories of his five predecessors to 
the ignominious fate of Nero and Domi- 
tian," i. 51. So again, on the same 
page, he says of Commodus, " His grace- 
ful person, popular address, and undis- 
puted virtues, attracted the public favor; 
the honorable peace which he had re- 
cently granted to the barbarians, dif- 
fused an universal joy." No one can 
doubt that the accession of Commodus 
was preceded by a remarkable preva- 
lence of peace and prosperity. 

(b) Civil war and bloodshed : — To take 
peace from the earth, and they should kill 
one another. Of the applicability of this 
to the time supposed to be represented 
by this seal, we have the fullest con- 
firmation in the series of civil wars com- 
mencing with the assassination of the 
emperor Commodus, A. D. 193, and con- 
tinued with scarcely any intervals of 
intermission for eighty or ninety years. 
So Sismondi, on the fall of the Roman 
empire (i. 36), says, " With Commodus' 
death commenced the third and most 
calamitous period. It lasted ninety-two 
years, from 193 to 284. During that 
time, thirty-two emperors, and twenty- 
seven pretenders to the empire, alter- 
nately hurled each other from the 
throne, by incessant civil warfare. 
Ninety-two years of almost incessant 
civil warfare taught the world on what a 
frail foundation the virtue of the Anto- 
nines had reared the felicity of the em- I 



pire." The full history of this period 
may be seen in Gibbon, i. pp. 50-197. 
Of course it is impossible in these Notes 
to present anything like a complete ac- 
count of the characteristics of those times. 
Yet the briefest summary may well show 
the general condition of the Roman em- 
pire then, and the propriety of repre- 
senting it by the symbol of a red horse, 
as a period when peacewould be taken 
from the earth, and when men would 
kill one another. Commodus himself is 
represented by Mr. Gibbon in the fol- 
lowing words : " Commodus w T as not, as 
he has been represented, a tiger borne 
with an insatiate thirst of human blood, 
and capable, from his infancy, of the 
most inhuman actions. Nature had 
formed him of a weak rather than a 
wicked disposition. His simplicity and 
timidity rendered him the slave of his 
attendants, who gradually corrupted his 
mind. His cruelty, which at first obeyed 
the dictates of others, degenerated into 
habit, and at length became the ruling 
passion of his soul," i. 51. During the 
first three years of his reign, " his handi 
were yet unstained with blood" (ibid.), 
but he soon degenerated into a most 
severe and bloody tyrant, and u when 
Commodus had once tasted human 
blood, he was incapable of pity or re- 
morse," i. 52. " The tyrant's rage," says 
Mr. Gibbon (i. 52), " after having shed 
the noblest blood of the senate, at 
length recoiled on the principal instru- 
ment of his cruelty. While Commodus 
was immersed in blood and luxury he 
devolved the detail of public business on 
Perennis, a servile and ambitious minis- 
ter, who had obtained his post by f\e 
murder of his predecessors," &c. u Every 
sentiment of virtue and humanity was 
extinct in the mind of Commodus," i. 55. 
After detailing the history of his crimes, 
his follies, and his cruelties, Mr. Gibbon 
remarks of him : " His cruelty proved at 
last fatal to himself. He had shed with 
impunity the best blood of Rome ; he 
perished as soon as he was dreaded by 
his own domestics. Marcia, his favorite 
concubine, Eclectus, his chamberlain, 
andLgetus, his Pretorian prsefect, alarm- 
ed by the fate of their companions and 
predecessors, resolved to prevent the 
destruction which every hour hung over 
their heads, either from the mad caprice 
of the tyrant, or the sudden indignation 
of the people. Marcia seized the occa- 



A. 1). 96. ] 



CHAPT 



EE VI. 



175 



sion of presenting a draught of wine to 
her lover, after he had fatigued himself 
with hunting some wild beasts. Corn- 
modus retired to sleep : but while he was 
laboring with the effects of poison and 
drunkenness, a robust youth, by pro- 
fession a wrestler, entered his chamber, 
and strangled him without resistance," 
i. 57. The immediate consequence of 
the assassination of Commodus was the 
elevation of Pertinax to the throne, and 
his murder eighty-six days after. Dec. 
and Fall, i. 60. Then followed the pub- 
lic setting-up of the empire to sale by 
the Pretorian guards, and its purchase 
by a wealthy Roman senator, Didius 
Julianus, or Julian, who, " on the throne 
of the world, found himself without a 
friend and without an adherent," i. 63. 
" The streets and public places in 
Rome resounded with clamors and im- 
precations." " The public discontent 
was soon diffused from the centre to the 
frontiers of the empire," i. 63. In the 
midst of this universal indignation, Sep- 
timius Severus, wh^ then commanded 
the army in the neighborhood of the 
Danube, resolved to avenge the death of 
Pertinax, and to seize upon the imperial 
crown. He marched t<^ Rome, over- 
came the feeble Julian, and placed him- 
self on the throne. Julian, after having 
reigned sixty-six days, was beheaded in 
a private apartment of the baths of the 
palace, i. 67. In less than four years, 
Severus subdued the riches of the East, 
and the valor of the West. He van- 
quished two competitors of reputation 
and ability, and defeated numerous 
armies, provided with weapons and dis- 
cipline equal to his own," i. 68. Mr. 
Gibbon then enters into a detail of 
" the two civil wars against Niger and 
Albinus" — rival competitors for the em- 
pire (i. 68-70), both of whom were van- 
quished, and both of whom were put to 
death " in Ijieir flight from the field of 
battle." Yet he says, "Although the 
wounds of civil war were apparently 
healed, its mortal poison still lurked in 
the vitals of the constitution," i. 71. 
After the death of Severus, then follows 
an account of the contentions between 
his sons, Geta and Caracalla, and of the 
death of the former by the instigation of 
the latter (i. 77) ; then of the remorse of 
Caracalla, in which it is said that " his 
disordered fancy often beheld the angry 
forms of his father and his brother 



rising into life to threaten and upbraiu 
him" (i. 77) ; then of the cruelties which 
Caracalla inflicted on the friends of Geta. 
in which "it was computed that, under 
the vague appellation of the friends cf 
Geta, above twenty thousand persons cf 
both sexes suffered death" (i. 78) ; then 
of the departure of Caracalla from the 
capital, and his cruelties in other parts 
of the empire, concerning which Mr. 
Gibbon remarks (i. 78, 79), that " Cara- 
calla was the common enemy of man- 
kind. Every province was by turns the 
scene of his rapine and cruelty. In the 
midst of peace and repose, upon the 
slightest provocation, he issued his com- 
mands at Alexandria in Egypt, for a 
general massacre. From a secure post 
in the temple of Serapis, he viewed and 
directed the slaughter of many thou- 
sand citizens, as well as strangers, with* 
out distinguishing either the number or 
the crime of the sufferers," &c. Then 
follows the account of the assassination 
of Caracalla (i. 80) ; then, and in conse- 
quence of that, of the civil war which 
crushed Macrinus, and raised Elaga- 
balus to the throne (i. 83); then of the 
life and follies of that wretched volup- 
tuary, and of his massacre by the Pre- 
torian guards (i. 86), then, after an 
interval of thirteen years, of the murder 
of his successor, the second Severus, on 
the Rhine ; then of the civil wars excited 
against his murderer and successor. 
Maximin, in which the two emperors of 
a day, the Gordians, — father and son — 
perished in Africa, and Maximin himself 
and his son in the siege of Aquileia ; 
then of the murder at Rome of the two 
joint emperors Maximus and Balbinus ; 
and quickly after that an account of the 
murder of their successor in the empire, 
the third and youngest Gordian, on the 
banks of the river Aboras; then of the 
slaughter of the next emperor Philip, 
together with his son and associate in 
the empire, in the battle near Verona; — 
and this state of things may be said to 
have continued until the accession of 
Diocletian to the empire, A. D. 284. 
See Dec. and Fall, i. 110-197. Does any 
portion of the history of the world 
present a similar period of connected 
history that would be so striking a ful- 
filment of the symbols used here of 
"peace being taken from the earth," 
and " men killing one another ?" In 
regard to this whole period it is suffi 



176 



REVELATION, 



5 And when lie had opened the 
third seal, I heard the third beast 
say, Come and see. And I beheld, 



cient, after reading Mr. Gibbon's ac- 
count, to ask two questions, (1) If it 
were supposed that John lived after this 
period, and designed to represent this 
by an expressive symbol, could he have 
found one that would have characterized 
it better than this does ? And (2) If it 
should be supposed that Mr. Gibbon 
designed to write a commentary on this 
" seal," and to show the exact fulfilment 
of the symbol, could he have selected a 
better portion of history to do it, or 
could he have better described facts that 
would be a complete fulfilment ? It is 
only necessary to observe further: — 
, (c) That this is a marked and definite 
period. It has such a beginning, and 
guch a continuance and ending, as to 
show that this symbol was applicable to 
this as a period of the world. For it 
was not only preceded by a state of 
peace, as is supposed in the symbol, but 
no one can deny that the condition of 
things in the empire, from Commodus 
onward through many years, was such 
as to be appropriately designated by 
the symbol here used, 

5, 6. And when he had opened the 
third seal. Unfolding another portion 
of the volume. See Notes on ch. v. 1. 
% 1 heard the third beast my, Come and 
see. See Notes on ch. iv. 7. It is not 
apparent why the third beast is repre- 
sented as taking a particular interest in 
the opening of this seal (comp. Notes on 
Ter. 3), nor is it necessary to show why 
it was so. The general design seems to 
have been, to represent each one of the 
four living creatures as interested in the 
opening of the seals, but the order in 
which they did this does not seem to be 
a matter of importance, And I beheld, 
2nd lo, a black horse. The specifications 
of the symbol here are the following : — 

(a) As before, the horse. See Notes 
on ver. 2. 

(b) The color of the horse :■ — lo, a black 
horse. This would properly denote dis- 
tress and calamity — for black has been 
regarded always as such a symbol. So 
Virgil speaks of fear as black : " atrum- 
que timorem." JEn. ix. 619. So again, 
Georg. iv. 468 : 

Caligantem nigra foraidine lucum." 



[A. D. 96. 

and lo, a black horse ; and he that 
sat on him had a pair of balances 
in his hand. 



So, as applied to the dying Acca, JEn, 
xii. 823 : 

M Tenebris nigrescunt omnia circem." 

Black, in the Scriptures, is the image cf 
fear, of famine, of death. Lam. v. 10 : 
" Our skin was black like an oven, be- 
cause of the terrible famine." Jer. xiv. 2 : 
" Because of the drought Judah mourn- 
eth, and the gates thereof languish : they 
are in deep mourning [lit. black] for the 
land/' Joel ii. 6: " All faces shall 
gather blackness." Neh. ii. 10: "The 
knees smite together, and there is great 
pain in all loins, and the faces of them 
all gather blackness." Comp. Bev. vi. 
12; Ezek. xxxii. 7. See also Bochart, 
Hieroz. P. I. lib. ii. c. vii. pp. 106, 107. 
From the color of the horse here intro- 
duced, we should naturally look for 
some dire calamitv, though the nature 
of the calamity would not be designated 
by the mere use of the word black. 
What the calamity was to be, must be 
determined 1 y what follows in the sym- 
bol. Famine*, pestilence, oppression, 
heavy taxation, tyranny, invasion — any 
of these might be denoted by the color 
of the hoidc. 

(c) The balances : — and he that sat on 
him had a pair of balances in his hand- 
The original word, here rendered a pair 
of balances, is fyyav. This word pro- 
perly means a yoke, serving to couple 
any thing together, as a yoke for cattle. 
Hence it is used to denote the beam of a 
balance, or of a pair of scales — and is 
evidently so used here. The idea is that 
something was to be weighed, in order 
to ascertain either its quantity or its 
value. Scales or balances are the em- 
blems of justice or equitv (comp. Job 
xxxi. 6 ; Ps. lxii. 9 ; Pro v. xi. 1, xvi. 11), 
and when joined with symbols that de- 
note the sale of corn and fruit by 
weight, become the symbol of scarcity. 
Thus " bread by weight" (Lev. xxvi. 26) 
denotes scarcity. So in Ezek. iv. 16, 
" And they shall eat bread by weight." 
The use of balances here as a symbol 
would signify that something was to be 
accurately and carefully weighed out. 
The connexion leads us to suppose that 
this would appertain to the necessariea 



A. D. 96.] 



C H APT 



EK VI. 



177 



6 And I heard a voice in the 
midst of the four beasts say, a A 

a The "word chcenix signifieth a measure 
containing one wine quart, and the twelfth 
part of a quart. 



of life, and that it would occur either in 
consequence of scarcity, or because there 
would be an accurate or severe exaction, 
as in collecting a revenue on these 
articles. The balance was commonly 
the symbol of equity and justice; but it 
was, also, sometimes, the symbol of 
exaction and oppression, as in Hos. xii. 
7 : " The balance of deceit is in his 
hands ; he loveth to oppress." If the 
balances stood alone, and there were no 
proclamation as to what was to occur, we 
should look, under this seal, to a time 
of the exact administration of justice, as 
scales or balances are now used as em- 
blems of the rigid application of the laws 
and of the principles of justice in courts, 
or in public affairs. If this representa- 
tion stood alone — or if the black horse 
and the scales constituted the whole 
of the symbol, we should look for 
some severe administration, or perhaps 
some heavy calamity under a rigorous 
administration of laws. The reference, 
however, to the " wheat and barley," 
and to the price for which they were to 
be weighed out, serves still further to 
limit and define the meaning of the 
symbol as having reference to the neces- 
saries of life — to the productions of 
the land — to the actual capital of the 
country. Whether this refers to scarcity, 
or to taxation, or both, must be deter- 
mined by the other parts of the symbol. 

(d) The proclamation : — And I heard 
a voice in the midst of the four beasts say. 
That is, from the throne, ch. iv. 6. The 
voice was not that of one of the four 
beasts, but it seemed to come from 
among them. As the rider went forth, 
this was the proclamation that was made 
in regard to him ; or this is that which 
is symbolized in his going forth, to wit, 
that there would be such a state of 
things that a measure of wheat would 
be sold for a pennj - , &c. The procla- 
mation consists essentially of two things 
— that which refers to the price or value 
of wheat and barley ; and that which 
requires that care shall be taken not to 
injure the oil and the wine. Each of 
these demands explanation. % A mea- 



measure of wheat for a penny, and 
three measures of barley for a 
penny ; and see thou b hurt not the 
oil and the wine. 

b c. 9. 4. 



sure of v)heat for a penny. See the 
margin. The word rendered measure — 
Xoivi^ — chcenix, denotes an attic mea- 
sure for grain and things dry, equal to 
the forty-eighth part of the attic me- 
dimnus, or the eighth part of the 
Roman modius, and consequently was 
nearly equivalent to one quart English. 
Rob. Lex. The word rendered penny — 
Snvdpiov — Lat. denarius, was of the same 
value as the Greek fya^p; — drachme, 
and was equivalent to about fourteen 
cents of our money. This was the 
usual price of a day's labor, Matt. xx. 
2, 9. The chcenix, or measure of grain 
here referred to, was the ordinary daily 
allowance for one man. Odyss. xix. 
27, 28. See Stuart, in loc. The com- 
mon price of the attic medimnus of 
wheat was five or six denarii, but here^ 
as that contained forty-eight chcenixes, 
or quarts, the price would be augmented 
to forty-eight denarii — or it would be 
about eight times as dear as ordinary ; 
that is, there would be a scarcity or 
famine. The price of a bushel of wheat 
at this rate would be about four dollars 
and a half of our money — a price which 
would indicate great scarcity, and which 
would give rise to much distress, And 
three measures of barley for a penny 
It would seem from this that barley 
usually bore about one-third the price 
of wheat. It was a less valuable grain, 
and perhaps was produced in greater 
abundance. This is not far from the 
proportion which the price of this grain 
usually bears to that of wheat, and here, 
as in the case of the wheat, the thing 
which would be indicated would be 
scarcity. This proclamation of " a mea- 
sure of wheat for a penny" was heard 
either as addressed to the horseman, as 
a rule of action for him, or as addressed 
by the horseman as he went forth. If 
the former is the meaning, it would be 
an appropriate address to one who was 
going forth to collect tribute — with re- 
ference to the exact manner in which 
this tribute was to be collected, implying 
some sort of severity of exaction ; or to 
one who should distribute wheat and 



178 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



barley out of the public granaries at 
an advanced price, indicating scarcity. 
Thus it would mean that a severe and 
heavy tax — represented by the scales 
and the scarcity — or a tax so severe as 
to make grain dear, was referred to. If 
the latter is the meaning, then the idea 
is that there would be a scarcity, and 
that grain would be dealt out by the 
government at a high and oppressive 
price. The latter idea would be as con- 
sonant with the symbol of the scales and 
the price mentioned as the other, if it 
were not for the additional injunction not 
to "hurt the oil and the wine" — which 
cannot be well applied to the idea of 
dealing out grain at a high price. It 
can, however, be connected, by a fair 
interpretation of that passage, with such 
a severity of taxation that there would 
be a. propriety in such a command — for, 
as we shall see, under the explanation of 
that phrase, such a law was actually 
promulgated as resulting from severity 
of taxation. The idea, then, in the pas- 
sage before us would seem to be, (a) that 
there would be a rigid administration of 
the law in regard to the matter under 
consideration — that pertaining to the 
productions of the earth — represented 
by the balances ; and (5) that that would 
be connected with general scarcity, or 
such an exercise of this power as to 
determine the price of grain, so that the 
price would be some three times greater 
2han ordinary, And see that thou hurt 
not the oil and the wine. There has 
been a great variety of interpretations 
proposed of this passage, and it is by 
no means easy to determine the true 
sense. The first inquiry in regard to it 
is, to whom is it addressed ? Perhaps 
the most common impression on reading 
it would be, that it is addressed to the 
horseman with the balances, command- 
ing him not to injure the oliveyards 
and the vineyards. But this is not 
probably the correct view. It does not 
appear that the horseman goes forth to 
destroy any thing, or that the effect of 
his going forth is directly to injure any 
thing. This, therefore, should not be 
understood as addressed to the horse- 
man, but should be regarded as a 
general command to any and all not to 
injure the oliveyards and vineyards ; 
that is, an order that nothing should be 
done essentially to injure them. If thus 
regarded as addressed to others, a fair 



and congruous meaning would be fur- 
nished by either of the following inter- 
pretations : — either (a) considered as 
addressed to those who were disposed to 
be prodigal in their manner of living, 
or careless as to the destruction of 
the crop of the oil and wine, as they 
would now be needed; or (h) as ad- 
dressed to those who raised such pro- 
ductions, on the supposition that they 
would be taxed heavily, or that large 
quantities of these productions would be 
extorted for revenue, that they should 
not mutilate their fruit-trees in order 
to evade the taxes imposed by the 
government. In regard to the things 
specified here — oil and wine — it may be 
remarked, that they were hardly con- 
sidered as articles of luxury in ancient 
times. They were almost as necessary 
articles as wheat and barley. They con- 
stituted a considerable part of the food 
and drink of the people, as well as 
furnished a large, portion of the re- 
venue, and it would seem to be with 
reference to that fact that the command 
here is given that they should not be 
injured; that is, that nothing should be 
done to diminish the quantity of oil and 
wine, or to impair the productive power 
of oliveyards and vineyards. The state 
of things thus described by this seal, as 
thus interpreted, would be (a) a rigid 
administration of the laws of the em- 
pire, particularly in reference to tax- 
ation, producing a scarcity among the 
necessary articles of living ; (b) a strong 
tendency, from the severity of the tax- 
ation, to mutilate such kinds of property, 
with a view either of concealing the real 
amount of property, or of diminishing 
the amount of taxes ; and (r) a solemn 
command from some authoritative quar- 
ter not to do this. A command from the 
ruling power not to do this, would meet 
all that would be fairly demanded in the 
interpretation of the passage; and what 
is necessary in its application, is to find 
such a state of things as would cor- 
respond with these predictions ; that is, 
such as a writer would have described 
by such symbols on |he supposition that 
they were referred to. 

Now, it so happens, that there were 
important events which occurred in the 
Roman empire, and connected with its 
decline and fall, of sufficient importance 
to be noticed in a series of calamitous 
events, which corresponded with the 



A. D. 96.] 



CH APT 



ER VI. 



179 



lyinbol here, as above explained. They 
■tfere such as these : — (a) The general 
severity of taxation, or the oppressive 
burdens laid on the people by the empe- 
rors. In the account which Mr. Gibbon 
gives of the operation ftf the Indic- 
tions, and Superindictio?is , though the 
specific laws on this subject pertained 
to a subsequent period, the general 
nature of the taxation of the empire 
and its oppressive character may be 
seen. Dec. and Fall, i. 357-359. A 
general estimate of the amount of re- 
venue to be exacted was made out, and 
the collecting of this was committed to 
the Preterian praefects, and to a great 
number of subordinate officers. ?" The 
lands were measured by surveyors who 
were sent into the provinces ; their 
nature, whether arable, or pasture, or 
woods, was distinctly reported ; and an 
estimate made of their common value, 
from the average produce of five years. 
The number of slaves and of cattle con- 
stituted an essential part of the report : 
an oath was administered to the pro- 
prietors which bound them to disclose 
the true state of their affairs ; and their 
attempts to prevaricate or elude the 
intention of the legislator, were severely 
watched, and punished as a capital 
crime, which included the double guilt 
of treason and of sacrilege. According 
to the different nature of lands, their 
real produce in the various articles of 
wine or oil, corn or barley, wood or iron, 
was transported by the labor or at the 
expense of the provincials to the impe- 
rial magazines, from whence they were 
occasionally distributed for the use of 
the court, or of the army, and of the 
two capitals, Rome and Constantinople," 
i. p. 358. ♦ Comp. Lactant. de Mort. 
Persecut. c. 23. (b) The particular order, 
under this oppressive system of taxation, 
respecting the preservation of vineyards 
and oliveyards, may be referred to, also, 
as corresponding to the command sent 
forth under this rider, not to " hurt the 
oil and the wine." That order was in 
the following words : " If any one shall 
sacrilegiously cut a vine, or stint the 
fruit of prolific boughs, and craftily feign 
poverty in order to avoid, a fair assess- 
ment, he shall immediately on detection 
suffer death, and his property be con- 
fiscated." Cod. Theod. 1. xiii. lib. xi. 
geq. ; Gibbon, i. 358, note. Mr. Gib- 
bon remarks, "Although this law is 



not without its studied obscurity, it 
is, however, clear enough to prove the 
minuteness of the inquisition and the 
disproportion of the penalty." (e) Un- 
der this general subject of the severity 
of taxation — as a fact far-spreading 
and oppressive, and as so important 
as to hasten the downfall of the em- 
pire, may be noticed a distinct edict 
of Caracalla as occurring more directly 
in the period in which the rider with 
the balances may be supposed to have 
gone forth. This is stated by Mr. 
Gibbon (i. 91), as one of the important 
causes which contributed to the down- 
fall of the empire : " The personal cha- 
racters of the emperors, their victories, 
laws, and fortunes," says he, " can in- 
terest us no farther than they are con- 
nected with the general history of the 
Decline and Fall of the monarchy. Our 
constant attention to that object will not 
suffer us to Overlook a most important 
edict of Antoninus Caracalla, which com- 
municated to all the free inhabitants of 
the empire, the name and privileges of 
Roman citizens. His unbounded libe- 
rality flowed not, however, from the 
sentiments of a generous mind; it was 
the sordid result of avarice," &c. He 
then proceeds, at length, to state the 
nature and operations of that law, by 
which a heavy tax, under the pretence 
of liberality, was in fact imposed on all 
the citizens of the empire — a fact which, 
in its ultimate results, the historian of 
the Decline and Fall regards as so 
closely connected with the termination 
of the empire. See Gibbon, i. pp. 91-95. 
After noticing the laws of Augustus, 
Nero, and the Antonines, and the real 
privileges conferred by them on those 
who became entitled to the rank of 
Roman citizens — privileges which were 
a compensation in the honor, dignity, 
and offices of that rank for the measuro 
of taxation which it involved, he pro- 
ceeds to notice the fact that the title of 
" Roman citizen" was conferred by 
Caracalla on all the free citizens of the 
empire, involving the subjection to all 
the heavy taxes usually imposed on 
those who sustained the rank expressed 
by the title, but with nothing of the 
compensation connected with the title 
when it was confined to the inhabitants 
of Italy. "But the favor," says he, 
" which implied a distinction, was lost 
in the prodigality of Caracalla, and th$ 



180 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



reluctant provincials were compelled to 
assume the vain title, and the real obli- 
gations, of Roman citizens. Nor was 
the rapacious son of Severus [Caracalla] 
contented with such a measure of tax- 
ation as had appeared sufficient to his 
moderate predecessors. Instead of a 
twentieth, he exacted a tenth of all 
legacies and inheritances; and during 
his reign he crushed alike every part of 
tb e empire under the weight of his iron 
sceptre," i. 95. So again (ibid.), speak- 
ing of the taxes which had been light- 
ened somewhat by Alexander, Mr. Gib- 
bon remarks, " It is impossible to 
conjecture the motive that engaged him 
to spare so trifling a remnant of the 
soil; but the noxious weed, which had 
not been totally eradicated, again sprung 
up with the most luxuriant growth, and 
in the succeeding age darkened the Ro- 
man world with its deadly shade. In 
the course of this history, w^b shall be too 
often summoned to explain the land-tax, 
the capitation, and the heavy contribu- 
tions of corn, wine, oil, and meat, which 
were exacted of the province for the 
use of the court, the army, and the 
capital." In reference to this whole 
matter of taxation as being one of 
the things which contributed to the 
downfall of the empire, and which 
spread woe through the falling empire — 
a woe worthy to be illustrated by one of 
the seals — a confirmation may be de- 
rived from the reign of Galerius, who, as 
Csesar, acted under the authority of Dio- 
cletian; who excited Diocletian to the 
work of persecution (Dec. and Fall, i. 
317, 318) ; and who, on the abdication 
of Diocletian, assumed the title of 
Augustus. Dec. and Fall, i. 222. Of 
his administration in general, Mr. Gib- 
bon (i. 226) remarks : " About that time, 
the avarice of Galerius, or perhaps the 
exigences of the state, had induced him 
to make a very strict and rigorous in- 
quisition into the property of his sub- 
jects for the purpose of a general tax- 
ation, both on their lands and on their 
persons. A very minute survey appears 
to have been taken of their real estates ; 
and wherever there was the slightest 
concealment, torture was very freely 
employed to obtain a sincere declaration 
of their real wealth." Of the nature of 
this exaction under Galerius; of the 
cruelty with which the measure was 
prosecuted — particularly in its bearing 



on Christians, towards whom Galerius 
cherished a mortal enmity (Dec. and 
Fall. i. 317); and of the extent and 
severity of the suffering among Chris- 
tians and others, caused by it, the fol- 
lowing account of Lactantius (De Mort. 
Persecut. c. 23) will furnish a pain- 
ful but most appropriate illustration : — 
" Swarms of exactors sent into the pro- 
vinces and cities filled them with agita- 
tion and terror, as though a conquering 
enemy were leading them into captivity. 
The fields were separately measured, 
the trees and vines, tbe flocks and 
herds numbered, and an examination 
made of the men. In the cities the cul- 
tivated and rude were united as of the 
same rank. The streets were crowded 
with groups of families, and every one 
required to appear with his children and 
slaves. Tortures and lashes resounded 
on every side. Sons were gibbeted in 
the presence of their parents, and the 
most confidential servants harassed that 
they might make disclosures against 
their masters, and wives that they might 
testify unfavorably of their husbands. 
If there were a total destitution of pro- 
perty, they were still tortured to make 
acknowledgments against themselves, 
and, when overcome by pain, inscribed 
for what they did not possess. Neither 
age nor ill-health was admitted as an 
excuse for not appearing. The sick and 
weak were borne to the place of inscrip- 
tion, a reckoning made of the age of 
each, and years added to the young and 
deducted from the old, in order to 
subject them to a higher taxation than 
the law imposed. The whole scene was 
filled with wailing and sadness. In the 
mean time individuals died, and the 
herds and the flocks dinfinished, yet 
tribute was none the less required to be 
paid for the dead, so that it was no 
longer allowed either to live or die with- 
out a tax. Mendicants alone escaped, 
where nothing could be wrenched, and 
whom misfortune and misery had made 
incapable of farther oppression. These 
the impious wretch affecting to pity, thas 
they might not suffer want, ordered to 
be assembled, borne off in vessels, and! 
plunged into the sea." See Lord on the 
Apoc. pp. 128, 129. These facts in re- 
gard to the severity of taxation, and the 
rigid nature of the law enforcing it ; to 
the sources of the revenue exacted in 
tba provinces, and to the care that none 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



181 



7 And when he had opened the 
fourth seal, I heard the voice of the 
fourth beast say, Come and see. 



of those sources should be diminished j 
and to the actual and undoubted bearing 
of all this on the decline and fall of the 
empire, are so strikingly applicable to 
the symbol here employed, that if it be 
supposed that it was intended to refer 
to them, no more natural or expressive 
symbol could have been used ; if it were 
supposed that the historian meant to 
make a record of the fulfilment, he 
could not well have made a search which 
would more strikingly accord with the 
symbol. Were we now to represent 
these things by a symbol, we could 
scarcely find one that would be more 
expressive than that of a rider on 
a black horse with a pair of scales, sent 
forth under a proclamation which indi- 
cated that there would be a most rigid 
and exact administration of severe and 
oppressive laws, and with a special 
command, addressed to the people, not 
for the purposes of concealment, or from 
opposition to the government, to injure 
the sources of revenue. It m^j serve 
further to illustrate this, to copy c^e of 
the usual emblems of a Romai pro- 
curator or quaestor. It is taken from 
Spanheim, De Usu Num. Diss, vi 545. 
See Eliott, i. 169. It has a balance as 
a symbol of exactness or justice, abd an 
ear of grain, as a symbol employed with 
reference to procuring or exacting grain 
from the provinces. 




\ And when lie had opened the fourth 
jea*. See Notes ch. v. 1. ^ 1 heard 
the fourth beast say. The flying eagle. 
Notes ch. iv. 7. As in the other cases, 
there does not appear to have been any 
particular reason why the fourth of the 
living creatures should have made this 
16 



8 And I looked, and "behold a 
pale horse ; and his name that sat 
on him was Death, and hell fol- 



proclamation rather than either of the 
others. It was poetic and appropriate 
to represent each one in his turn as 
making proclamation, Come and see. 
See Notes ver. 1. 

8. And I looked and behold a pale 
horse — i-xos ^Xwp6g. On the horse, as an 
emblem, see Notes on ver. 2. The 
peculiarity of this emblem consists in 
the color of the horse ; the rider ; and 
the power that was given unto him. In 
the?e there is entire harmony, and there 
can be comparatively little difficulty in 
the explanation and application. The 
color of the horse was pale — %\top6s. 
This word properly means pale-green, 
yellowish-green, like the color of the 
first shoots of grass and herbage; then 
green, verdant, like young herbage, 
Mark vi. 39; Rev. viii. 7, ix. 4; ami 
then pale, yellowish. Hob. Lex. The 
color here would be an appropriate one 
to denote the reign of Death — as one of 
the most striking effects of death is 
paleness — and, of course, of death pro- 
duced by any cause, famine, pestilence, 
or the sword. From this portion of the 
symbol, if it stood with nothing to limit 
and define it, we should naturally look 
for some condition of things in which 
death would prevail in a remarkable 
manner, or in which multitudes of human 
beings would be swept away. And yet, 
perhaps, from the very nature of this 
part of the symbol, we should look for 
the prevalence of death in some such 
peaceful manner as by famine or dis- 
ease. The red color would more natu- 
rally denote the ravages of death in war; 
the black, the ravages of death by sud- 
den calamity; the pale would more 
obviously suggest famine or wasting 
disease, And his name that sat on 
him was Death. No description is given 
of his aspect; nor does he appear with 
any emblem — as sword, or spear, or 
bow. There is evident scope for the 
fancy to picture to itself the form of 
the Destroyer; and there is just that 
kind of obscurity about it which con- 
tributes to sublimity. Accordingly there 
has been ample room for the exercise of 
the imagination in the attempts to paint 
" Death on the pale horse," and tht 



182 



REV-ELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



lowed with him: Anl power was 
given unto a them over the fourth 
part of the earth, to kill b with 

a Or, to him. b Eze. 14. 21. 



opening of this seal has furnished occa- 
sion for some of the greatest triumphs 
of the pencil. The simple idea in this 
portion of the symbol is, that Death 
would reign or prevail under the opening 
of this seal — whether by sword, by 
famine, or by pestilence, is to be deter- 
mined by other descriptions in the sym- 
bol. And hell followed with him. 
Attended him as he went forth. On the 
meaning of the word here rendered 
hell — adrjg — hades. See Notes on Luke 
xvi. 23 ; comp. Notes on Job x. 21, 22 ; 
Isa. xiv. 9. It is here used to denote 
the abode of the dead, considered as a 
place where they dwell, and not in the 
more restricted sense in which the word 
is now commonly used as a place of 
punishment. The idea is, that the dead 
would be so numerous at the going forth 
of this horseman, that it would seem as 
if the pale nations of the dead had 
come again upon the earth. A vast 
retinue of the dead would accompany 
him ; that is, it would be a time when 
death would prevail on the earth, or 
when multitudes would die. And 
power was given unto them. Marg. to him. 
The common Greek text is avroTg — to 
them. There are many MSS., however, 
which read aurw — to him. So Prof. 
Stuart reads it. The authority, how- 
ever, is in favor of them as the reading, 
and according to this, death and his 
train are regarded as grouped together, 
and the power is considered as given to 
them collectively. The sense is not 
materially varied, ^ Over the fourth 
part of the earth. That is, of the Ro- 
man world. It is not absolutely neces- 
sary to understand this as extending 
over precisely a fourth part of the world. 
Comp. Rev. viii. 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, ix. 15, et 
al. Undoubtedly we are to look in the 
fulfilment of this to some far-spread 
calamity; to some severe visitations 
which would sweep off great multitudes 
of men. The nature of that visitation 
Is designated in the following specifi- 
cations. To kill with sword. In war 
and discord — and we are, therefore, to 
look to a period of war. ^ And with 
hunger. With famine — ■ one of the ac- 



sword, and with hunger, and with 
death, and with the beasts of the 
earth. 



companiments of war — where armies 
ravage a nation, trampling down the 
crops of grain ; consuming the provisions 
laid up ; employing in war, or cutting 
off the men who would be occupied in 
cultivating the ground ; making it neces- 
sary that they should take the field at a 
time when the grain should be sown or 
the harvests collected ; and shutting up 
the people in besieged cities to perish by 
hunger. Famine has been not an un- 
frequent accompaniment of war; and 
we are to look for the fulfilment of this 
in its extensive prevalence, And with 
death. Each of the other forms — "with 
the sword and with hunger," — imply that 
death would reign; for it is said that 
" power was given to kill with sword and 
with hunger. This word then must refer 
to death in some other form — to death 
that seemed to reign without any such 
visible cause as the "sword" and "hun- 
ger." This would well denote the pesti- 
lence — not an unfrequent accompani- 
ment of war. Eor nothing is better fitted 
to produce this than the unburied bodies 
of the slain ; the filth of a camp ; the 
want of food ; and the crowding together 
of multitudes in a besieged city : — and, 
accordingly, the pestilence, especially in 
Oriental countries, has been often closely 
connected with war. That the pestilence 
is referred to here, is rendered more 
certain by the fact that the Hebrew woi d 

1^ — pestilence — which occurs about 

fifty times in the Old Testament, is ren- 
dered Sdvaroq — death, more than thirty 
times in the Septuagint. ^ And with 
the beasts of the earth. With wild 
beasts. This, too, would be one of the 
consequences of war, famine, and pesti- 
lence. Lands would be depopulated, 
and wild beasts would be multiplied. 
Nothing more is necessary to make 
them formidable than a prevalence of 
these things ; and nothing, in the early 
stages of society, or in countries ravaged 
by war, famine, and the pestilence, is 
more formidable. Homer, at the very 
beginning of his Iliad, presents us with 
a representation similar to this. Comp. 
Ezek. xiv. 21 : "I send my sore four judg- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EE VI. 



183 



merits upon Jerusalem, trie sword, and 
the famine, and the noisome beast, and 

the pestilence" — "Q^ — Sept., as here, 

Sdvarov. See also 2 Kings xvii. 26. 

In regard to the fulfilment of this, 
there can be little difficulty, if the prin- 
ciples adopted in the interpretation of 
the first three seals are correct. We 
may turn to Gibbon, and as in the other 
cases, we shall find that he has been an 
unconscious witness of the fidelity of the 
representation in this seal. Two general 
remarks may be made before there is an 
attempt to illustrate the particular things 
in the symbol, (a) The first relates to the 
place in the order of time, or in history, 
which this seal occupies. If the three 
former seals have been located with any 
degree of accuracy, we should expect 
that this would follow, not very re- 
motely, the severe laws pertaining to 
taxation, which, according to Mr. Gib- 
bon, contributed so essentially to the 
downfall of the empire. And if it be 
admitted to be probable that the fifth 
seal refers to a time of persecution, it 
would be most natural to fix this period 
between those times and the times of 
Diocletian, when the persecutions ceased. 
I may be permitted to say, that I was 
led to fix on this period without having 
any definite view beforehand of what 
occurred in it, and was surprised to 
find in Mr. Gibbon what seems to be 
so accurate a correspondence with the 
symbol. (6) The second remark is, 
that the general characteristics of this 
period, as stated by Mr. Gibbon, agree 
remarkably with what we should ex- 
pect of the period from the symbol. 
Thus speaking of this whole period 
(A. D. 243-268), embracing the reigns 
of Decius, Gallus, JEmili&nus, Valerian, 
and Gallienus, he says, "From the great 
secular games celebrated by Philip to 
the death of the emperor Gallienus, 
there elapsed twenty years of shame 
and misfortune. During this calamitous 
period, every instant of time was marked, 
every province of the Roman world was 
afflicted by barbarous invaders and mili- 
tary tyrants, and the wearied empire 
seemed to approach the last and fatal 
moment of its dissolution," i. 135. 

In regard to the particular things 
referred to in the symbol, the following 
specifications may furnish a sufficient 
tonfirmation and illustration : — 



(a) The killing with the sword. A 
fulfilment of this, so far as the words are 
concerned, might be found indeed in 
many portions of Roman history, but no 
one can doubt that it was eminently true 
of this period. It was the period of the 
first Gothic invasion of the Roman em- 
pire ; the period when those vast hordes, 
having gradually come down from the re- 
gions of Scandinavia, and having moved 
along the Danube towards the Ukraine 
and the countries bordering on the 
Borysthenes, invaded the Roman terri- 
tories from the East, passed over Greece, 
and made their appearance almost, as 
Mr. Gibbon says, within sight of Rome. 
Of this invasion, Mr. Gibbon says, " This 
is the first considerable occasion [the 
fact that the emperor Decius was sum- 
moned to the banks of the Danube, A. D. 
250, by the invasion of the Goths] 
in which history mentions that great 
people, who afterwards broke the Ro- 
man power, sacked the capital, and 
reigned in Gaul, Spain, and Italy. So 
memorable was the part which they 
acted in the subversion of the Western 
empire, that the name of Goths is fre- 
quently, but improperly, used as a 
general appellation of rude and warlike 
barbarism," i. p. 136. As one of the 
illustrations that the " sword" would be 
used by " Death" in this period, we may 
refer to the siege and capture of Philip- 
polis. "A hundred thousand persons 
are reported to have been massacred in 
the sack of that great city." Dec. and 
Fall, i. 140. " The whole period," says 
Mr. Gibbon, speaking of the reigns of 
Valerian and Gallienus, " was one unin- 
terrupted series of confusion and cala- 
mity. The Roman empire was, at the 
same time, and on every side, attacked 
by the blind fury of foreign invaders, 
and the wild ambition of domestic 
usurpers," i. 144. " Such were the bar- 
barians," says Mr. Gibbon, in the close 
of his description of the Goths at this 
period, and of the tyrants that reigned, 
" and such the tyrants, who, under the 
reigns of Valerian and Gallienus, dis- 
membered the provinces, and reduced 
the empire to the lowest pitch of dis- 
grace and ruin, from whence it seemed 
impossible that it should ever emerge," 
i. 158. 

(6) Famine : " Shall kill with hunger." 
This would naturally be the consequence 
of long-continued wars, and of such 



184 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



invasions as those of the Goths. Mr. 
Gibbon says of this period, " Our habits 
of thinking so fondly connect the order 
of the universe with tho fate of man, 
that this gloomy period of history has 
been decorated with inundations, earth- 
quakes, uncommon meteors, preterna- 
tural darkness, and a crowd of prodigies, 
fictitious or exaggerated. But a long 
and general famine was a calamity of a 
more serious kind. It was the inevit- 
able consequence of rapine and oppres- 
sion, which extirpated the produce of the 
present, and the hope of future harvests," 
i. p. 159. Prodigies, and preternatural 
darkness, and earthquakes, were not 
seen in the vision of the opening of the 
seal — but war and famine were ; and the 
facts stated by Mr. Gibbon are such as 
would be now appropriately symbolized 
by Death on the pale horse. 

(c) Pestilence : — " And shall kill with 
death." Of the pestilence which raged 
in this period, Mr. Gibbon makes the 
following remarkable statement, in im- 
mediate connexion with what he says 
of the famine : " Pamine is almost 
always followed by epidemical diseases, 
the effect of scanty .and unwholesome 
food. Other causes must, however, 
have contributed to the furious plague, 
which, from the year two hundred and 
fifty to the year two hundred and sixty- 
five, raged without interruption in every 
-province, every city, and almost every 
family in the Roman empire. During 
some time, five thousand persons died 
daily at Rome; and many towns that 
had escaped the hands of the barbarians 
were entirely depopulated," i. 159. 

(a 7 ) Wild beasts: — " And shall kill 
with the beasts of the eanh." As already 
remarked, these are formidable enemies 
in the early stages of society, and when 
a country becomes from any cause depo- 
pulated. They are not mentioned by 
Mr. Gibbon as contributing to the De- 
cline and Fall of the empire, or as con- 
nected with the calamities that came 
upon the world at that period. But no 
one can doubt that in such circum- 
stances they would be likely to abound, 
especially if the estimate of Mr. Gibbon 
be correct (i. 159), when, speaking of 
these times, and making an estimate of 
the proportion of the inhabitants of 
Alexandria that had perished — which he 
lays vas more than one-half — he adds, 
u Could one venture to extend the ana- 



logy to the other provinces, we mighi 
suspect that war, pestilence, and famine, 
had consumed, in a few years, the 
moiety of the human species." Yet, 
though not adveited to by Mr. Gibbon, 
there is a record pertaining to this very 
period, which shows that this was one 
of the calamities with which the world 
was then afflicted. It occurs in Arno- 
bius, Adv. Gentes, lib. i. p. 5. "Within a 
few years after the death of Gallienus 
(about A. D. 300), he speaks of wild 
beasts in such a manner as to show that 
they were regarded as a sore calamity. 
The public peril and suffering on this 
account were so great that, in common 
with other evils, this was charged on 
Christians as one of the judgments oV 
heaven which they brought upon the 
world. In defending Christians against 
the general charge that these judgments 
were sent from heaven on their account, 
he adverts to the prevalence of wild 
beasts, and shows that they could not 
have been sent as a judgment on account 
of the existence of Christianity, by the 
fact that they had prevailed also in the 
times of heathenism, long before Chris- 
tianity was introduced into the empire. 
" Quando cum feris bella, et proelia cum 
leonibus gesta sunt ? Non ante nos ? 
Quando pernicies populis venenatis ab 
anguibus data est? Non ante nos?" 
" When were wars waged with wild 
beasts, and contests with lions? Was 
it not before our times? When did a 
plague come upon men poisoned by 
serpents ? Was it not before our times ?" 

In regard to the extent of the destruc- 
tion which these causes would bring 
upon the world, there is a remarkable 
confirmation in Gibbon. To say, as is 
said, in the account of the seal, that " a 
fourth part of the earth" would be sub- 
jected to the reign of death by the 
sword, by famine, by pestilence, and by 
wild beasts, may seem to many to be an 
improbable statement — a statement for 
the fulfilment of which we should look 
in vain to any historical records. Yet 
Mr. Gibbon, without expressly men- 
tioning the plague of wild beasts, but 
referring to the three others — " war, 
pestilence, and famine" — goes into a 
calculation, in a passage already re- 
ferred to, by which he shows that it is 
probable that from these causes half the 
human race was destroyed. The follow- 
ing is h's estimate : " We have tha 



v 



A. D 96.J 



CH APT 



ER VI. 



185 



9 And when he had opened the 
fifth seal, I saw under the altar a 



knowledge of a very curious circum- 
stance, of some use perhaps in the 
melancholy calculation of human calami- 
ties. An exact register was kept at 
Alexandria of all the citizens entitled to 
receive the distribution of corn. It was 
found that the ancient number of those 
comprised between the ages of forty and 
seventy, had been equal to the whole 
sum of the claimants, from fourteen to 
fourscore years of age, who remained 
alive after the death of Gallienus. Ap- 
plying this authentic fact to the most 
correct tables of mortality, it evidently 
proves that above half of the people of 
Alexandria had perished; and could we 
venture to extend the analogy to other 
provinces, we might suspect that war, 
pestilence, and famine, had consumed in 
a few years the moiety of the human 
species" i. 159. The historian says that 
it might be "suspected" from these data 
that one-half of the human race had 
been cut off in a few years, from these 
causes ; in the Apocalyptic vision it is 
said that power was given over one- 
" fourth" of the earth. We may remark 
(a) that the description in the symbol 
is as likely to be correct as the "sus- 
picion" of the historian ; and (b) that his 
statement that in this period " a moiety 
of the race," or one-half of the race, 
perished, takes away all improbability 
from the prediction, and gives a most 
graphic confirmation of the symbol of 
Death on the pale horse. If such a deso- 
lation in fact occurred, there is no im- 
probability in the supposition that it 
might have been prefigured by the 
opening of a prophetic seal. Such a 
wide-spread desolation would be likely 
to be referred to in a series of symbols 
that were designed to represent the 
downfall of the Roman power, and the 
great changes in human affairs that 
would affect the welfare of the church. 

9. And when he had opened the fifth 
teal. Notes on ch. v. 1, vi. 1. 1 saw 
under the altar. The four living crea- 
tures are no longer heard as in the 
opening of the first four seals. No rea- 
son is given for the change in the man- 
ner of the representation, and none can 
be assigned, unless it be, that having 
represented each one of the four living 
16* 



the souls * of them that were slain 

a c. 8. 3. b c. 20. 4. 



creatures in their turn as calling atten- 
tion to the remarkable events about to 
occur, there seemed to be no necessity 
or propriety in introducing them again. 
In itself considered, it cannot be sup- 
posed that they would be any less 
interested in the events about to be dis- 
closed than they were in those which 
preceded. This seal pertains to martyrs 
— as the former successively did to a 
time of prosperity and triumph ; to dis- 
cord and bloodshed; to oppressive tax- 
ation; to war, famine, and pestilence. 
In the series of woes, it was natural and 
proper that there should be a vision of 
martyrs, if it was intended that the suc- 
cessive seals should refer to coming and 
important periods of the world ; and ac- 
cordingly we have here a striking repre- 
sentation of the martyrs crying to God 
to interpose in their behalf and to avenge 
their blood. The points which require 
elucidation are (a) their position — under 
the altar; (6) their invocation — or their 
prayer that they might be avenged ; 

(c) the clothing of them with robes ; and 

(d) the command to wait patiently a 
little time. 

(a) The position of the martyrs: — 
under the altar. There were in tht 
temple at Jerusalem two altars — the 
altar of burnt sacrifices, and the altar of 
incense. The altar here referred to was 
probably the former. This stood in front 
of the temple, and it was on this that the 
daily sacrifice was made. Comp. Note3 
on Matt. v. 23, 24. "We are to remem- 
ber, however, that the temple and the 
altar were both destroyed before the 
time when this book was written, and 
this should, therefore, be regarded merely 
as a vision. John saw these souls as if 
they were collected under the altar — 
the place where the sacrifice for sin 
was made — offering their supplications. 
Why they are represented as being there 
is not so apparent; but probably two 
suggestions will explain this : (a) The 
altar was the place where sin was ex- 
piated," and it was natural to represent 
these redeemed martyrs as seeking re- 
fuge there ; and (6) it was usual to offer 
prayers and supplications at the altar, 
in connexion with the sacrifice made for 
sin, and on the ground of that sacrifice. 



186 



EE Y ELATION, 



[A. D. 



for * the word of God, ar.d for the 
testimony which they held: 

10 And they cried with a loud 
voice, saying, How b long, Lord, 

a c. 1. 9. 12. 17. b Zee. 1. 1% 

The idea is, that they who were suffer- 
ing persecution would naturally seek a 
refuge in the place where expiation was 
made for sin, and where prayer was 
appropriately offered. The language 
here is such as a Hebrew would natu- 
rally use ; the idea is appropriate to any 
one who believes in the atonement, and 
who supposes that that is the appro- 
priate refuge for those who are in trou- 
ble. But while the language here is 
such as an Hebrew would use, and while 
the reference in the language is to the 
altar of burnt sacrifice, the scene should 
be regarded as undoubtedly laid in 
heaven — the temple where God resides. 
The whole representation is that of 
fleeing to the atonement, and pleading 
with God in connexion with the sacri- 
fice for sin. The souls of them that 
were slain. That had been put to death 
by persecution. This is one of the inci- 
dental proofs in the Bible that the soul 
does not cease to exist at death, and also 
that it does not cease to be conscious, or 
does not sleep till the resurrection. 
These souls of the martyrs are repre- 
sented as still in existence ; as remem- 
bering what had occurred on the earth ; 
as interested in what was now taking 
place; as engaged in prayer; and as 
manifesting earnest desires for the divine 
interposition to avenge the wrongs which 
they had suffered, For the word of 
God. On account of the word or truth 
of God. See Notes on ch. i. 9. 5T And 
for the testimony which they held. On 
account of their testimony to the truth, 
or being faithful witnesses of the truth 
of Jesus Christ. See Notes on ch. i. 9. 

(b) The invocation of the martyrs, 
ver. 10 : — And they cried with a loud 
voice. That is, they plead that their 
blood might be avenged, *[ Saying, 
How long, Lord, holy and true. 
They did not doubt that God would 
avenge them, but they enquire how long 
the vengeance would be delayed. It 
seemed to them that God was slow to 
interpose, and to check the persecuting 
pow*r. They appeal, therefore, to him 
as a Srod of holiness and truth ; that is, 



holy and true, dost thou not judge 
and avenge c our blood on them 
that dwell on the earth ? 

c De. 32. 41-43. c. 11. 18. 



as one who could not look with approval 
on sin, and in whose sight the wrongs 
inflicted by the persecuting power must 
be infinitely offensive; as one who 
was true to his promises, and faithful to 
his people. On the ground of his own 
hatred of wrong, and of his plighted 
faithfulness to his church, they plead 
that he would interpose. ^[ Dost thou 
not judge and avenge our blood. That 
is, dost thou forbear to judge • and 
avenge us ; or dost thou delay to punish 
those who have persecuted and slain us. 
They do not speak as if they had 
any doubt that it would be done; nor 
as if they were actuated by a spirit 
of revenge; but as if it would be 
proper that there should be an expres- 
sion of the divine sense of the wrongs 
that had been done them. It is not 
right to desire vengeance or revenge; 
it is to desire that justice should be done, 
and that the government of God should 
be vindicated. The word "judge" here 
may either mean 'judge us,' in the 
sense of 'vindicate us,' or it may refer 
to their persecutors, meaning t judge 
them.' The more probable sense is the 
latter : — ' How long dost thou forbear to 
execute judgment on our account on 
those that dwell on the earth?' The 
word avenge — IkSlksu) — means to do jus- 
tice ; to execute punishment, On them 
that dwell on the earth. Those who are 
still on the earth. This shows that the 
scene here is laid in heaven, and that 
the souls of the martyrs are represented 
as there. We are not to suppose that 
this literally occurred, and that John 
actually saw the souls of the martyrs 
beneath the altars — for the whole repre- 
sentation is symbolical ; nor are we to 
suppose that the injured and the wronged 
in heaven actually pray for vengeance on 
those who wronged them, or that the 
redeemed in heaven will continue to pray 
with reference to things on the earth ; 
but it may be fairly inferred from this 
that there will be as real a remembrance 
of the wrongs of the persecuted, the 
injured, and the oppressed, as if such 
prayer were offered there ; and that the 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER VI. 



187 



11 And white ° robes were given 
unto every one of them ; and it was 
said unto them, that they should 
rest * yet for a little season, un- 

a c. 7. 9, 14. • b c. 14. 13. 



oppressor has as much to dread from the 
divine vengeance as if those whom he 
has injured should cry in heaven to the 
God who hears prayer, and who takes 
vengeance. The wrongs done to the 
children of God; to the orphan, the 
widow, the down-trodden ; to the slave 
and the outcast, will be as certainly 
remembered in heaven as if they who 
are wronged should plead for vengeance 
there, for every act of injustice and op- 
pression goes to heaven and pleads for 
vengeance. Every persecutor should 
dread the death of the persecuted as if 
he went to heaven to plead against him ; 
every cruel master should dread the death 
of his slave that is crushed by wrongs ; 
every seducer should dread the death and 
the cries of his victim ; every one who 
does wrong in any way should remember 
tffat the sufferings of the injured cry to 
heaven with a martyr's pleadings, say- 
ing, " How long, Lord, holy and true, 
dost thou not judge and avenge our 
blood?" 

(c) The robes that were given to the 
martyrs : — And white robes were given 
unto every one of them. Emblems of 
purity or innocence. See Notes on ch. 
iii. 5. Here the robes would be an em- 
blem of their innocence as martyrs ; of 
the divine approval of their testimony 
and lives ; and a pledge of their future 
blessedness. 

(d) The command to wait: — And it 
was said unto them, that they should rest 
yet for a little season. That is, that 
they must wait for a little season before 
they could be avenged as they desired, 
ver. 10. They had pleaded that their 
cause might be at once vindicated, and 
had asked how long it would be before 
it should be done. The reply is, that the 
desired vindication would not at once 
occur, but that they must wait until 
other events were accomplished. No- 
thing definite is determined by the 
phrase "a little season," or a short 
time. It is simply an intimation that 
this would not immediately occur, or was 
not soon to take place. Whether it 
refers to an existing persecution, and to 



til c their fellow-servants also and 
their brethren, that should be 
killed as they icere, should be 
fulfilled. 

c He. 11. 40. 



the fact that they were to wait for the 
divine interposition until that was over, 
and those who were then suffering perse- 
cution should be put to death and join 
them; or whether to a series of perse- 
cutions stretching along in the history 
of the world, in such a sense that the 
promised vengeance would take place 
only when all those persecutions were 
passed, and the number of the martyrs 
completed, cannot be determined from 
the meaning of their words. Either of 
these suppositions would accord well 
with what the language naturally ex- 
presses. •[ Until their, fellow-servants 
also. Those who were then suffering 
persecution, or those who should after- 
wards suffer persecution, grouping all 
together. ^ And their brethren. Their 
brethren as Christians,, and their breth- 
ren in trial: those then living, or those 
who would live afterwards and pass 
through similar scenes. • * Shorild be 
fulfilled. That is, till these persecutions 
were passed through, and the number 
of the martyrs was complete. The state 
of things represented here would seem 
to be, that there was then a persecution 
raging on the earth. Many had been 
put to death, and their souls had fled to 
heaven, where they plead that their 
cause might be vindicated, and that 
their oppressors and persecutors might 
be punished. To this the answer was, 
that they were now safe and happy — 
that God approved their course, and that 
in token of his approbation, they should 
be clothed in white raiment; but that 
the invoked vindication could not at 
once occur. There were others who 
would yet be called to suffer as they had 
done, and they must wait until all that 
number was completed. Then, it ia im- 
plied, God would interpose, and vindi- 
cate his name. The scene, therefore, is 
laid in a time of persecution, when 
many had already died, and when there 
were many more that were exposed to 
death ; and a sufficient fulfilment of the 
passage, so far as the words are con- 
cerned, would be found in any perse- 
cution, where many might be represented 



188 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 9& 



as having already gone to Leaven, and 
where there was a certainty that many 
more would follow. We naturally, how- 
ever, look for the fulfilment of it in some 
period succeeding those designated by 
the preceding symbols. There would be 
no difficulty, in the early history of the 
church, in finding events that would 
correspond with all that is represented 
by the symbol ; but it is natural to look 
for it in a period succeeding that repre- 
sented, under the fourth seal, by death 
on the pale horse. If the previous seals 
have been correctly interpreted, we shall 
not be much in danger of erring in sup- 
posing that this refers to the persecution 
under Diocletian, and perhaps we may 
find in one who never intended to write 
a word that could be construed as fur- 
nishing a proof of the fulfilment of the 
prophecies of the New Testament, what 
should be regarded as a complete veri- 
fication of all that is represented here. 
The following particulars may justify 
this application : — 

(a) The place of that persecution in 
history, or the time when it occurred. 
As already remarked, if the previous 
seals have been rightly explained, and 
the fourth sgal denotes the wars, the 
famine, and the pestilence, under the in- 
vasion of the Goths, and in the time of 
Valerian and Gallienus, then the last 
great persecution of the church under 
Diocletian would well accord with the 
period in history referred to. Valerian 
died in A. D. 260, being flayed alive 
by Sapor, king of Persia ; Gallienus 
died in A. D. 268, being killed at Milan. 
Diocletian ascended the throne A. D. 
284, and resigned the purple A. D. 304. 
It was during this period, and chiefly at 
the instigation of Galerius, that the tenth 
persecution of the Christians occurred — 
the last under the Roman power; for in 
A. D. 306, Constantine ascended the 
throne, and ultimately became the pro- 
tector of the church. 

(6) The magnitude of this persecution 
under Diocletian is as consonant to the 
representation here as its place in his- 
tory. So important was it, that, in a 
general chapter on the persecutions of 
the Christians, Mr. Gibbon has seen fit, 
in his remarks on the nature, causes, ex- 
tent, and character of the persecutions, 
to give a prominence to this which he 
has not assigned to any others, and to 
attach an importance to it which he has 



not to any other. See vol. i. pp. 317- 
322. The design of this persecution, as 
Mr. Gibbon expresses it (i. 318), was 
"to set bounds to the progress of Chris- 
tianity;" or, as he elsewhere expresses it 
(on the same page), "the destruction of 
Christianity." Diocletian, himself natu- 
rally averse from persecution,* was ex- 
cited to this by Galerius, who urged 
upon the emperor every argument by 
which he could persuade him to engage 
in it. Mr. Gibbon says in regard to 
this, " Galerius at length extorted from 
him [Diocletian] the permission of sum- 
moning a council, composed of a few 
persons, the most distinguished in the 
civil and military department of the 
state. It may be presumed that they 
insisted on every topic which might 
interest the pride, the piety, the fears of 
their sovereign in the destruction of 
Christianity," i. 318. The purpose, evi- 
dently, in the persecution, was, to make 
a last and desperate effort through the 
whole Roman empire for the destruc- 
tion of the Christian religion — for Mr. 
Gibbon (i. 320) says, that "the edict 
against Christians was designed for* a 
general law of the whole empire" Other 
efforts had failed. The religion still 
spread, notwithstanding the rage and 
fury of nine previous persecutions. It 
was resolved to make one more effort. 
This was designed by the persecutors to 
be the last, in the hope that then the 
Christian name would cease to be : in 
the Providence of God it was the last — 
for then even these opposing powers 
became convinced that the religion could 
not be destroyed in this manner — and as 
this persecution was to establish this 
fact, it was an event of sufficient mag- 
nitude to be symbolized by the opening 
of one of the seals. 

(c) The severity of this persecution 
accorded with the description here, and 
was such as to deserve a place in the 
series of important events which were to 
occur in the world. We have seen above, 
from the statement of Mr. Gibbon, that 
it was designed for the " whole empire," 
and it in fact raged with fury through- 
out the empire. After detailing some of 
the events of local persecutions under 
Diocletian, Mr. Gibbon says, " The re- 
sentment, or the fears of Diocletian, 
at length transported him beyond the 
bounds of moderation, which he had 
hitherto preserved, and he declared, in 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



189 



a series of edicts, his intention of abolish- 
ing the Christian name. By the first of 
these edicts, the governors of the pro- 
vinces were directed to apprehend all 
persons of the ecclesiastical order ; and 
the prisons, destined for the vilest crim- 
inals, were soon filled with a multitude 
of bishops, presbyters, deacons, and 
exorcists. By a second edict, the magis- 
trates were commanded to employ every 
method of severity which might reclaim 
them from their odious superstition, and 
oblige them to return to the established 
worship of the gods. This rigorous 
order was extended, by a subsequent 
edict, to the whole body of Christians, 
who were exposed to a violent and 
general persecution. Instead of those 
solitary restraints, which had required 
the direct and solemn testimony of an 
accuser, it became the duty as well as 
the interest of the imperial officers, to 
discover, to pursue, and to torment, 
the most obnoxious among the faithful. 
Heavy penalties were denounced against 
all who should presume to save a pro- 
scribed sectary from the just indignation 
of the gods, and of the emperors/' i. 322. 
The first decree against the Christians, 
it the instigation of Galerius, will show 
the general nature of this fiery trial of 
the church. That decree was to the fol- 
lowing effect: "All assembling of the 
Christians for the purposes of religious 
worship was forbidden; the Christian 
shurches were to be demolished to their 
foundations ; all manuscripts of the Bible 
should be burned; those who held places 
of honor or rank, must either renounce 
their faith or be degraded; in judicial 
proceedings the torture might be used 
against all Christians, of whatever rank ; 
those belonging to the lower walks of 
private life, were to be divested of their 
rights as citizens and as freemen ; Chris- 
tian slaves were to be incapable of 
receiving their freedom, so long as 
they remained Christians." Neander, 
Hist, of the Church, Torrey's Trans, 
i. 148. This persecution was the last 
against the Christians by the Roman 
emperors; the last that was waged by 
that mighty Pagan power. Diocletian 
soon resigned the purple, and after the 
persecution had continued to rage, with 
more or less severity, under his suc- 
cessors, for ten years, the peace of the 
ehurch was established. " Diocletian/' 
lays Mr. Gibbon (i. 322), " had no 



sooner published his edicts against the 
Christians, than, as if he had been 
committing to other hands his work of 
persecution, he divested himself of the 
imperial purple. The character and 
situation of his colleagues and successors 
sometimes urged them to enforce, and 
sometimes to suspend, the execution of 
these rigorous laws ; nor can we acquire 
a just and distinct idea of this impor- 
tant period of ecclesiastical history, un- 
less we separately consider the state of 
Christianity in the different parts of the 
empire, during the space of ten years 
which elapsed between the first edicts of 
Diocletian and the final peace of the 
church." For this detail, consult Gib- 
bon, i. 322-329, and the authorities there 
referred to ; and Neander, Hist, of the 
Church, i. 147-156. Respecting the 
details of the persecution, Mr. Gibbon 
remarks (i. 326), " It would have been 
an easy task, from the history of 
Eusebius, from the declaration of Lac- 
tantius, and from the most ancient 
acts, to collect a long series of horrid 
and disgustful pictures, and to fill many 
pages with racks and scourges, with 
iron-hooks, and red-hot beds, and with 
the variety of tortures which fire and 
steel, savage beasts, and more savage 
executioners, could inflict on the human 
body." It is true that Mr. Gibbon pro- 
fesses to doubt the truth of these re- 
cords, and attempts to show that the 
account of the number of the martyrs 
has been greatly exaggerated ; yet no 
one, in reading his own account of this 
persecution, can doubt that it was the 
result of a determined effort to blot 
out the Christian religion, and that 
the whole of the imperial power was 
exerted to accomplish this end. At 
length, the last of the imperial persecu- 
tions ceased, and the great truth was 
demonstrated that Christianity could 
not be extinguished by power, and that 
"the gates of hell could not prevail 
against it." "In the year 311," says 
Neander, i. 156, "the remarkable edict 
appeared which put an end to the last 
sanguinary conflict of the Christian 
church and the Roman empire." This 
decree was issued by the author and 
instigator of the persecution, Galerius, 
who, "softened by a severe and painful 
disease, the consequences of his ex- 
cesses, had been led to think that the 
God of the Christians might, after alL be 



190 



REVELATION, 



[A. I). 96 



12 And I beheld when he had 
opened the sixth seal, and, lo, 
there was a great earthquake ; a 

a c. 16. 13. 



a powerful being, whose anger punished 
him, and whose favor he must endeavor 
to conciliate." This man suspended the 
persecution, and gave the Christians 
permission "once more to hold their 
assemblies, provided they did nothing 
contrary to the good order of the Roman 
state." — " Ita ut ne quid contra discipli- 
nam agant." Neander, ibid. 

12. And I beheld when he had opened 
the sixth seal. See Notes on ch. v. 1, 
vi. 1. If And, lo y there was a great 
earthquake. Before endeavoring to as- 
certain to what the sixth seal was 
designed to refer, it is proper, as in the 
previous cases, to furnish a particular 
explanation of the meaning of the sym- 
bol?. All the symbols represented in 
the opening of this seal, denote conster- 
nation, commotion, changes; but still 
they are all significant, and we are to 
suppose that something would occur 
corresponding with each one of them. 
It cannot be supposed that the things 
here described were represented on the 
part of the roll or volume that* was 
now unfolded in any other way than 
that they were pictures, or that the 
whole was a species of panoramic repre- 
sentation made to pass before the eyes. 
Thus understood, it would not be diffi- 
cult to represent each one of these 
things in a painting: — as the heaving 
ground — the agitated forests — the trem- 
bling hills — the falling cities and houses 
— the sun blackened and the moon turned 
to blood. 

(a) The earthquake, ver. 12: — There 
was a great earthquake. The word here 
used denotes a snaking or agitation of 
the earth. The effect, when violent, is 
to produce important changes — opening 
chasms in the earth ; throwing down 
houses and temples ; sinking hills, and 
elevating plains; causing ponds and 
lake3 to dry up, or forming them where 
none existed ; elevating the ocean from 
its bed, rending rocks, &c. As all that 
occurs in the opening of the other seals 
is symbolical, it is to be presumed that 
this is also, and that for the fulfilment 
of this we are not to look for a literal 
earthquake, but for such agitations and 



and the sun b became black as sack- 
cloth of hair, and the moon became 
as blood.; 

b Joel 2. 10, 31. 3. 15. 



changes in the world as would be pro- 
perly symbolized by this. The earth- 
quake as a symbol would merely denote 
great agitations or overturnings on the 
earth. The particular character of those 
changes must be determined by other 
circumstances in the symbol that would 
limit and explain it. There are, it is 
said, but three literal earthquakes re- 
ferred to in the Scripture : that mentioned 
in 1 Kings xix. 11 ; that in Uzziah's time, 
Amos i. 1; Zech. xiv. 5; and that which 
took place at the Saviour's death. All 
the rest are emblematic or symbolical — 
referring mostly to civil commotions 
and changes. Then in Haggai ii. 6, 7 : 
" Yet once, it is a little time, and I will 
shake the heavens and the earth, and the 
sea, and the dry land, and I will shake 
all nations, and the desire of all nations 
shall come; and I will fill this house 
with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." 
That is, there would be great agitations 
in the world before he came. See Notes 
on Heb. xii. 26-28. So also great 
changes and commotions are referred 
to in Isa. xxiv. 19, 20 : " The earth is 
utterly broken down, the earth is clean 
dissolved, the earth is moved exceed- 
ingly. The earth shall reel to and fro 
like a drunkard, and shall be removed 
like a cottage." An earthquake, if there 
were no other circumstances limiting 
and explaining the symbol, would mere- 
ly denote great agitation and commotion 
— as if states and empires we.re tumbling 
to ruin. As this is here a mere symbol, 
it is not necessary to look for a literal 
fulfilment, or to expect to find in history 
actual earthquakes to which this had 
reference, any more than when it is 
said that "the heavens departed as a 
scroll," we are to expect that they will 
be literally rolled up ; but if, in the 
course of history, earthquakes preceded 
remarkable political convulsions and 
revolutions, it would be proper to repre- 
sent such events in this way. 

(6) The darkening of the sun : — And 
the su?i became black as sackcloth of hair. 
Sackcloth was a coarse black cloth, 
commonly, though not always, made of 
hair. It was used for sacks, for strain erg, 



A. P. 96.] 



CH APT 



EE VI. 



191 



13 And tht ^tars a of heaven fell 
unto the earth, even as a fig-tree 
casteth her untimely b figs, when 
she is shaken of a mighty wind : 

a c. 8. 10. b Or, green. 



and for mourn in g-garnients ; and as thus 
worn it was not an improper emblem of 
sadness and distress. The idea here is, 
that the sun put on a dark, dingy, dole- 
ful appearance, as if it were in mourning. 
The general image, then, in this emblem, 
is that of calamity — as if the very sun 
should put on the robes of mourning. 
We are by no means to suppose that 
this was literally to occur, but that 
some great calamity would happen of 
which this would be an appropriate em- 
blem. See Notes on Isa. xiii. 10 ; Matt, 
xxiv. 29. Comp. Isa. xxiv. 23, xxxiv. 
4, 1. 3, lx. 19, 20 ; Ezek. xxxii. 7, 8 ; 
Joel ii. 10, iii. 15, 16 ; Amos viii. 9. 
What is the particular nature of the 
calamity, is to be learned from other 
parts of the symbol. 

(c) The discoloration of the moon : — 
And the moon became as blood. Tied 
like blood — either from the smoke and 
vapor that usually precedes an earth- 
quake, or as a mere emblem. This also 
would betoken calamity, and perhaps 
the symbol may be so far limited and 
modified by this as to denote war, for 
that would be most naturally suggested 
by the color — red. Comp. Notes on ver. 
4 of this chapter. But any great cala- 
mity would be appropriately represented 
by this — as the change of the moon to 
such a color would be a natural emblem 
of distress. 

(d) The falling of the stars (ver. 13) : 
— And the stars of heaven fell unto the 
earth. This language is derived from 
the poetic idea that the sky seems to be 
a solid concave in which the stars are 
sti, and that, when any convulsion takes 
place, that concave will be shaken, and 
the stars will be loosened and fall from 
their places. See this language explain- 
ed in the Notes on Isa. xxxiv. 4. Some- 
times the expanse above us is spoken 
of as a curtain that is spread out and 
that may be rolled up ; sometimes as a 
solid crystalline expanse in which the 
stars are fixed. According to either 
representation the stars are described as 
falling to the earth. If the expanse is 



14 And the heaven c departed as 
a scroll when it is rolled together; 
and every mountain d and island 
were moved out of their places : 

c Ps. 102. 26; Is. 34. 4. 

d Je. 4. 23, 24; Ha. 3. 6, 10; c. 16. 20. 



rolled up, the stars, having nothing to 
support them, fall; if violent tempests 
or concussions shake the heavens, the 
stars, loosened from their fixtures, fall 
to the earth. Stars, in the Scriptures, 
are symbols of princes and rulers (see 
Dan. viii. 10; Rev. viii. 10, 11, ix. 1), 
and the natural meaning of this sym- 
bol is, that there would be commo- 
tions which would unsettle princes, and 
bring them down from their thrones — . 
like stars falling from the sky. *[f Even 
as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs. 
Marg. green, Gr. dXvvSovs. This word 
properly denotes winter-figs, or such as 
grow under the leaves, and do not ripen 
at the proper season, but hang upon the 
trees during the winter. Rob. Lex. This 
fruit seldom matures, and easily falls off 
in the spring of the year. Stuart, in loc. 
A violent wind shaking a plantation of 
fig-trees would of course cast many such 
figs to the ground. The point of the 
comparison is, the ease with which the 
stars would seem to be shaken from 
their places, and hence the ease with 
which, in these commotions, princes 
would be dethroned. 

(e) The departing of the heavens : — 
And the heaven departed as a scroll, 
ver. 14. That is, as a book or volume — 
PifiXiov — rolled up. The heavens are 
here described as spread out, and their 
passing away is represented by the idea 
that they might be rolled up, and thus 
disappear. See Notes on Isa, xxxiv. 4. 
This too is a symbol, and we are not to 
suppose that it will literally occur. In- 
deed it never can literally occur, and we 
are not, therefore, to look for the fulfil- 
ment of this in any physical fact that 
would correspond with what is here said. 
The plain meaning is, that there would be 
changes as if such an event would hap- 
pen ; that is, that revolutions would 
occur in the high places of the earth, 
and among those in power, as if the 
stars should fall, and the very heavens 
were swept away. This is the natural 
meaning of the symbol, and this accords 
with the usage of the language elsewhere 



»92 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



15 And the kings of the earth, 
and the great men, and the rich 
men, and the chief captains, and 
the mighty men, and every bond- 
man, and every freeman, hid them- 
selves a in the dens and in the 
rocks of the mountains ; 

16 And said b to the mountains 

a Is. 2. 19. b Hos. 10. 8 ; Lu. 23. 30 ; c. 9. 6. 

(/) The removal of mountains and 
Islands: — And every mountain and 
island were moved out of their places, 
ver. 14. This would denote convulsions 
in the political or moral world, as great 
as would occur in the physical world if 
the very mountains were removed, and 
the islands should change their places. 
We are not to suppose that this would 
li terally occur, but we should be author- 
ized from this to expect that, in regard 
to those things which seemed to be per- 
manent and fixed on an immovable basis, 
like mountains and islands, there would 
be violent and important changes. If 
thrones and dynasties long established 
were overthrown ; if institutions that 
seemed to be fixed and permanent were 
abolished j if a new order of things 
should rise in the political world, the 
meaning of the symbol, so far as the 
langu&ge is concerned, would be ful- 
filled. 

(g) The universal consternation, vs. 
15, 16, 17 : — And the kings of the earth, 
Sec. The design of these verses (15-17), 
in the varied language used, is evidently 
to denote universal consternation and 
alarm — as if the earth should be con- 
vulsed, and the stars , should fall, and 
the heavens should pass away. This 
consternation would extend to all class- 
es of men, and fill the world with alarm, 
as if the end of all things were com- 
ing, "ft The kings of the earth. Rulers 
— all who occupied thrones. IT The great 
men. High officers of state. IT And 
the rich men. Their wealth would not 
secure them from destruction, and they 
would be alarmed like others, *fi And 
the chief captains. The commanders of 
armies, who tremble like other men when 
God appears in judgment, <j And the 
mighty men. Men of great prowess in 
battle, but who feel now that they have 
no power to withstand God. \ And 
every bondman. Servant — ddvXog. This 
word does not necessarily denote a slave 



and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us 
from the face of him that sitteth oh 
the throne, and from the wrath of 
the Lamb : 

17 For c the great day of his 
wrath is come ; and who d shall be 
able to stand ? 

c Is. 13. 6, &c; Zep. 1. 14, &c; c 10. 14. 

d Ps. 76. 7. 



(comp. Notes on Eph. vi. 5 ; 1 Tim. vi. 
1 ; Philem. 16), but here the connexion 
seems to demand it, for it stands in con- 
trast with freeman. There were in fact 
slaves in the Roman empire, and there 
is no objection to supposing that they 
are here referred to. There is no reason 
why they should not be filled with con- 
sternation as well as others, and as this 
does not refer to the end of the world, or 
the day of judgment, the word hero 
determines nothing as to the question 
whether slavery is to continue on the 
earth. ^ And every f reeman. Whethei 
the master of slaves or not. The idea is, 
that all classes of men, high and low, 
would be filled with alarm. ^ Hid 
themselves in the dens. Among the 
caves or caverns in the mountains. See 
Notes on Isa. ii. 19. These places were 
resorted to for safety in times of danger. 
Comp. 1 Sam. xiii. 6, xxiv. ; Judges vi. 
2 ; Jer. xli. 9 ; Jos. Ant. B. xiv. ch. xv., 
Jewish Wars, B. i. ch. xvi. And. in the 
rocks of the mountains. Among the 
crags, or the fastnesses of the mountains 
— also natural places of refuge in times 
of hostile invasion or danger. See Notes 
on Isa. ii. 21. *[ And said to the moun- 
tains and rocks, Fall on us, &c, ver. 16. 
This language is found substantially in 
Hos. x. 8 : " And they shall say to the 
mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, 
Fall on us." It is also used by the 
Saviour as denoting the consternation 
which would occur at his coming: 
" Then shall they begin to say to the 
mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, 
Cover us," Luke xxiii. 30. It is lan- 
guage denoting consternation, and an 
awful fear of impending wrath. The 
state of mind is that where there is an 
apprehension that God himself is coming 
forth with the direct instruments of his 
vengeance, and where there is a desire 
rather to be crushed by falling rocks 
and hills than by the vengeance of hia 
uplifted arm. f From the face of him 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



193 



that sitteth on the throne. The face of 
God — for he seems to be coming forth 
with the displays of his vengeance. It 
is not said that God would actually come 
forth .in a visible form, but their con- 
sternation would be as great as if he 
were to do this ; the state of mind indi- 
cated by this was an apprehension that 
it would be so. And from the wrath 
of the Lamb. The Lamb of God; the 
Lord Jesus. See Notes on ch. v. 6. 
There seems to be an incongruity be- 
tween the words wrath and Lamb ; but 
the word Lamb here is so far a proper 
name as to be used only to designate the 
Redeemer. He comes forth to execute 
wrath, not as a Lamb, but as the Son of 
God, who bore that name. It would 
seem from this that they who thus 
dreaded the impending terrors were 
aware of their source, or had know- 
ledge enough to understand by whom 
they were to be indicted. They would 
see that these were divine judgments, 
and would apprehend that the end 
of the world drew near. For the 
great day of his wrath is come, ver. 17. 
The threatening judgments would be so 
severe and awful that they would sup- 
pose that the end of the world was 
coming. ^[ And who shall be able to 
stand? To stand before him, or to with- 
stand his judgments. 

It is unnecessary to say that there 
has been, in this case, as in reference to 
every other part of the book of Reve- 
lation, a great diversity of opinion 
respecting the events symbolized by 
this seal. Grotius applied it to the 
wars between the Jews and Romans 
under Nero and Vespasian; Dr. Ham- 
mond supposed that the defeat of the 
Jewish leaders in those wars was par- 
ticularly symbolized; Mr. Brightman 
referred these symbols to the persecution 
under Diocletian ; Mr. Mede, Dr. Cress- 
ner, Dr. More, Mr. Whiston, Mr. Jurien, 
Mr. Danbez, Mr. Lowman, Bishop New- 
ton, Mr. Elliott, and others, refer it to 
the defeat of the Pagan powers, and the 
final suppression of those powers as 
opposed to Christianity; Vitringa re- 
garded it as foreshadowing the over- 
throw of the anti-Christian powers of 
the Western Roman empire; Cocceius 
explains it of the wars of the emperor 
Frederick against the German princes 
in the sixteenth century; Dean Wood- 
hnuse, of the day of vengeance at the 
V7 



end of the world; Mr. Cunninghame, of 
the same period as the seventh trumpet, 
commencing with the French revolu- 
tion, and to be consummated by the 
visible advent of the Son of God; Prof. 
Stuart, of the destruction of Jerusalem; 
and Mr. Lord, of a series of events, part 
of which are fulfilled, three of them 
corresponding with the first three vials 
— the first expressive of the revolution 
of France, the second of a despotism ex- 
tending through several years, and the 
third, of the overthrow of that violent 
dynasty, at the fall of Bonaparte, in 
1815. It is not my purpose to examine 
these views ; but amidst this great 
variety of opinion it seems to me that 
the obvious and natural application of 
the opening of the seat has not been 
adverted to. I shall suggest it because 
it is the most natural and obvious, and 
seems to be demanded by the explana- 
tions given of the previous seals. It is, 
in one word, the impending judgments 
from the invasions of the Northern 
hordes of Goths and Vandals, threat- 
ening the breaking-up of the Roman 
empire — the gathering of the storm, and 
the hovering of those barbarians on the 
borders of the empire; the approaches 
which they made from time to time 
towards the capital, though restrained 
as yet from taking it ; the tempest of 
wrath that was, as it were, suspended 
yet on the frontiers, until the events 
recorded in the next chapter should 
occur, then bursting forth in wrath in 
successive blasts, as denoted by the first 
four trumpets of the seventh seal (ch. 
viii.), when the empire was entirely 
overthrown by the Goths and Vandals. 
The precise point of time which I sup,- 
pose this seal occupies is that succeed- 
ing the last persecution. It embraces 
the preparatory arrangements of these 
hordes of invaders — their gathering on 
the frontiers of the empire — their threat- 
ened approaches toward the capital — 
and the formation of such vast armies as 
would produce universal consternation. 
A brief notice of these preparatory scenes 
as adapted to produce the alarm referred 
to in the opening of the sixth seal, 
is all that will be necessary here; the 
more complete detail must be reserved 
for the explanation of the four trumpets 
of the seventh seal, when the work of 
destruction was consummated. These 
preparations fnd threatened invadonf 



194 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



were events sufficiently important in 
their relation to the church, to what 
preceded, and to the future history of 
the world, to he symbolized here ; and 
they are events in which all the par- 
ticulars of the symbol may find a fulfil- 
ment. Any one has only to look on a 
chart of history to see how appropriately 
this application of the symbol follows, if 
the previous explanations have been 
correct. In the illustration of this, in 
order to show the probability that these 
events are referred to by the symbols of 
the sixth seal, I would submit the fol- 
lowing remarks : — 

(1) The time is that which would be 
naturally suggested by this seal in its 
relation to the others. If the fifth re- 
ferred to the persecutions under Dio- 
cletian — the last great persecution of 
the Pagan powers in attempting to ex- 
tinguish the Christian name — then we 
should naturally look for the fulfilment 
of the opening of the next, in some 
event, or series of events, which would 
succeed that at no very distant interval, 
and that pertained to the empire or 
power that had been the prominent 
subject of the predictions in the pre- 
vious seals. It would also be natural 
to look for some events that might be 
regarded as conveying an expression of 
the divine feeling in regard to that 
power, or that would present it in such 
an aspect that it would be seen that its 
power to persecute was at an end. This 
natural expectation would be answered 
either by some symbol that would refer 
to the complete triumph of the Christian 
system, or by such a series of judgments 
as would break the' persecuting power 
itself in pieces. Now, the threatened 
irruption of the Northern barbarians 
followed the series of events already 
described, with sufficient nearness to 
make it proper to regard that series of 
events as referred to. 

(2) The events were of sufficient im- 
portance in the history of the empire to 
deserve this notice in the foreshadowing 
of what would occur. They were con- 
nected with the breaking-up of that 
mighty power, and the complete change 
of the aspect of the world, in a political 
and religious point of view. A new 
order of things arose in the world's his- 
tory. A new religion became established. 
New kingdoms, from the fragments of 
the once mighty Roman empire, were 



founded, and the affairs of the world 
were put on a new footing. These 
mighty Northern hordes not only spread 
consternation and alarm, as if the world 
were coming to an end, but they laid 
the foundations of kingdoms which con- 
tinue to this day. In fact, few moro 
important events have occurred in his- 
tory. 

(3) This series of events was intro- 
duced in the manner described in the 
opening of the sixth seal. I have 
already said that it is not necessary to 
suppose, in the fulfilment of the symbol, 
that there would be a literal earthquake ; 
but nothing in the symbol forbids us to 
suppose that there might be, and if there 
were, we could not but consider it as 
remarkable. Now it so happens that j 
the series of events pertaining to the 
Gothic invasions is introduced by Mr. 
Gibbon in the following language : " A. 
D.365. In the second year of the reign of 
Valentinian and Valens, on the morning 
of the twenty-first day of July, the great- 
est part of the Roman world was shaken 
by a violent and destructive earthquake. 
The impression was communicated to 
the waters ; the shores of the Mediter- 
ranean were left dry by the sudden 
retreat of the sea; great quantities of 
fish were caught with the hand ; large 
vessels were stranded on the mud ; and 
a curious spectator amused his eye, or 
rather his fancy, by contemplating the 
various appearances of valleys and moun- 
tains, which had never before, since the 
formation of the globe, been exposed to 
the sun. But the tide soon returned, 
with the weight of an immense and 
irresistible deluge, which was severely 
felt on the coasts of Sicily, of Dalmatia, 
of Greece, and of Egypt: large boats I 
were transported, and lodged on the 
roofs of houses, or at the distance of two j 
miles from the shore ; the people with 
their habitations were swept away by [ 
the waters ; and the city of Alexandria 
annually commemorated the day on j 
which fifty thousand persons had lost j 
their lives in the inundation. Thia j 
calamity, the report of which was mag- a; 
nified from one province to another, j 
astonished and terrified the subjects of 
Rome; and their affrighted imagination ir 
enlarged the real extent of the momen- t 
tary evil. They recollected the pre- ? 
ceding earthquakes which had subverted 
the cities of Palestine and Pythynia; j 



A. D, 96. 



CHAPT 



ER VI. 



195 



they considered these alarming strokes 
as the prelude only of still more dread- 
ful calamities, and their fearful vanity 
was disposed to confound the symptoms 
of a declining empire and a sinking 
world," vol. ii. pp. 115, 116. Mr. Gib- 
bon then proceeds to detail the evils of 
war, as greatly surpassing the cala- 
mities produced by any natural causes, 
and adds (p. 116), " In the disastrous 
period of the fall of the Roman empire, 
which may justly be dated from the 
reign of Valens, the happiness and 
security of each individual was person- 
ally attacked ; and the arts and labors 
of ages were rudely defaced by the bar- 
barians of Scythia and Germany." He 
then proceeds with an exceedingly in- 
teresting description of the origin, the 
habits, and the movements of the Tartar 
nations, particularly the Huns, as they 
moved to the West, and precipitated the 
Gothic nations on the provinces of the 
Roman empire, until Rome itself was 
thrice besieged, was taken, and was 
sacked (ii. 116-266). The earthquake 
referred to occurred in A. D. 365. The 
movements of the Huns from their ter- 
ritories in the neighborhood of China 
had commenced about A. D. 100, and in 
A. D. 375, they overcame the Goths, 
lying along the Danube. The Goths, 
pressed and overcome by these .savage 
invaders, asked permission of the Ro- 
mans to cross the Danube, to find pro- 
tection in the Roman empire, and to 
cultivate the waste lands of Thrace. 
Gibbon, ii. 129, 130. In the year 376, 
they were transported over the Danube, 
by the permission of the Roman em- 
rperor, Valens ; an event which, accord- 
I ing to Mr. Gibbon, in its ultimate result, 
was the cause of the downfall of the 
empire : for they learned their own 
strength; they were attracted by the 
riches of the capital and the hope of 
reward, until they finally drew the 
"Western emperor to Ravenna, sacked 
Rome, and took possession of Italy. 

(4) A slight reference to the series of 
events in these periods of consternation 
and conquest, may show more closely the 
nature of the alarms which would be 
caused by the prospect of these dreadful 
invasions, and may prepare us for a 
better understanding of the successive 
calamities which occurred under these 
nvaders, when the empire fell, as de- 
scribed by the four first trumpets of the 



seventh seal. I shall copy from the 
tables of contents of Mr. Gibbon's his- 
tory, under the twenty-sixth, thirtieth, 
and thirty-first chapters : — 
" A. D. 365. Earthquakes. 

" 376. The Huns and Goths. 

" 100. The emigration of the 
Huns. 

" 375. Their victories over th 
Goths. 

" 376. The Goths implore the pro. 
tection of Valens. 

" " They are transported over 
the Danube into the Ro- 
man empire. 

" " They penetrate into Thrace. 

" 377. Union of the Goths with 
Huns, Alaric, &c. 

" 378. Battle of Hadrianople. 

" " The defeat of the Romans. 

" 383-395. The settlement of the 
Goths in Thrace and 
Asia. 

" 395. Revolt of the Goths. 

" 396. Alaric marches into Greece. 

" 398. Is proclaimed king of the 

Visigoths. 
" 400-403. He invades Italy. 
" 406. Radagaisus invades Italy. 
" " Besieges Florence. 
a a Threatens Rome. 
" " The remainder of the Ger- 
mans invade Gaul. 
" 407. Desolation of Gaul. 
" 408. Alaric marches to Rome. 
" " First siege of Rome by the 
Goths. 

" " Famine, plague, supersti- 
stition. 

" 409. Alaric accepts a ransom 

and raises the siege. 
m « Fruitless negotiations for 
peace. 

" " Second siege of Rome by 

the Goths. 
" 410. Third siege and sack of 

Rome by the Goths. 
" " Respect of the Goths foi 

the Christian religion. 
" " Pillage and fire of Rome. 
" " Captives and fugitives. 
" 411-416. Fall of the usurpers 
Jovinus, Sebastian, and 
Attalus. 

" 409. Invasion of Spain by th« 
Suevi, Vandals, Alaric, 
&c. 

« 415-418. The Goths conquer and 
restore Spain." 



196 



REVELATION, 



[A, D. 96. 



(5) This would coincide, in the effects 
produced on the empire, with the con- 
sternation nnd alarm described in the 
passage before us. The symbols are 
such as would he employed on the sup- 
position that these are the events referred 
to; they are such as the events are fitted 
to suggest. The mighty preparations in 
the East and North — the report of which 
could not but spread through the empire 
— would be appropriately symbolized by 
the earthquake, the darkened sun, the 
moon becoming like blood, the stars 
falling, the departing heavens, and the 
kings and great men of the earth fleeing 
in alarm to find a place of safety, as if 
the end of the world were drawing near. 
Nothing could have been so well adapted 
to produce the consternation described 
in the opening of the sixth seal, as 
the dreaded approach of vast hosts of 
barbarians from the regions of the 
North. This alarm would be increased 
by the fact that their numbers were 
unknown ; that their origin was hidden ; 
and that the advancing multitudes would 
sweep every thing before them. As in 
other cases, also, rumour would increase 
their numbers and augment their fero- 
city. The sudden shock of an earth- 
quake ; the falling stars ; the departing 
heavens ; the removal of mountains and 
islands, and the consternation of kings 
and all classes of people, would be the 
appropriate emblems to represent these 
impending calamities. In confirmation 
of this, and as showing the effect pro- 
duced by the approach of the Goths, 
and the dread of the Gothic arms, in 
causing universal consternation, the fol- 
lowing extract may be adduced from 
Mr. Gibbon when describing the threat- 
ened invasion of Alaric, king of the 
Visigoths. He quotes from Claudian. 
" ' Fame/ says the poet, 1 encircling with 
terror or gloomy wings, proclaimed the 
march of the barbarian army, and filled 
Italy with consternation.' " Mr. Gibbon 
adds, " the apprehensions of each indi- 
vidual were increased in just proportion 
to the measure of his fortune; and the 
most timid, who had already embarked 
their valuable effects, meditated their 
escape to the island of Sicily, or to the 
African coast. The public distress was 
aggravated by the fears and reproaches 
of superstition. Every hour produced 
some horrid tale of strange and par- 
ticular accidents ; the Pagans deplored 



the neglect of omens, and the interrup- 
tion of sacrifices; but the Christians 
still derived some comfort from the pow- 
erful intercession of the saints and 
martyrs," ii. 218, 219. See further illus- 
trations in the Notes on ch. viii. 7-13. 

CHAPTER VII. 

ANALYSIS OP THE CHAPTER. 

The state of things represented in this 
chapter, is that where there had been 
awful consternation and alarm, as if the 
end of the world were coming, and where 
the signs of the approaching consum- 
mation of all things are, as it were, held 
back until there should be an oppor- 
tunity of sealing the number that was to 
be saved. This is symbolized by four 
angels standing in the four quarters of 
the earth, and holding the winds and 
the storms that they should not blow on 
the earth, until the servants of God 
should be sealed in their foreheads. The 
idea is that of sudden destruction about 
to burst on the world, which, if unre- 
strained, would apparently bring on the 
consummation of all things, but which, 
is held back until the purposes of God 
in regard to his people shall be accom- 
plished : that is, until those who are 
the true servants of God shall be desig- 
nated by some appropriate mark. This 
furnishes an opportunity of disclosing a 
glorious vision of those who will be 
saved, alike among the Jews and the 
Gentiles. The fact, as seen in the sym- 
bol, is, that the end of the world does 
not come at the opening of the sixth 
seal, as it seemed as if it would, and as it 
was anticipated in the time of the con- 
sternation. The number of the chosen 
was not complete, and the impending 
wrath was therefore suspended. God in- 
terposes in favor of his people, and dis- 
closes in vision a vast number from all 
lands who will yet be saved, and the 
winds and storms are held back as if by 
angels. 

The points, then, that are apparent in 
this chapter, without any reference now 
to the question of the application, are tho 
following: — 

(1) The impending ruin that seemed 
about to spread over the earth, appa- 
rently bringing on the consummation of 
ail things, restrained or suspended, 
ver. 1. This impending ruin is sym- 
bolized by the four winds of heaven that 
seemed about to sweep over the world ; 



CHAPTER VII. 



197 



A. D. 96.] 

the interposition of God is represented 
by the four angels who have power over 
those winds to hold them back, as if it 
depended on their will to let them loose 
and to spread ruin over the earth or 
not. 1 

(2) A suspension of these desolating 
influences and agents until another im- 
portant purpose could be accomplished; 
— that is, until the servants of God could 
be sealed in their foreheads, vs. 2, 3. 
Another angel, acting independently of 
the four first seen, and having power to 
command, appears in the east, having 
the seal of the living God, and he directs 
the four angels, having the four winds, 
not to let them loose upon the earth until 
the servants of God should be sealed in 
their foreheads. This obviously denotes 
some suspension of the impending wrath, 
and for a specific purpose, that some- 
thing might be done by which the true 
servants of God would be so marked as 
to be publicly known — as if they had 
a mark or brand to that effect imprinted 
on their foreheads. Whatever would 
serve to designate them ; to determine 
who they were ; to ascertain their num- 
ber, would be a fulfilment of this act of the 
sealing angel. The length of time during 
which it would be done is not desig- 
nated ; the essential thing is, that there 
would be a suspension of impending 
judgments in order that it might be done. 
Whether this was to occupy a longer or 
a shorter period, is not determined by 
the symbol; nor is it determined when 
the winds thus held back would be suf- 
fered to blow. 

(3) The number of the sealed, vs. 4-8. 
The seer does not represent himself 
as actually beholding the process of seal- 
ing, but he says that he heard the num- 
ber of those who were sealed. That 
number was an hundred and forty-four 
thousand, and they were selected from 
the twelve tribes of the children of 
Israel — Levi being reckoned, who was 
not usually numbered with the tribes, 
and the tribe of Dan being omitted. 
The number from each tribe, large or 
small, was the same; the entire portion 
selected being but a very small part of 
the whole. The general idea here, what- 
ever may be the particular application, 
is, that there would be a selection, and 
that the whole number of the tribe would 
not be embraced ; that the selection 
would be made frCTi each tribe, and that 

17* 



all would have the same mark and tx 
saved by the same means. It would not 
be in accordance with the nature of 
symbolic representation to suppose that 
the saved would be the precise number 
here referred to ; but some great truth is 
designed to be represented by this fact. 
We should look, in the fulfilment, to 
some process by which the true servants 
of God would be designated ; we should 
expect that a portion of them would be 
found in each one of the classes here 
denoted by a tribe ; we should suppose 
that the true servants of God thus re- 
ferred to would be as safe in the times 
of peril as if they were designated by a 
visible mark. 

(4) After this, another vision presents 
itself to the seer. It is that of a count- 
less multitude before the throne, redeem- 
ed out of all nations, with palms in their 
hands, vs. 9-17. The scene is transferred 
to heaven, and there is a vision of all 
the redeemed — not only of the hundred 
and forty-four thousand, but of all who 
would be rescued and saved from a lost 
world. The design is doubtless to cheer 
the hearts of the true friends of God in 
times of gloom and despondency, by a 
view of the great numbers that will be 
saved, and the glorious triumph that 
awaits the redeemed in heaven. This 
portion of the vision embraces the fol- 
lowing particulars : — 

(a) A vast multitude, which no man 
can number, is seen before the throne 
in heaven. They are clad in white 
robes — emblems of purity ; they have 
palms in their hands — emblems of vic- 
tory, ver. 9. 

(b) They are engaged in ascribing 
praise to God, ver. 10. 

(c) The angels, the elders, and the 
four living creatures, fall down before 
the throne, and unite with the redeemed 
in ascriptions of praise, vs. 11, 12. 

(d) A particular enquiry is made of 
the seer — evidently to call his attention 
to it — respecting those who appear there 
in white robes, ver. 13. 

(e) To this enquiry it is answered that 
they were those who had come up out 
of great tribulation, and who had wash 3d 
their robes, and had made them pure in 
the blood of the Lamb, ver. 14. 

(/) Then follows a description of 
their condition and employment in hea- 
ven, vs. 15-17. They are constantly 
before the throne; they serve God con- 



198 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



CHAPTER VII. 

A IsD after these things I saw 
tx. four angels standing on the 



t.inually : they neither hunger nor thirst; 
they are not subjected to the burning 
heat of the sun ,• they are provided for 
by the Lamb in the midst of the throne 
and all tears are forever wiped away from 
their eyes. — This must be regarded, I 
think, as an episode, having no imme- 
diate connexion with what precedes or 
with what follows. It seems to be 
thrown in here — while the impending 
judgments of the sixth seal are sus- 
pended, and before the seventh is opened 
— to furnish a relief in the contempla- 
tion of so many scenes of woe, and to 
cheer the soul with inspiring hopes from 
the view of the great number that would 
ultimately be saved. While these judg- 
ments, therefore, are suspended, the 
mind is directed on to the world of 
triumph, as a view fitted to sustain and 
comfort those who would be partakers 
in the scenes of woe. At the same time 
it is one of the most touching and beau- 
tiful of all the representations of heaven 
ever penned, and is eminently adapted 
to comfort those, in all ages, who are 
in a vale of tears. 

In the exposition, it will be proper 
(vs. 1-8) to enquire into the fair mean- 
ing of the language employed in the 
symbols ; and then to enquire whether 
there are any known facts to which the 
description is applicable. The first en- 
quiry may and should be pursued inde- 
pendently of the other j and, it may be 
added, *that the explanation offered on 
this may be correct even if the other 
shoulc be erroneous. The same remark, 
also, is applicable to the remainder of 
the chapter (vs. 9-17), and indeed is of 
general applicability in the exposition 
of this book. 

1. And after these things. After the 
vision of the things referred to in the 
opening of the sixth seal. The natural 
interpretation would be, that what is 
here said of the angels and the winds, 
occurred after those things which are 
described in the previous chapter. The 
exact chronology may not be always 
observed in these symbolical representa- 
tions, but doubtless there is a general 
>rder vshich is observed. ^ I saw four 
augels. He does not describe their forms, 



four corners of the earth, holding 
the four winds ° of the earth, 

a Da. 7. 2. 



but merely mentions their agency. This 
is, of course, a symbolical representation. 
We are not to suppose that it would be 
literally fulfilled, or that, at the time re- 
ferred to by the vision, four celestial 
beings would be stationed in the four 
quarters of the world, for the purpose of 
checking and restraining the winds that 
blow from the four points of the com- 
pass. The meaning is, that events 
would occur which would be properly 
represented by four angels standing 
in the four quarters of the world, 
and having power over the winds. 
^ Standing on the four corners of the 
earth. This language is, of course, ac- 
commodated to the prevailing mode 
of speaking of the earth among the 
Hebrews. It was a common method 
among them to describe it as a vast 
plain, having four corners, those cor- 
ners being the prominent points — north, 
south, east, and west. So we speak 
now of the four winds, the four quarters 
of the world, &c. The Hebrews spoke 
of the earth, as we do of the rising and 
setting of the sun, and of the motions of 
the heavenly bodies, according to ap- 
pearances, and without aiming at philo- 
sophical exactness. Comp. Notes on 
Job xxvi. 7. With this view they spoke 
of the earth as an extended plain, and 
as having boundaries or corners, as a 
plain or field naturally has. Perhaps 
also they used this language with some 
allusion to an edifice, as having four 
corners; for they speak also of the earth 
as having foundations. The language 
which the Hebrews used was in accord- 
ance with the prevailing ideas and 
language of the ancients on the subject. 
1f Holding the four winds of the earth. 
The winds blow in fact from every 
quarter, but it is convenient to speak of 
them as coming from the four principal 
points of the compass, and this method 
is adopted, probably, in every language. 
So among the Greeks and Latins, the 
winds were arranged under four classes 
— Zephyrus, Boreas, Notus, and Eurus, 
— considered as under the control of a 
king, iEolus. See Eschenburg, Man. 
Class. Lit. I 78, Comp. g 108. ^ The 
angels here are represented as u holding" 



• 



CHAPTER VII. 



109 



A. D 96.] 

that the wind shoul i not blow on 
the earth, nor on the sea, nor on 
any tree. 



the winds — Kparovvreg. That is, they 
held them back when about to sweep 
over the earth, and to produce far- 
spread desolation. This is an allusion 
to a popular belief among the Hebrews, 
that the agency of the angels was em- 
l loyed every where. It is not suggested 
that the angels had raised the tempest 
here, but only that they now restrained 
and controlled it. The essential idea is, 
that they had power over those winds, 
and that they were now exercising that 

! power by keeping them back when they 
were about to spread desolation over the 
earth. ^[ That the wind should not blow 
on the earth. That there should be a 
calm, as if the winds were held back. 

i Nor on the sea. Nowhere — neither on 
sea nor land. The sea and the land 
constitute the surface of the globe, and 
the language here, therefore, denotes 

j that there would be a universal calm. 
Nor on any tree. To injure it. The 
7 anguage here used is such as would 
denote a state of profound quiet, as 
when we say that it is so still that not a 
leaf of the trees moves. 

In regard to the literal meaning of the 
symbol here employed, there can be no 
great difficulty; as to its application there 

' may be more. The winds are the proper 
symbols of wars and commotions. Comp. 
Dan. vii. 2. In Jer. xlix. 36, 37, the 
symbol is both used and explained : 
"And upon Elam will I bring the four 
winds from the four quarters of heaven, 
and will scatter them towards all those 
winds ; and there shall be no nation 
whither the outcasts of Elam shall not 
come. For I will cause Elam to be dis- 
mayed before their enemies, and before 
them that seek their life." So in Jer. 
ii. 1, 2, a destroying wind is an emblem 
of destructive war': "I will raise up 
against Babylon a destroying wind, and 
will send unto Babylon fanners, that 
^hall fan her, and shall empty her 
land." Comp. Horace, Odes, B. L 14. 
The essential ideas, therefore, in this 
portion of the symbol, cannot be mis- 
taken. They are two : (1) that at the 
period of time here referred to — after 
the opening of the sixth seal and before 
the opening of the seventh — there would 



2 And I saw another angel as- 
cending from the east, having the 
seal * of the living God : and he 
« 2 Ti. 2. 19. 

be a state of things which would be 
well represented by rising tempests and 
storms, which if unrestrained would 
spread desolation afar; and (2) that this 
impending ruin was held back as if by 
angels having control of those winds ; 
that is, those tempests were not suffered 
to go forth to spread desolation over the 
world. A suspended tempest ; calamity 
held in check ; armies hovering on the 
borders of a kingdom, but not allowed 
to proceed for a time ; hordes of invaders 
detained, or stayed in their march, as if 
by some restraining power not their 
own, and from causes not within them 
selves — any of these things would be 
an obvious fulfilling of the meaning of 
the symbol. 

2. And I saw another angel. Evidently 
having no connexion with the four, and 
employed for another purpose. This 
angel, also, must have been symbolic, 
and all that is implied is, that something 
would be done as if an angel had done 
it. Ascending from the east. He ap- 
peared in the east, and seemed to rise 
like the sun. It is not easy to determine 
what is the special significancy, if any, 
of the east here, or why this quarter of 
the heavens is designated rather than 
the north, the south, or the west. It 
may be that as light begins in the east, 
this would be properly symbolic of 
something that could be compared with 
the light of the morning ; or that some 
influence in "sealing" the servants of 
God would in fact go out from the east; 
or perhaps no special significance is to 
be attached to the quarter from which 
the angel is seen to come. It is not 
necessary to suppose that every minute 
thing in a symbol is to receive a com- 
plete fulfilment, or that there will be 
some particular thing to correspond with 
it. Perhaps all that is meant here is, 
that as the sun comes forth with splendor 
from the east, so the angel came with 
magnificence to perform a task — that of 
sealing the servants of God — cheerful 
and joyous like that which the gun per- 
forms. It is certain that from no other 
quarter of the heavens would it be bo 
appropriate to represent an angel as 
coming forth to perform a purpose of 



200 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 95, 



cried with a loud voice to the four 
angels, to whom it was given to 
hurt the earth and the sea, 



light and mercy and salvation. It does not 
seem to me, therefore, that we are to look, 
in the fulfilment of this, for any special 
influence setting in from the east as 
that which is symbolized here, Having 
the seal of the living God. Bearing it 
in his hands. In regard to this seal 
the following remarks may be made : 
(a) The phrase " seal of the living God" 
doubtless means that which God had 
appointed, or which he would use ; that 
is, if God himself came forth in this 
manner he would use this seal for these 
purposes. Men often have a seal of 
their own, with some name, symbol, or 
device, which designates it as theirs, and 
which no other one has a right to use. 
A seal is sometimes used by the person 
himself; sometimes entrusted to a high 
officer of state ; sometimes to the secre- 
tary of a corporation ; and sometimes, 
as a mark of special favor, to a friend. 
In this case it was entrusted to an angel 
who was authorized to use it, and whose 
use of it would be sanctioned, of course, 
wherever he applied it, by the living 
God, as if he had employed it himself. 
(6) As to the form of the seal, we have 
no information. It would be most na- 
tural to suppose that the name " of the 
living God" would be engraven on it, so 
that that name would appear on any one 
to whom it might be affixed. Comp. 
Notes on 2 Tim. ii. 19. It was custom- 
ary in the East to brand the name of 
the master on the forehead of a slave 
^Grotius, in loc.) ; and such an idea would 
meet all that is implied in the language 
here, though there is no certain evidence 
that there is an allusion to that custom. 
In subsequent times in the church it was 
common for Christians to impress the 
sign of the cross on their foreheads. 
Tertullian de Corona; Cyrill. lib. vi. 
See Grotius. As nothing is said here, 
however, about any mark or device on 
the seal, conjecture is useless as to what 
it was. (c) As to what was to be desig- 
nated by the seal, the main idea is clear, 
that it was to place some such mark 
upon his friends that they would be 
known to be his, and that they would be 
safe in the impending calamities. There 
is perhaps allusion here to Ezek. ix. 4, 



3 Saying, Hurt a not the earth, 
neither the sea, nor the trees, till 

a c. 6. 6. 

5, 6, where the following direction to the 
prophet occurs, " Go through the midst 
of the city, through the midst of Jerusa- 
lem, and set a mark upon the foreheads 
of the men that sigh, and that cry, for all 
the abominations that be done in the 
midst thereof. And to the others he 
said in mine hearing, Go ye after him 
through the city, and smite ; let not your 
eye spare, neither have ye pity : slay 
utterly old and young, both maids, and 
little children, and women ; but come 
not near any man upon whom is the 
mark." The essential ideas in the seal- 
ing in the passage before us would, there- 
fore, seem to be (1) that there would 
be some mark, sign, or token, by which 
they who were the people of God would 
be known; that is, there would be some- 
thing which would answer, in this re- 
spect, the same purpose as if a seal had 
been impressed upon their foreheads. 
Whether this was an outward badge; or 
a religious rite ; or the doctrines which 
they would hold, and by which they 
would be known ; or something in their 
spirit and manner which would cha- 
racterize his true disciples, may be a fair 
subject of enquiry. It is not specifi- 
cally designated by the use of the word. 
(2) It would be something that would 
be conspicuous or prominent, as if it 
were impressed on the forehead. It 
would not be merely some internal seal- 
ing, or some designation by which they 
would be known to themselves and to 
God, but it would be something appa- 
rent, as if engraved on the forehead. 
What this would be, whether a profes- 
sion, or a form of religion, or the holding 
of some doctrine, or the manifestation 
of a particular spirit, is not here desig- 
nated. (3) This would be something ap- 
pointed by God himself. It would not be 
of human origin, but would be as if an 
angel sent from heaven should impress it 
on the forehead. If it refers to the doc- 
trines which they would hold, they could 
not be doctrines of human origin ; if to 
the spirit which'they would manifest, it 
would be a spirit of heavenly origin ; if 
to some outward protection, it would be 
manifest that it were from God. (4) This 
, would be a pledge of safety. The desiga 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



201 



we have ° sealed the servants of our 
God in their foreheads. 5 

4 And I heard the number of 
them which were sealed: and there 



of sealing the persons referred to seems 
to have been to secure their safety in 
the impending calamities. Thus the 
-winds were held back until those who 
were to be sealed could be designated, 
and then they were to be allowed to 
sweep over the earth. These things, 
therefore, Ave are to look for in the ful- 
filment of the symbol. ^[ And he cried 
yjith a loud voice. As if he had autho- 
rity to command, and as if the four 
winds were about to be let forth upon the 
world. ^[ To whom it was given to hurt 
the earth and the sea. "Who had power 
committed to them to do this by means 
of the four winds. 

3. Saying, Hurt not the earth % neither 
the sea, &c. Let the winds be restrained 
until what is here designated shall be 
done. These destroying angels were 
commanded to suspend the work of 
destruction until the servants of God 
could be rendered secure. The division 
here, as in ver. 1, of the " earth, the sea, 
and the trees/' seems to include every 
thing — water, land, and the productions 
of the earth. Nothing was to be injured 
until the angel should designate the true 
servants of God. «[ Till tee have sealed 
the servants of God. The use of the 
plural "we" seems to denote that he did 
not expect to do it alone. Who were to 
be associated with him, whether angels 
or men, he does not intimate, but the 
rrork was evidently such that it de- 
manded the agency of more than one. 
^ In their foreheads. See Notes on ver. 
2 ; comp. Ezek. ix. 4, 5. A mark thus 
placed on the forehead would be con- 
spicuous, and would be something which 
could at once be recognized if destruc- 
tion should spread over the world. The 
Tulfilment of this is to be found in two 
things : (a) in something which would 
be conspicuous or prominent — so that it 
could be seen ; and (b) in the mark being 
of such, a nature or character that it 
would be a proper designation of the fact 
that they were the true servants of God. 

4. And I heard the number of them 
which were sealed. He does not say 
where he heard that, or by whom it was 
communicated to him, or when it was 



icere sealed an hundred ama forty 
and four c thousand of all the tribes 
of the children of Israel. 

a Eze. 9. 4. b c. 22. 4. c c. 14. 1. 



done. The material point is, that he 
heard it ; he did not see it done. Either 
by the angel, or by some direct commu- 
nication from God, he was told of the 
number that would be sealed, and of the 
distribution of the whole number into 
twelve equal parts, represented by the 
tribes of the children of Israel. ®j And 
there were sealed an hundred and forty 
and four thousand of all the tribes of the 
children of Israel. In regard to this 
number, the first and the main question 
is, whether it is meant that this was to 
be the literal number, or whether it was 
symbolical ; and, if the latter, of what it 
is a symbol ? I. As to the first of these en- 
quiries, there does not appear to be any 
good reason tor doubt. The fair inter- 
pretation seems to require that it should 
be understood as symbolical, or as de- 
signed not to be literally taken ; for 
(a) the whole scene is symbolical — the 
winds, the angels, the sealing; (&) It 
cannot be supposed that this num- 
ber will include all who will be sealed 
and saved. In whatever way this is 
interpreted, and whatever we may sup- 
pose it to refer to, we cannot but sup- 
pose that more than this number will be 
saved, (c) The number is too exact and 
artificial to suppose that it is literal. It 
is inconceivable that exactly the same 
number — precisely twelve thousand — 
should be selected from each tribe of the 
children of Israel, (d) If literal, it is 
necessary to suppose that this refers to 
the twelve tribes of the children of 
Israel. But on every supposition this 
is absurd. Ten of their tribes had been 
long before carried away, and the dis- 
tinction of the tribes was lost, no more to 
be recovered, and the Hebrew people 
never have been, since the time of John, 
in circumstances to which the descrip- 
tion here could be applicable. These 
considerations make it clear that the 
description here is symbolical. But 
II. Of what is it symbolical ? Is it of a 
large number, or of a small number? 
Is it of those who would be saved from 
among the Jews, or of all who would be 
saved in the Christian church — repre- 
sented as the " tribes of the children of 



202 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. I>. 9G. 



Israel?" To these enquiries we may- 
answer: (L) That the representation 
seems to be rather that of a compara- 
tively small number than a large one : — 
for these reasons, (a) The number of 
iteelf is not large, (b) The number is not 
large as compared with those who must 
have constituted the tribes here referred 
to — the number twelve thousand, for 
example, as compared with the whole 
number of the tribe of Judah, of the 
tribe of Reuben, &c. (c) It would seem 
from the language that there would be 
gome selection from a much greater num- 
ber. Thus, not all in the tribes were 
sealed, but those who were sealed were 
" of all the tribes" — h -rrdcrjg (po\9js ; that 
is, out of these tribes. So in the speci- 
fication in each tribe — Ik (pv'Xrjg '16v&a, 
'FovfZtiv, &c. Some out of the tribe, to 
wit, twelve thousand, were sealed. It is 
not said of the twelve thousand of the 
tribes of Judah, Reuben, &c, that they 
constituted the tribe, but that they were 
sealed out of the tribe, as a part of it 
preserved and saved. "When the pre- 
position f/r, or out of, stands after any 
such verb as sealed, between a definite 
numeral and a noun of multitude in 
the genitive, sound criticism requires, 
doubtless, that the numeral should be 
thus construed, as signifying, not the 
whole, but a part taken out," Elliott, 
i. 237. Comp. Ex. xxxii. 28 ; 1 Sam. 
iv. 10 j Num. i. 21. The phrase, then, 
would properly denote those taken 
out of some other and greater number — 
as a portion of a tribe, and not the 
whole tribe. If the reference here is 
to the church, it would seem to denote 
that a portion only of that church would 
be sealed, (d) Tor the same reason the 
Mea would seem to be, that compara- 
tively a small portion is referred to — as 
twelve thousand would be comparatively 
a small part of one of the tribes of 
Israel ; and if this refers to the church, 
we should expect to find its fulfilment in 
a state of things in which the largest 
proportion would not be sealed : — that is, 
in a corrupt state of the church in which 
there would be many professors of reli- 
gion, but comparatively few who had 
real piety. (2) To the other enquiry — 
whether this refers to those who would 
be sealed and saved among the Jews, or 
to those in the Christian church, we may 
answer (a), that there are strong reasons 
for supposing the latter to be the correct 



opinion. Long before /he time of John 
all these ^ distinctions of tribe were 
abolished. The ten tribes had been 
carried away and scattered in distant 
lands, never more to be restored, and it 
cannot be supposed that there was any 
such literal selection from the twelve 
tribes as is here spoken of, or any such 
designation of twelve thousand from 
each. There was no occasion — either 
when Jerusalem was destroyed, or at any 
other time — on which there were such 
transactions as are here referred to oc- 
curring in reference to the children of 
Israel, (b) The language is such as a 
Christian, who had been by birth and 
education a Hebrew, would naturally 
use if he wished to designate the church. 
Comp. Notes on James i. 1. Accustomed 
to speak of the people of God as "the 
twelve tribes of Israel," nothing was 
more natural than to transfer this lan- 
guage tp the church of the Redeemer, 
and to speak of it in that figurative man- 
ner. Accordingly, from the necessity 
of the case, the language is universally 
understood to have reference to the 
Christian church. Even Prof. Stuart, 
who supposes that the reference is to 
the siege and destruction of Jerusalem 
by the Romans, interprets it of the pre- 
servation of Christians, and their flight 
to Pella, beyond Jordan. Thus inter- 
preted, moreover, it accords with the 
entire symbolical character of the repre- 
sentation, (c) The reference to the par 
ticular tribes may be a designed allusion 
to the Christian church as it would be 
divided into denominations, or known 
by different names; and the fact that a 
certain portion would be sealed from 
ever: j tribe, would not be an unfit 
rej resentation of the fact that a portion 
of all the various churches or denomi- 
nations would be sealed and saved. 
That is, salvation would be confined to 
no one church or denomination, but 
among them all there would be found 
true servants of God. It would be im- 
proper to suppose that the division into 
tribes among the children of Israel was 
designed to be a type of the sects and 
denominations in the Christian church,, 
and yet the fact of such a division may 
not improperly be employed as an illus- 
tration of that ; for the whole church is 
made up not of any one denomination 
alone, but of all who hold the truth com- 
bined, as the people of God in ancient 



A. 1). 96.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



203 



5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed 
twelve thousand. Of the tribe of 
Reuben were sealed twelve thou- 

times consisted not solely of any one 
tribe, however large and powerful, but 
of all combined. Thus understood, the 
symbol would point to a time when 
there would be various denominations 

I in the church, and yet with the idea that 
true friends of God would be found 
among them all. (d) Perhaps nothing 
can be argued from the fact that exactly 
twelve thousand were selected from each 
of the tribes. In language so figurative 
and symbolical as this, it could not be 
maintained that this proves that the 
same definite number would be taken 
from each denomination of Christians. 
Perhaps all that can be fairly inferred 
is that there would be no partiality or 
preference for one more than another ; 
that there would be no favoritism on 
account of the tribe or denomination 
to which any one belonged; but that 
the seal would be impressed on all, of 
any denomination, who had the true 
spirit of religion. No one would receive 
the token of the divine favor because he 
was of the tribe of Judah or Reuben; 
qo one because he belonged to any 
particular denomination of Christians, 
iarge numbers from every branch of the 
church would be sealed ; none would be 
sealed because he belonged to one form 
of external organization rather than to 
another; none would be excluded because 
he belonged to any one tribe, if he had the 
spirit, and held the sentiments which 
made it proper to recognize him as a 
servant of God. These views seem to me 
to express the true sense of this passage. 
No one can seriously maintain that the 
writer meant to refer literally to the 
Jewish people ; and if he referred to the 
Christian church, it seems to be to some 
selection that would be made out of the 
whole church, in which there would be 

i| no favoritism or partiality, and to the 
fact that, in regard to them, there would 
be something which, in the midst of 
abounding corruption, or impending 
danger, would designate them as the 
chosen people of God, and would furnish 

f evidence that they would be safe. 

5-8. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed 
twelve thousand. That is, a selection was 
made, or a number sealed, as if it had 
been made from one of the tribes of the 



sand. Of the tribe of Gad were 
sealed twelve thousand. 

6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed 

children of Israel — the tribe of Judah. 
If the remarks above made are correct, 
this refers to the Christian church, an<3 
means, in connexion with what follows, 
that each portion of the church would 
furnish a definite part of the whole num- 
ber sealed and saved. We are not re- 
quired to understand this of the exact 
number of twelve thousand, but that the 
designation would be made from all parts 
and branches of the church as if a selec- 
tion of the true servants of God were 
made from the whole number of the tribes 
of Israel. — There seems to be no parti- 
cular reason why the tribe of Judah was 
mentioned first. Judah was not the 
oldest of the sons of Jacob, and there 
was no settled order in which the tribes 
were usually mentioned. The order of 
their birth, as mentioned in Gen. xxix., 
xxx., is as follows : — Reuben, Simeon, 
Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, 
Issachar, Zebulon, J oseph, Benjamin. In 
the blessing of Jacob, Gen.xlix., this order 
is changed, and is as follows, Reuben, Si- 
meon, Levi, Judah, Zebulon, Issachar, 
Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Ben- 
jamin. — In the blessing of Moses, Deut. 
xxxiii., a different order still is observed: 
Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph, 
Zebulon, Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, 
Asher; and in this last, moreover, Simeon 
is omitted. So again in Ezek. xlviii., there 
are two enumerations of the twelve tribes, 
differing from each other, and both differ- 
ing from the arrangements above referred 
to ; viz. in vs. 31-34, where Levi is reck- 
oned as one, and Joseph as only one ; and 
in vs. 1-27, referring to the division of 
the country, where Levi, who had no 
heritage in land, is omitted, and Ephraim 
and Manasseh are counted as two tribes. 
Prof. Stuart, ii. 172, 173. From facts like 
these, it is clear that there was no certain 
and settled order in which the tribes were 
mentioned by the sacred writers. The 
same thing seems to have occurred in the 
enumeration of the tribes, which would 
occur, for example, in the enumeration of 
the several States of the American Union. 
There is indeed an order which is usually 
observed, beginning with Maine, &c, but 
almost no two writers would observe 
throughout the same order, nor should we 
deem it strange if the order should be 



204 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



twelve thousand. Of the tribe of 
Nephthalirnwere sealed twelve thou- 



rnaterially varied by even the same writer 
in enumerating them at different times. 
Thus, at one time, it might be convenient 
to enumerate them according to their 
geographical position ; at another in the 
order of their settlement; at another in 
the order of their admission into the 
Union ; at another in the order of their 
size and importance; at another in the 
order in which they are arranged in re- 
ference to political parties, <fcc. Some- 
thing of the same kind may have oc- 
curred in the order in which the tribes 
were mentioned among the Jews. Per- 
haps this may have occurred also of de- 
sign, in order that no one tribe might 
claim the precedence or the pre-eminence 
by being always placed at the head of 
the list. — If, as is supposed above, the 
allusion in this enumeration of the tribes 
was to the various portions of the Chris- 
tian church, then perhaps the idea in- 
tended to be conveyed is, that no one 
division of that church is to have any pre- 
ference on account of its locality, or its 
occupying any particular country, or be- 
cause it has more wealth, learning, or 
numbers than others, but that all are to 
be regarded, where there is the true spirit 
of religion, as on a level. 

There are, however, three peculiarities 
in this enumeration of the tribes, which 
demand a more particular explanation. 
The number indeed is twelve, but that 
number is made up in a peculiar manner. 
(1) Joseph is mentioned, and also Ma- 
nassah. The matter of fact was, that 
Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Ma- 
nassah ( Gen. xlviii. 1 .), and that these two 
sons gave name to two of the tribes, 
the tribes of Ephraim and Manassah. 
There was, properly speaking, no tribe 
of the name Joseph. In Numbers xiii. 
the name Levi is omitted, as it usualty 
is, because that tribe had no inheritance 
in the division of the land, and in order 
that the number twelve might be com- 
plete, Ephraim and Joseph are mentioned 
as two tribes, vs. 8, 11. In ver. 11, the 
m iter states expressly that by the tribe 
Joseph he meant Manassah — "Of the 
tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of 
Manassah," &c. From this it would seem 
that, as Manassah was the oldest (Gen. 
xlviii. 14), the name Joseph was some- 



sand. Of the tribe of Manasses 
were sealed twelve thousand. 



times given to that tribe. As Ephraim, 
however, became the largest tribe, and 
as Jacob in blessing the two sons of Jo- 
seph (Gen. xlviii. 14) laid his right hand 
on Ephraim, and pronounced a special 
blessing on him (vs. 19, 20), it would seem 
not improbable that, when not particu- 
larly designated, the name Joseph was 
given to that tribe, as it is evidently in 
this place. Possibly the name Joseph may 
have been a general name which was occa- 
sionally applied to either of these tribes. 
In the long account of the original di- 
vision of Canaan, in Joshua xiii.-xix., 
Levi is omitted, because he had no herit- 
age, and Ephraim and Manassah are 
mentioned as two tribes. The name Jo- 
seph in the passage before us (ver. 8) is 
doubtless designed, as remarked above, 
to refer to Ephraim. (2) In this list (ver. 
7) the name of Levi is inserted among the 
tribes. As already remarked, this name 
is not commonly inserted among the 
tribes of the children of Israel, because 
that tribe, being devoted to the sacerdo- 
tal office, had no inheritance in the di- 
vision of the country, but was scattered 
among the other tribes. See Joshua xiv. 
3, 4, xviii. 7. It may have been inserted 
here, if this refers to the Christian church, 
to denote that the ministers of the gospel 
as well as other members of the church, 
would share in the protection implied by 
the sealing ; that is, to denote that no 
class in the church would be excluded 
from the blessings of salvation. (3) The 
name of one of the tribes — Dan — is omit- 
ted; so that by this omission, and the in- 
sertion of the tribe of Levi, the original 
number of twelve is preserved. There 
have been numerous conjectures as to 
the reason why the tribe of Dan is omit- 
ted here, but none of the solutions pro- 
posed are without difficulty. All that 
can be known, or regarded as probable, 
on the subject, seems to be this : — (a) A% 
the tribe of Levi was usually omitted in 
an enumeration of the tribes, because that 
tribe had no part in the inheritance of 
the Hebrew people in the diviston of the 
land of Canaan, so there appear to have 
been instances in which the names of 
some of the other tribes were omitted, the 
reason for which is not given. Thus, in 
Deut. xxxiii., in the blessing pronounced 



A I). 96.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



205 



7 Of the tribe of Simeon were 
scaled twelve thousand. Of the 
\ fibe of Levi were sealed twelve 



by Moses on the tribes just before his 
Ac-ath, the name Simeon is omitted. In 
I, Chron. iv.-viii. the names of Zebulon 
and Dan are both omitted. It would 
seem, therefore, that the name of a tribe 
might be sometimes omitted without any 
particular reason being specified, (b) It 
has been supposed by some that the name 
Dan was omitted because that tribe was 
early devoted to idolatry, and continued 
idolatrous to the time of the captivity. 
Of that fact there can be no doubt, for it 
is expressly affirmed in Judges xviii. 30; 
and that fact seems to be a sufficient rea- 
son for the omission of the name. As 
being thus idolatrous, it was in a mea- 
sure separated from the people of God, 
and deserved not to be reckoned among 
them ; and in enumerating those who 
were the servants of God, there seemed to 
be a propriety that a tribe devoted to 
idolatry should not be reckoned among 
the number. — This will account for the 
omission without resorting to the suppo- 
sition of Grotius, that the tribe of Dan 
was extinct at the time when the Apoca- 
lypse was written — a fact which also 
existed in regard to all the ten tribes ; 
or to the supposition of Andreas and 
others, that Dan is omitted because An- 
tichrist was to spring from that tribe — 
a supposition which is alike without proof 
and without probability. — The fact that 
Dan was omitted, cannot be supposed to 
have any special significancy in the case 
before us. Such an omission is what, 
as we have seen, might have occurred at 
any time, in the enumeration of the tribes. 

In reference to the application of this 
portion of the book (vs. 1-8), or of what 
is designed to be here represented, there 
has been, as might be expected, a great 
variety of opinions. From the exposi- 
tion of the words and phrases which has 
heen given, it is manifest that we are to 
look for a series of events like the follow- 
ing: — (1) Some impending danger, or 
something that threatened to sweep every 
thing away — like winds that were ready 
to blow on the earth. (2) That tempest 
restrained or held back, as if the winds 
were held in check by an angel, and were 
not suffered to 6weep over the world. 
(S) Some new influence or power, repre- 



thousand. Of the tribe of Isaschar 
were sealed twelve thousand. 

8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were 



sented by an angel coming from the east 
— the great source of light — that should 
designate the true church of God — the 
servants of the Most High. (4) Seme 
mark or note by which the true people 
of God could be designated, or by which 
they could be known — as if some name 
were impressed on their foreheads. (5) 
A selection or election of the number from 
a much greater number who were the 
professed, but were not the true servants 
of God. (6) A definite, though compa- 
ratively a small number thus designated 
out of the whole mass. (7) This num- 
ber taken from all the divisions of the 
professed people of God, in such num- 
bers and in such a manner, that it would 
be apparent that there would be no par- 
tiality or favoritism j that is, that wher- 
ever the true servants of God were found, 
they would be sealed and saved. These 
are things which lie on the face of the 
passage, if the interpretation above given 
is correct, and in its application it is ne- 
cessary to find some facts that will pro- 
perly correspond with these things. 

If the interpretation of the sixth seal 
proposed above is correct, then we are to 
look for the fulfilment of this in events 
that soon succeeded those which are there 
referred to, or at least which had their 
commencement at about that time, and 
the enquiry now is, whether there were 
any events that would accord properly 
with the interpretation here proposed: — 
that is, any impending and spreading 
danger; any restraining of that danger; 
any process of designating the servants 
of God so as to preserve them ; any thing 
like a designation or selection of them 
from among the masses of the professed 
people of God? — Noav, in respect to this, 
the following facts accord so well with 
what is demanded in the interpretation, 
that it may be regarded as morally cer- 
tain that they were the things which were 
thus made to pass in vision before the 
mind of John. They have at least this 
degree of probability, that if it were ad- 
mitted that he intended to describe them, 
the symbols which are actually employed 
are those which it would have been pro- 
per to select to represent them. 

L The impendiag danger, like windg 



206 



REVEL 



A T 1 N, 



[A. D. 96. 



sealed twelve thousand. Of the 
tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve 

restrained, that threatened to sweep 
every thing away, and to hasten on the 
end of the world. — In reference to this, 
there may have been two classes of im- 
pending danger — that from the invasion 
of the northern hordes, referred to in the 
sixth seal (ch. vi.), and that from the in- 
flux of error, that threatened the ruin of 
the church, (a) As to the former, the 
language used by John will accurately 
express the state of things as it existed 
at the period supposed at the time of the 
sixth seal — the series of events intro- 
duced, now suspended, like the opening 
of the seventh seal. The idea is that of 
nations pressing on to conquest ; heaving 
like tempests on the borders of the em- 
pire ; overturning every thing in their 
way; spreading desolation by fire and 
sword, as if the world were about to come 
to an end. The language used by Mr. 
Gibbon in describing the times here re- 
ferred to, is so applicable that it would 
seem almost as if he had the symbols 
used by John in his eye. Speaking of 
the time of Constantine, he says, " The 
threatening tempest of barbarians, which 
so soon subverted the foundations of Ro- 
man greatness, was still repelled, or sus- 
pended on the frontiers." i. 362. This 
language accurately expresses the con- 
dition of the Roman world at the period 
succeeding the opening of the sixth seal; 
the period of suspended judgments in 
order that the servants of God might be 
sealed. See the Notes on ch. vi. 12-17. 
The nations which ultimately spread de- 
solation through the empire, hovered 
around its borders, making occasional 
incursions into its territory ; even carry- 
ing their arms, as we have seen in some 
instances, as far as Rome itself, but still 
restrained from accomplishing the final 
purpose of overthrowing the city and the 
empire. The church and the state alike 
were threatened with destruction, and 
the impending wrath seemed only to be 
held back as if to give time to accom- 
plish some other purpose, (b) At the 
game time there was another class of evils 
which threatened to sweep like a tem- 
pest over the church — the evils of error 
in doctrine that sprang up on the es- 
tablishment of Christianity by Constan- 
tine. That fact was followed with a 
grx-at increa se of professors of religion, 



thousand. Of the tribe of Benja- 
min were sealed twelve thousand. 

who, for various purposes, crowded into 
a church patronized by the state — a con- 
dition of things which tended to do niore. 
to destroy the church than all that had 
been done by persecution had accom- 
plished. This effect was natural; and 
the church became filled with those who 
had yielded themselves to the Christian 
faith from motives of policy, and who, 
having no true spiritual piety, were ready 
to embrace the most lax views of reli- 
gion, and to yield themselves to any form 
of error. Of this period, and of the effect 
of the conversion of Constantine in this 
respect, Mr. Gibbon makes the following 
remarks, strikingly illustrative of the 
view now taken of the meaning of this 
passage. " The hopes of wealth and ho- 
nor, the example of an emperor, his ex- 
hortations, his irresistible smiles, dif- 
fused conviction among the venal and 
obsequious crowds which usually fill the 
departments of a palace. The cities 
which signalized a forward zeal, by the 
voluntary destruction of their temples, 
were distinguished by municipal privi- 
leges, and rewarded with popular dona- 
tives ; and the new capital of the East 
gloried in the singular advantage, that 
Constantinople was never profaned by 
the worship of idols. As the lower ranks 
of society are governed by imitation, the 
conversion of those who possessed any 
eminence of birth, of power, or of riches, 
was soon followed by dependent multi- 
tudes. The salvation of the common 
people was purchased at an easy rate, if 
it be true, that, in one year, twelve thou- 
sand men were baptized at Rome, be- 
sides a proportionable number of women 
and children, and that a white garment, 
with twenty pieces of gold, had been 
promised by the emperor to every con- 
vert." i. 425. At a time, therefore, when 
it might have been supposed that, under 
the patronage of a Christian emperor, 
the truth would have spread around the 
world, the church was exposed to one of 
its greatest dangers — that arising from 
thefact that ithad become united with the 
state. About the same time, also, there 
sprang up many of those forms of error 
which have spread farthest over t^e 
Christian world, and which then thrr 
ened to become the universal forn of 
belief in the church. Of this cla of 



D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



207 



doctrine wore the views of Arius, and 
the views of Pelagius — forms of opinion 
which there were strong reasons to fear 
might become the prevailing belief of the 
church, and essentially change its cha- 
racter. About this time, also, the church 
was passing into the state in which the Pa- 
pacy would arise — that dark and gloomy 
period in which error would spread over 
the Christian world, and the true ser- 
vants of God would retire for a long pe- 
riod into obscurity. " We are now but- 
a little way off from the commencement 
of that noted period — obscurely hinted 
at by Daniel, plainly announced by John 
— the twelve hundred and sixty pro- 
phetic days or years, for which prepara- 
tions of a very unusual kind, but re- 
quisite, doubtless, are made. This period 
was to form the gloomiest, without ex- 
ception, in the annals of the world — the 
period of Satan's highest success, and of 
the church's greatest depression ; and 
lest she should become during it utterly 
extinct, her members, never so few as 
then, were all specially sealed. The 
long night passes on, darkening as it 
advances ; but the sealed company are 
not visible; they disappear from the 
Apocalyptic stage, just as they then dis- 
appeared from the observation of the 
world; for they fled away to escape the 
fire and the dungeons of their persecu- 
tors, to hide in the hoary caves of the 
earth, or to inhabit the untrodden re- 
gions of the wilderness, or to dwell be- 
neath the shadow of the Alps, or to eojoy 
fellowship with God, emancipated and 
unknown, in the deep seclusion and 
gloom of some convent." The Seventh 
Vial, London, 1848, pp. 27, 28.— These 
facts seem to me to show, with a con- 
siderable degree of probability, what was 
designated by the suspense which occur- 
red after the opening of the sixth seal — 
when the affairs of the world seemed to 
be hastening on to the great catastrophe. 
At that period, the prophetic eye sees 
the tendency of things suddenly ar- 
rested; the winds held back, the church 
preserved, and a series of events intro- 
duced, intended to designate and to save 
from the great mass of those who pro- 
fessedly constituted the " tribes of Is- 
rael," a definite number who should be 
in fact ihe true church of God. 

II. The facts, then, to which there is 
reference in checking the tendency of 
things, and sealing the servants of God, 



may have been the following :~~(a) The 
preservation of the church from ex- 
tinction during those calamitous periods 
when ruin seemed about to sweep over 
the Roman world. Not only as a 
matter of fact, was there a suspension 
of those impending judgments that 
seemed to threaten the very extinction 
of the* empire by the invasion of the 
Northern hordes (see Notes on ch. vi.), 
but there were special acts in favor of 
the church, by which these fierce bar- 
barians appeared not only to be restrain- 
ed from destroying the church, but to be 
influenced by'tenderness and sympathy 
for it, as if they were raised up to pre- 
serve it when Rome had done all it 
could to destroy it. It would seem as if 
God restrained the rage of these hordes 
for the sake of preserving his church ; 
as if he had touched their hearts that 
they might give to Christians an oppor- 
tunity to escape in the impending storm. 
We may refer here particularly to the 
conduct of Alaric, king of the Goths, in 
the attack on Rome already referred to, 
and, as usual, we may quote from Mr. 
Gibbon, who will not be suspected of a 
design to contribute any thing to the 
illustration of the Apocalypse : " At the 
hour of midnight," says he, (vol. ii. pp 
260, 261.) " the Salarian gate was 
silently opened, and the inhabitants were 
awakened by the tremendous sound of 
the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred 
and sixty-three years after the founda- 
tion of Rome, the imperial city, which 
had subdued and civilized so consider- 
able a part of mankind, was delivered to 
the licentious fury of the tribes of Ger- 
many and Scythia. The proclamation 
of Alaric, when he forced his entrance 
into the vanquished city, discovered, 
however, some regard for the laws of 
humanity and religion. He encouraged 
his troops boldly to seize the rewards of 
valor, and to enrich themselves with the 
spoils of a wealthy and effeminate people; 
but he exhorted them, at the same time, 
to spare the lives of the unresisting 
citizens, and to respect the churches of 
the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul, as 
holy and inviolable sanctuaries. While 
the barbarians roamed through the city 
in quest of prey, the humble dwelling of 
an aged virgin, who had devoted her life 
to the service of the altar, was forced 
open by one of the powerful Goths. He 
immediately demanded, though in civil 



208 



R E V E L 



AT ION, 



[A. D. 95. 



language, all the gold and silver iri her 
possession; and was astonished at the 
readiness with which she conducted him 
to a splendid hoard of massy plate, if 
the richest materials, and the most 
curious workmanship. The barbarian 
viewed with wonder and delight this 
valuable acquisition, till he was inter- 
rupted by a serious admonition, ad- 
dressed to him in the following words : 
( These/ said she, 'are the consecrated 
vessels belonging to St. Peter; if you 
presume to touch them, the sacrilegious 
deed will remain on your consciences; 
for my part, I dare not keep what I am 
unable to defend.' The Gothic captain, 
struck with reverential awe, despatched 
a me ,senger to inform the king of the 
treasure which he had discovered ; and 
received a peremptory order from Alaric, 
that all the consecrated plate and orna- 
ments should be transported, without 
damage or delay, to the church of the 
apostle. From the extremity, perhaps, 
of the Quirinal hill, to the distant quarter 
of the Vatican, a numerous detachment 
of the Goths, marching in order of battle, 
through the principal' streets, protected, 
with glittering arms, the long train of 
their devout companions, who bore aloft 
on their heads, the sacred vessels of gold 
and silver; and the martial shouts of the 
barbarians were mingled with the sound 
of religious psalmody. From all the 
adjacent houses, a crowd of Christians 
hastened to join this edifying procession; 
and a multitude of fugitives, without 
distinction of age, or rank, or even of 
sect, had the good fortune to escape to 
the secure and hospitable sanctuary of 
the Vatican." In a note, Mr. Gibbon 
adds: "According to Isidore, Alaric 
himself was heard to say, that he waged 
war with the Romans, and not with the 
apostles." He adds also (p. 261), "The 
learned work concerning the City of 
God, was professedly composed by St. 
Augustin to justify the ways of Provi- 
dence in the destruction of the Roman 
greatness. He celebrates with peculiar 
satisfaction this memorable triumph of 
Christ; and insults his adversaries by 
challenging them to produce some simi- 
lar example of a town taken by storm, 
Mi which the fabulous gods of antiquity 
had been able to protect either them- 
selves or their deluded votaries." We 
may refer here, also, to that work of 
Augustin as illustrating the passage 



before us. In B. L, ch. 2, he defends 
this position, " That there never was 
war in which the conquerors would spare 
them whom they conquered for the gods 
they worshipped" — -referring particularly 
to the sacking of Troy ; in ch. 3, he ap- 
peals to the example of Troy ; in eh. 4, 
he appeals to the sanctuary of Juno, in 
Troy ; in ch. 5, he shows that the Ro- 
mans never spared the temples of those 
cities which they destroyed; and in 
ch. 6, he maintains that the fact that 
mercy was shown by the barbarians in 
the sacking of R,ome, was " through the 
power of the name of Jesus Christ." In 
illustration of this, he says, " Therefore, 
all the spoil, murder, violence, and 
affliction, that in this fresh calamity 
came upon Rome, were nothing but the 
ordinary effects following the custom of 
war. But that which was so unaccus- 
tomed, that the savage nature of the 
barbarians should put on a new shape, 
and appear so merciful, that it would 
make choice of great and spacious 
churches, to fill with such as it meant to 
show pity on, from which none should 
be haled to slaughter or slavery, in 
which none should be hurt, to whi/h 
many by their courteous foes should be 
conducted, and out of which none should 
be led into bondage ; this is due to the 
name of Christ, this is due to the 
Christian profession; he that seeth not 
is blind; he that seeth and praiseth it 
not, is unthankful ; he that hinders him 
that praiseth it, is mad." City of Gcd, 
London, 1620, p. 11. Such a preserva- 
tion of Christians ; such a suspension of 
judgments, when all things seemed to be 
on the verge of ruin, would not be inap- 
propriately represented by winds that 
threatened to sweep over the world ; by 
the staying of those winds by some re- 
markable power, as by an angel ; and by 
the special interposition which spared 
the church in the tumults and terrors 
of a siege, and of the sacking of a city. 
(b) There may have been a reference to 
another class of divine interpositions at 
about the same time, to designate the 
true servants of God. It has been 
already remarked that, from the time 
when Constantine took the church under 
his patronage, and it became connected 
with the state, there was a large acces- 
sion of nominal professors in the church, 
producing a great corruption in regard 
to spiritual religion, and an extended 



A.. D. 06.] 



CHAPT 



EE VII. 



209 



prevalence of error. Now, thi delay 
here referred to, between the opening 
of the sixth and seventh seals, may have 
referred to the fact that, during this 
period, the true doctrines of Christianity 
would be vindicated and established in 
such a way that the servants of God 
would be " sealed" and designated in 
contradistinction from the great mass of 
the professed followers of Christ, and 
from the numerous advocates of error. 
From that mass, a certain and definite 
number was to be sealed — implying, as 
we have seen, that there would be a 
selection, or that there would be some- 
thing which would discriminate them 
from the multitudes, as the true ser- 
vants of God. This is represented by an 
angel coming from the east: — the angel 
representing the new heavenly influence 
coming upon the church ; and the coming 
from the east — as the east is the quarter 
where the sun arises — denoting that it 
came from the source and fountain of 
light — that is God. The "sealing" 
would denote any thing in this new in- 
fluence or manifestation which would 
mark the true children of God, and 
would be appropriately employed to 
designate any doctrines which would 
keep up true religion in the world; 
which would preserve correct views 
about God, the way of salvation, and 
the nature of true religion, and which 
would thus determine where the church 
of God reaily was. If there should be 
a tendency in the church to degenerate 
into foimality; if the rules of discipline 
should be relaxed ; if error should pre- 
vail as to what constitutes spiritual 
religion ; and if there should be a new 
influence at that time which would dis- 
tinguish those who were the children of 
God from those who were not, this would 
be appropriately represented by the 
angel from the east, and by the sealing 
of the servants of God. Now, it requires 
but a slight knowledge of the history of 
the Roman empire, and of the church, at 
the period supposed here to be referred 
to, to perceive that all this occurred. 
There was a large influx of professed 
converts. There was a vast increase of 
worldliness. There was a wide diffusion 
of error. Religion was fast becoming 
mere formalism. The true church was 
apparently fast verging to ruin. At this 
period God raised up distinguished men 
•—as if they had been angels ascending 
18* 



from the east — who came as with the 
"seal of the living God" — the doctrines 
of grace, and just views of spiritual reli- 
gion — to designate who were, and who 
were not the " true servants of God" 
among the multitudes who professed to be 
his followers. Such were the doctrines of 
Athanasius and Augustine — those great 
doctrines on which the very existence of 
the true church has in all ages depended. 
The doctrines thus illustrated and de- 
fended, were fitted to make a broad line 
of distinction between the true church 
and the world, and this would be well 
represented by the symbol employed 
here — for it is by these doctrines that 
the true people of God are sealed 
and confirmed. On this subject, comp. 
Elliott, i. 279-292. The general sense 
here intended to be expressed is, that 
there was at the period referred to, 
after the conversion of Constantine, a 
decided tendency to a worldly, formal, 
lax kind of religion in the church; a 
very prevalent denial of the doctrine of 
the Trinity and of the doctrines of grace ; 
a lax mode of admitting members to the 
church, with little or no evidence of true 
conversion ; a disposition to attribute 
saving grace to the ordinances of religion, 
and especially to baptism; a disposition 
to rely on the outward ceremonies of 
religion, with ltitle acquaintance with 
its spiritual power ; and a general break- 
ing down of the barriers between the 
church and the world, as there is usually 
in a time of outward prosperity, and 
especially when the church is connected 
with the state. At this time there arose 
another set of influences well repre- 
sented by the angel coming from the 
east, and sealing the true servants of 
God, in the illustration and confirmation 
of the true doctrines of Christianity — 
doctrines on which the spirituality of 
the church has always depended: — the 
doctrines of the Trinity, the atonement, 
the depravity of man, regeneration by 
the agency of the Holy Spirit, justifica- 
tion by faith, the sovereignty of God, and 
kindred doctrines. Such doctrines have 
in all ages served to determine where 
the true church is, and to designate and 
"seal" the servants of the Most High, 
(c) This process of "sealing" may be 
regarded as continued during the long 
night of Papal darkness that was coming 
upon the church, when error would 
abound, and the religion of forms would 



210 BEVEL 
9 After this I beheld, and lo, a 



AT ION, [A. D. 96 

great multitude, which no man 



be triumphant. Even then, in places 
obscure and unknown, the work of 
" sealing" the true servants of God 
might be going forward — for even in 
those times of gloomy night there were 
those, though comparatively few in 
number, who loved the truth, and who 
were the real servants of God. The 
number of the elect were filling up, for 
even in the darkest times there were 
those who loved the cause of spiritual 
religion, and who bore upon them 
the impress of the " seal of the living 
God." Such appears to have been the 
intent of this sealing vision : — a staying 
of the desolation that, in various forms, 
was sweeping over the world, in order 
that the true church might be safe, 
and that a large number, from all parts 
of the church, might be sealed and 
designated as the true servants of God. 
The winds, that blowed from all quar- 
ters, were stayed as if by mighty angels. 
A new influence, from the great source 
of light, came in to designate those who 
were the true servants of the Most High, 
as if an angel had come from the rising 
sun with the seal of the living God, to 
impress it on their foreheads. A selec- 
tion was made out of a church filling up 
w T ith formalists, and in- which the true 
doctrines of spiritual religion were fast 
fading away, of those who could be 
designated as the true servants of God. 
By their creed, and their lives, and their 
spirit, and their profession, they could 
Le designated as the true servants of 
God, as if a visible mark was impressed 
on their foreheads. This selection was 
confined to no place, no class, no tribe, 
no denomination. It was taken from 
the whole of Israel, in such numbers that 
it could be seen that none of the tribes 
were excluded from the honor, but that, 
wherever the true spirit of religion was, 
God was acknowledging these tribes — 
or churches — as his, and there he was 
gathering a people to himself. This 
would be long continued, until new 
scenes would open, and the eye would 
rest on other developments in the series 
of symbols, revealing the glorious host 
of the redeemed emerging from dark- 
ness, and in countless numbers triumph- 
ing before the throne. 

9. After this. Gr., " After these 



things — Mera ravra ; — that is, after I 
saw these things thus represented, I had 
another vision. This would undoubtedly 
imply, not only that he saw these things 
after he had seen the sealing of the hun- 
dred and forty-four thousand, but that 
they would occur subsequently to that. 
But he does not state whether they 
would immediately occur, or whether 
other things might not intervene. As a 
matter of fact, the vision seems to be 
transferred from earth to heaven — for 
the multitudes which he saw appeared 
" before the throne" (ver. 9) ; that is, 
before the throne of God in heaven. 
The design seems to be to carry the 
mind forward quite beyond the storms 
and tempests of earth — the scenes of 
woe and sorrow — the days of error, dark- 
ness, declension and persecution — to that 
period when the church should be tri- 
umphant in heaven. Instead, therefore, 
of leaving the impression that the hun- 
dred and forty-four thousand would be 
all that would be saved, the eye is 
directed to an innumerable host gather- 
ed from all ages, all climes, and all 
people, triumphant in glory. The mul- 
titude that John thus saw was not, 
therefore, I apprehend, the same as the 
hundred and forty-four thousand, but ° 
far greater number — the whole assen 
bled host of the redeemed in heaven, 
gathered there as victors, with palm 
branches, the symbols of triumph, in 
their hands. The object of the vision is 
to cheer those who are desponding in 
times of religious declension and in sea- 
sons of persecution, and when the num- 
ber of true Christians seems to be small, 
with the assurance that an immense 
host shall be redeemed from our world, 
and be gathered triumphant before the 
throne, / beheld. That is, he saw 
them before the throne. The vision is 
transferred from earth to heaven ; from 
the contemplation of the scene when 
desolation seemed to impend over the 
world, and when comparatively few in 
number were " sealed" as the servants 
of God, to the time when the redeemed 
would be triumphant, and when a host 
which no man can number would stand 
before God. % And lo. Indicating sur- 
prise. A vast host burst upon the view. 
Instead of the comparatively few who 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



211 



could number, of a all nations, and 
kindreds, and people, and tongues, 

were sealed, an innumerable company 
were presented to his vision, and sur- 
prise was the natural effect. % A great 
multitude. Instead of the comparatively 
small number on which the attention 
had been fixed. ^ Which no man could 
number. The number was so great that 
no one could count them, and John, 
therefore, did not attempt to do it. This~ 
is such a statement as one would make 
who should have a view of all the re- 
deemed in heaven. It would appear to 
be a number beyond all power of compu- 
tation. This representation is in strong 
contrast with a very common opinion 
that only a few will be saved. The repre- 
sentation in the Bible is, that immense 
hosts of the human race will be saved ; 
and though vast numbers will be lost, 
and though at any particular period of 
the world hitherto it may seem that few 
have been in the path to life, yet we have 
every reason to believe that, taking the 
race at large, and estimating it as a 
whole, a vast majority of the whole will 
be brought to heaven. For the true 
religion is yet to spread all over the 
world, and perhaps for many, many 
thousands of years, piety is to be 
, as prevalent as sin has been : and in that 
long and happy time of the world's his- 
tory we may hope that the numbers of 
the saved may surpass all who have been 
lost in past periods, beyond any power 
of computation. See Notes on ch. xx. 
3-6. Of nations- Not only of 
Jews ; not only of the nations which in 
the time of the sealing vision had em- 
braced the gospel, but of all the nations 
of the earth. This implies two things : 
(a) that the gospel would be preached 
among all nations; and (b) that even 
when it was thus preached to them they 
would keep up their national charac- 
: teristics. There can be no hope of 
blending all the nations of the earth 
under one visible sovereignty. They 
may all be subjected to the spiritual 
reign of the Redeemer, but still there is 
no reason to suppose that they will not 
| have their distinct organizations and 
I laws, And kindreds — (pv\wv. This 
j word properly refers to those who are 
descended from a common ancestry, and 
hence denotes a race, lineage, kindred. 



stood before the throne, and before 

a Ro. 11. 25 ; c. 5. 9. 



It was applied to the tribes of Israel, aa 
derived from the same ancestor, and for 
the same reason might be applied to a 
clan, and thence to any division in a 
nation, or to a nation itself — properly 
retaining the notion that it was de- 
scended from a common ancestor. Here 
it would seem to refer to a smaller class 
than a nation — the different clans of 
which a nation might be composed. 

And people — \au>v. This word refers 
properly to a people or community as a 
mass, without reference to its origin or 
any of its divisions. The former word 
would be used by one who should look 
upon a nation as made up of portions of 
distinct languages, clans, or families ; 
this word would be used by one who 
should look on such an assembled people 
as a mere mass of human beings, with 
no reference to their difference of clan- 
ship, origin, or language, And tongues. 
Languages. This word would refer also 
to the inhabitants of the earth, con- 
sidered with respect to the fact that they 
speak different languages. The use of 
particular languages does not designate 
the precise boundaries of nations — for 
often many people speaking different 
languages are united as one nation, and 
often those who speak the same language 
constitute distinct nations. The view, 
therefore, with which one would look 
upon the dwellers on the earth, in the 
use of the word tongues or languages, 
would be, not as divided into nations ; 
not with reference to their lineage or 
clanship ; and not as a mere mass with- 
out reference to any distinction, but as 
divided by speech. The meaning of the 
whole is, that persons from all parts of 
the earth, as contemplated in these 
points of view, would be among the re- 
deemed. Comp. Notes on Dan. iii. 4, 
iv. 1. ^ Stood before the throne. The 
throne of God. See Notes on ch. iv. 2. 
The throne is there represented as set 
up in heaven, and the vision here is a 
vision of what will occur in heaven. It 
is designed to carry the thoughts beyond 
all the scenes of conflict, strife, and per- 
secution, on earth, to the time when the 
church shall be triumphant in glory — 
when all storms shall have passed 
by ; when all persecutions should have 



212 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 95. 



the Lamb, clothed a with white 
robes, and palms b in their hands ; 
10 And cried c with a loud voice, 

a c. 6. 11. b Le. 23. 40. c Zee. 4. 7. 



ceased ; when all revolutions shall 
have occurred; when all the elect — not 
only the hundred and forty-four thou- 
sand of the sealed, but of all nations 
•ind times — shall have been gathered in. 
There was a beautiful propriety in this 
vision. Joh*n saw the tempests stayed, 
as by the might of angels. He saw a 
new influence and power that would 
seal the true servants of God. But, 
those tempests were stayed only for a 
time, and there were more awful visions 
in reserve than any which had been ex- 
hibited — visions of woe and sorrow, of 
persecution and of death. It was ap- 
propriate, therefore, just at this moment 
of calm suspense — of delayed judgments 
— to suffer the mind to rest on the tri- 
umphant close of the whole in heaven, 
when a countless host would be gathered 
there with palms in their hands, uniting 
with angels in the worship of God. The 
mind, by the contemplation of this beau- 
tiful vision, would be refreshed and 
strengthened for the disclosure of the 
awful scenes which were to occur on the 
sounding of the trumpets under the 
seventh seal. The simple idea is, that, 
amidst the storms and tempests of life — 
scenes of existing or impending trouble 
and wrath — it is well to let the eye rest 
on the scene of the final triumph, when 
innumerable hosts of the redeemed shall 
stand before God, and when sorrow 
shall be known no more, ^f And before 
the Lamb. In the midst of the throne — 
in heaven. See Notes on ch. v. 6. 
*[[ Clothed with lohite robes. The em- 
blems of innocence or righteousness, 
uniformly represented as the raiment 
of the inhabitants of heaven. See Notes 
on ch. iii. 4, vi. 11. ^f And palms in their 
hands. Emblems of victory. Branches 
of the palm-tree were carried by the 
victors in the athletic contests of Greece 
and Rome, and in triumphal processions. 
See Notes on Matt. xxi. 8. The palm- 
tree — straight, elevated, majestic — was 
an appropriate emblem of triumph. The 
portion of it which was borne in victory 
was the long leaf which shoots out from 
the top of the tree. Comp. Notes on 
Is>». iii. 26. See Eschenberg, Manual of 



saying, Salvation d to our God which 
sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb. 

d Isa. 43. 11. c. 19. 1. 



Class. Lit. p. 243, and Lev. xxiii. 40: 
" And ye shall take on the first day, the 
boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm- 
trees," &g. So in the Saviour's tri- 
umphal entry into Jerusalem (John xii. 
13), " On the next day much people- — 
took branches of palm-trees, and went 
forth to meet him, and cried, llosanna." 

10. And cried with a loud voice. Comp. 
Zech. iv. 7. This is expressive of the 
greatness of their joy; the ardor and 
earnestness of their praise. ^f Salvation 
to our God. The word rendered salva- 
tion — <ju)T>]pta — means properly safety, 
deliverance, preservation; then welfare 
or prosperity; then victory; then, in a 
Christian sense, deliverance from punish- 
ment and admission to eternal life. 
Here the idea seems to be that their 
deliverance from sin, danger, persecu- 
tion, and death, was to be ascribed solely 
to God. It cannot be meant, as the 
words would seem to imply, that they 
desired that God might have salvation; 
but the sense is, that their salvation was 
to be attributed entirely to him. — This 
will undoubtedly be the song of the re- 
leased forever, and all who reach the 
heavenly world will feel that they owe 
their deliverance from eternal death, 
and their admission to glory, wholly to 
him. Prof. Robinson (Lex.) renders the 
word here, victory. The fair meaning is, 
that whatever is included in the word 
salvation will be due to God alone — the 
deliverance from sin, danger and death ; 
the triumph over every foe; the resur- 
rection from the grave ; the rescue from 
eternal burnings ; the admission to a 
holy heaven, — victory in all that that 
word implies will be due to God. 
If Which sitteth upon the throne. Notes 
ch. iv. 2. ^f And unto the Lamb. Notes 
ch. v. 6. God the Father, and He who 
is the Lamb of God, alike claim the ho- 
nor of salvation. It is observable here 
that the redeemed ascribe their salva- 
tion to the Lamb as well as to him who 
is on the throne. Could they do this if 
he who is referred to as the ' Lamb' were 
a mere man ? Could they if he were an 
angel ? Could they if he were not equal 
with the Father? Yi(\ those who arc in 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VII. 



213 



11 And all the angels stood 
round about the throne, and about 
the elders and the four beasts, and 
fell before the throne on their faces, 
and worshipped God, 

12 Saying, ° Amen: Blessing, 

a Jude 25. c. 5. 13, 14. 



heaven worship a creature ? Will they 
unite a created being with the anointed 
One in acts of solemn adoration and 
praise ? 

XL And all the angels stood round 
about the throne. Notes ch. v. 11. ^ And 
about the elders. N otes ch. iv. 4. And 
the four beasts. Notes ch. iv. 6. The 
meaning is, that the angels stood in the 
outer circle, or outside of the elders and 
the four living creatures. The redeemed, 
it is manifest, occupied the inner circle, 
and were near the throne, though their 
precise location is not mentioned. The 
angels sympathize with the church re- 
deemed and triumphant, as they did 
with the church in its conflicts and 
trials, and they now appropriately unite 
with that church in adoring and praising 
God. They see, in that redemption, new 
displays of the character of God, and 
they rejoice that that church is rescued 
from its troubles, and is now brought 
triumphant to heaven, And fell before 
the throne on their faces. The usual posi- 
tion of profound adoration. Ch. iv. 10, 
V. 8. And worshipped God. Notes ch. 
v. 11, 12. 

12. Saying, Amen. See Notes on ch. i. 
7. The word Amen here is a word 
strongly affirming the truth of what is 
said, or expressing hearty assent to it. 
It may be uttered, as expressing this, 
either in the beginning or end of a sen- 
tence. Thus, wills are commonly com- 
menced, 'In the name of God, A?ncn.' 

Blessing, ct*d glory, &c. Substantially 
the same ascription of praise occurs in 
ch. v. 12. See Notes on that verse. The 
general idea is, that the highest kind of 
praise is to be ascribed to God; — every 
thing excellent in character is to be at- 
tributed to him ; every blessing which is 
received is to be traced to him. — The 
order of the words, indeed, is changed, 
but the sense is substantially the same. 
In the former case (ch. v. 12) the ascrip- 
tion of praise is to the Lamb — the Son 
of God ; here it is to God. In both in- 



and glory, and wisdom, and thanks- 
giving, and honor, and power, and 
might, be unto our God for ever and 
ever. Amen. 

13 And one of the elders an- 
swered, saying unto me, What are 
these which are arrayed in white 
robes ? and whence came they ? 

stances, the worship is described as ren- 
dered in heaven ; and the use of the 
language shows that God and the Lamb 
are regarded in heaven as entitled to 
equal praise. The only words found 
here which do not occur in ch. v. 12, are 
thanksgiving and might — words which 
require no particular explanation. 

13. And one of the elders. See Notes 
on ch. iv. 4. That is, as there under- 
stood, one of the representatives of the 
church before the throne. *f Answered* 
The word answer with us means to reply 
to something which has been said. In 
the Bible, however, the word is not un- 
frequently used in the beginning of a 
speech, where nothing has been said — 
as if it were a reply to something that 
might be said on the subject; or to some- 
thing that is passing through the mind 
of another; or to something in the case 
under consideration which suggests an 
inquiry. Comp. Isa. lxv. 24; Dan. ii. 26; 
Acts v. 8. Thus it is used here. John 
was looking on the host, and reflecting on 
the state of things; and to the train of 
thought passing through his mind the 
angel answered by an enquiry as to a 
part of that host. Prof. Stuart renders 
it, accosted me. What are these ichich 
are arrayed in white robes? Who are 
these? The object evidently is, to bring 
the case of these persons more particu- 
larly into view. The vast host with 
branches of palm had attracted the at- 
tention of John, but it was the object of 
the speaker to turn his thoughts to a 
particular part of the host — the martyrs 
who stood among them. He would seem, 
therefore, to have turned to a particular 
portion of the immense multitude of Lhe 
redeemed, and by an emphasis on the 
word these — ' Who are these' — to havo 
fixed the eye upon them. All those 
who are before the throne are repre- 
sented as clothed in white robes (ver. 9), 
but the eye might be directed to a par- 
ticular part of them as grouped together, 
and as having something peculiar is 



214 



REVEL 



A T I N, 



[A. D. 96 



14 And I said unto him, Sir, 
Liiou knowest. And he said to me, 
These are they which came out of 

a Jno. 1G. 33. c. 6. 9. 



their position or appearance. — There was 
a propriety in thus directing the raind of 
John to the martyrs as triumphing in 
heaven, in a time when the churches 
were suffering persecution, and in view 
of the vision which he had had of times 
of darkness and calamity coming upon 
the world at the opening of the sixth 
seal. Beyond all the scenes of sorrow 
and grief, he was permitted to see the 
martyrs triumphing in heaven, Ar- 
rayed in white robes. Notes ver. 9. And 
whence came they? The object is to fix 
the attention more distinctly on what is 
said of them, that they came up out of 
great tribulation. 

14. And I said unto him, Sir, thou 
knowest. The word sir in this place — 
vvpu — Lord — is a form of respectful ad- 
dress, such as would be used when speak- 
ing to a superior. Gen. xliii. 20,- Matt, 
xiii. 27 , xxi. 30, xxvii. 63 ; John iv. 11, 15, 
19, 49, v. 7, xii. 21, xx. 15. The simple 
meaning of the phrase 'thou knowest/ 
is, that he who had asked the question 
must be better informed than he to 
whom he had proposed it. It is on the 
part of John a modest confession that he 
did not know, or could not be presumed 
to know, and at the same time the re- 
spectful utterance of an opinion that he 
who addressed this question to him must 
be in possession of this knowledge. 
^[ And he said unto me. Not offended 
with the reply, and ready, as he had 
evidently intended to do, to give him the 
information which he needed, These 
are they tohich came out of great tribula- 
tion. The word rendered tribulation — 
SXixptg — is a word of general character, 
meaning affliction, though perhaps there 
is here an allusion to persecution. The 
sense, however, would be better ex- 
pressed by the phrase great trials. The 
object seems to have been to set before 
the mind of the apostle a view of those 
who had suffered much, and who by 
their sufferings had been sanctified and 
prepared for heaven, in order to encou- 
rage those who might be yet called to 
Buffer. ^[ And have washed their robes. 
To wit, ia the blood of the Lamb. ^ And 
made them white in the blood of the 



great tribulation, B and have wash- 
ed b their robes, and made them 
white in the blood c of the Lamb. 

b 1 Co. 6. 11. He. 9. 14. c 1 Jno. 1. 7. c. 1. 5. 



Lamb. There is some incongruity in 
saying that they had made them white in 
the blood of the Lamb; and the meaning, 
therefore, must be, that they had cleansed 
or purified them in that blood. Under 
the ancient ritual, various things about 
the sanctuary were cleansed from cere- 
monial defilement, by the sprinkling of 
blood on them — the blood of sacrifice. 
In accordance with that usage the 
blood of the Lamb — of the Lord Jesus — ■ 
is said to cleanse and purify. John 
sees a great company with white robes. 
The means by which it is said they 
became white or pure is the blood of 
the Lamb. It is not said that they 
were made white as the result of their 
sufferings or their afflictions, but by the 
blood of the Lamb. The course of 
thought here is such that it would be 
natural to suppose that, if at any time 
the great deeds or the sufferings of the 
saints could contribute to the fact that 
they will wear white robes in heaven, 
this is an occasion on which there might 
be sucTi a reference. But there is no 
allusion to that. It is not by their own 
sufferings and trials ; their persecutions 
and sorrows, that they are made holy, 
but by the blood of the Lamb that had 
been shed for sinners. This reference to 
the blood of the Lamb, is one of the in- 
cidental proofs that occur so frequently 
in the Scriptures, of the reality of the 
atonement. It could be only in allusion 
to that, and with an implied belief in 
that, that the blood of the Lamb could 
be referred to as cleansing the robes of 
the saints in heaven. If he shed his 
blood merely as other men have done ; 
if he died only as a martyr, what pro- 
priety would there have been in referring 
to his blood more than to the blood of 
any other martyr? And what influenee 
could the blood of any martyr have in 
cleansing the robes of the saints in hea- 
ven ? The fact is, that if that were all, 
such language would be unmeaning. It 
is never used except in connexion with 
the blood of Christ,* and the language 
of the Bible everywhere is such as would 
be employed on the supposition that ho 
shed his blood to make expiation for sin, 



A. D. 96.] 



C II A P T E 



R VII. 



215 



15 Therefore are they before the 
throne of God, and serve him day 
and night in his temple: and he 
that sitteth on the throne shall 
dwell ° among them. 

a c. 21. 3, 4. 



and on no other supposition. On the 
general meaning of the language used 
here, and the sentiment expressed, see 
Notes on Heb. ix. 14, and I. John i. 7. 

15. Therefore are they before the throne 
of God. The reason why they are there 
is to be traced to the fact that the Lamb 
Bhed his blood to make expiation for 
Bin. No other reason can be given why 
any one of the human race is in heaven ; 
and that is reason enough why any of 
that race are there, % And serve him 
day and night in his temple. That is, 
continually or constantly. Day and 
night constitute the whole of time, and 
this expression, therefore, denotes con- 
stant and uninterrupted serrice. On 
earth, toil is suspended by the return of 
night, and the service of God is inter- 
mitted by the necessity of rest ; in hea- 
ven, as there will be no weariness, there 
will be no need of intermission, and the 
service of God, varied doubtless to meet 
the state of the mind, will be continued 
forever. — The phrase " to serve him in 
his temple," refers undoubtedly to hea- 
ven, regarded as the temple or holy 
dwelling-place of God. See Notes on ch. 
i. 6. ^[ And he that sitteth on the throne. 
God. Notes ch. iv. 2. Shall dwell among 
them — <jkt)vwou. This word properly 
means, to tent, to pitch a tent ; and, in 
the New Testament, to dwell as in tents. 
The meaning here is, that God would 
dwell among them as in a tent, or would 
have his abode with them. Perhaps the 
allusion is to the tabernacle in the wil- 
derness. That was regarded as the pe- 
culiar dwelling-place of God, and that 
always occupied a central place among 
the tribes of Israel. So in heaven — 
there will be the consciousness always 
that God dwells there among his people, 
and that the redeemed are gathered 
around him in his own house. p rof. 
Stuart renders this, it seems to me w. ^ 
less beauty and propriety, " will spread 
his tent over them," as meaning that he 
would receive them into intimate con- 
aection and union with him, and offer 
them his protection. Comp. ch. xxi. 3. 



16 They shall hunger b no more, 
neither thirst any more; neither 
shall the sun light on them, nor 
any heat. c 

b Is. 49. 10. c Ps. 121. 6; Is. 4. 6. 



16. They shall hunger no more. A con- 
siderable portion of the redeemed who 
will be there, were, when on the earth, 
subjected to the evils of famine; many 
who perished with hunger. In heaven, 
they will be subjected to that evil no 
more, for there will be no want that will 
not be supplied. The bodies which the 
redeemed will have — spiritual bodies 
(1 Cor. xv. 44) — will doubtless be such as 
will be nourished in some other way than 
by food, if they require any nourish- 
ment; and whatever that nourishment 
may be, it will be fully supplied. The 
passage here is taken from Isa. xlix. 10 : 
" They shall not hunger nor thirst ; 
neither shall the heat nor sun smite 
them." See Notes on that passage. 
^[ Neither thirst any more. As multi- 
tudes of the redeemed have been sub- 
jected to the evils of hunger, so have 
multitudes also been subjected to the 
pains of thirst. In prison ; in pathless 
deserts ; in times of drought, when wells 
and fountains were dried up, they have 
suffered from this cause — a cause pro- 
ducing as intense suffering perhaps as 
any that man endures. Comp. Ex. xvii. 
3 ; Lam. iv. 4; 2 Cor. xi. 27 ; Ps. briii. 1. 
It is easy to conceive of persons suffer- 
ing so intensely from thirst that the 
highest vision of felicity would be such 
a promise as that in the words before 
us — " neither thirst any more." *[ Nei- 
ther shall the sun light on them. It 
is hardly necessary, perhaps, to say, that 
the word light here does not mean to 
enlighten, to give light to, to shine on. 
The Greek is — irhrj — fall on, and the 
reference probably is, to the intense and 
burning heat of the sun, commonly called 
a sun-stroke. Excessive heat of the sun, 
causing great pain or sudden death, is 
not a very uncommon thing among us, 
and must have been more common in 
the warm climates and burning sands of 
the countries in the vicinity of Pales- 
tine. The meaning here is, that hi 
heaven they would be free from this 
calamity. Nor any heat. In Isu. 
xlix. 10, from which place this is quoted. 



216 



REVEL 



ATI ON, 



[A. D. 9$. 



17 For the Lamb, which is in 
the midst of the throne, shall ° feed 
them, and shall lead them unto 

a Ps. 23. 1, 2, 5; 36. 8; Is. 40. 11. 



the expression is — sharab, proper- 
ly denoting heat or burning, and par- 
ticularly the mirage, the excessive heat 
of a sandy desert producing a vapor 
which has a striking resemblance to 
water, and which often misleads the un- 
wary traveller by its deceptive appear- 
ance. See Notes on Isa. xxxv. 7. The 
expression here is equivalent to intense 
heat, and the meaning is, that in heaven 
the redeemed will not be subjected to 
any such suffering as the traveller often 
experiences in the burning sands of the 
desert. The language would convey a 
most grateful idea to those who had 
been subjected to these sufferings, and 
is one form of saying that, in heaven, 
the redeemed will be delivered from the 
ills which they suffer in this life. Per- 
haps the whole image here is that of 
travellers who have been on a long 
journey, exposed to hunger and thirst, 
wandering in the burning sands of the 
desert, and exposed to the fiery rays of 
the sun, at length reaching their quiet 
and peaceful home, where they would 
find safety and abundance. The be- 
liever's journey from earth to heaven is 
such a pilgrimage, 

17. For the Lamb, which is in thz 
midst of the throne. Notes, ch. v. 6. 
He is still the great agent in promoting 
the happiness of the redeemed in hea- 
ven. Shall feed them. Rather, shall 
exercise over them the office of a shep- 
herd— TTotfxav£t. This includes much 
more than mere feeding. It embraces 
all the care which a shepherd takes of 
his flock. — watching them, providing 
for them, guarding them from danger. 
Comp. Ps. xxiii. 1, 2, 5, xxxvi. 8. See 
this fully illustrated in the Notes on 
Isa. xl. 11. And shall lead them unto 
living fountains of loafers. Living foun- 
tains refer to running streams, as con- 
trasted with standing water and stag- 
nant pools. See Notes on John iv. 10. 
The allusion is undoubtedly to the hap- 
piness of heaven, represented as fresh 
and ever-flowing, like streams in the 
desert. No image of happiness, perhaps, 
w more vivid, or would be more striking 



living fountains of waters : and 
God shall wipe * away all tears 
from their eyes. 

* Is. 25. 8. 



to an Oriental, than that of such foun- 
tains flowing in sandy and burning 
wastes. The word living here must 
refer to the fact that that happiness 
will be perennial. These fountains 
will always bubble ; these streams will 
never dry up. The thirst for salvation 
will always be gratified; the soul will 
always be made happy. And God 
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 
This is a new image of happiness taken 
from another place in Isaiah (ch. xxv. 8), 
" The Lord God will wipe away tears 
from off all faces." The expression is one 
of exquisite tenderness and beauty. The 
poet Burns said that he could never read 
this without being affected to weeping. 
Of all the negative descriptions of hea- 
ven, there is no one perhaps that would 
be better adapted to produce consola- 
tion than this. This is a world of weep- 
ing — a vale of tears. Philosophers have 
sought a brief definition of man, and 
have sought in vain. Would there be 
any better description of him, as repre- 
senting the reality of his condition here, 
than to say that he is one who weeps f 
Who is there of the human family that 
has not shed a tear? Who that has not 
wept over the grave of a friend; over 
his own losses and cares ; over his disap- 
pointments; over the treatment he has 
received from others; over his sins; 
over the follies, vices, and woes of his 
fellow-men ? And what a change would 
it make in our world if it could be said 
that henceforward not another tear 
would be shed ; not a head would ever 
be bowed again in grief! Yet, this is 
to be the condition of heaven. In that 
world there is to be no pain, no disap^ 
pointment, no bereavement. No friend 
is to lie in dreadful agony on a sick bed ; 
no grave is to be opened to receive a 
parent, a wife, a child ; no gloomy pros- 
pect of death is to draw tears of sorrow 
from the eyes. To that blessed world, 
when our eyes run down with te.ars, are 
we permitted to look forward ; and the 
prospect of such a world should con- 
tribute to wipe away our tears here- for 
all our sorrows will soon be over. As 
already remarked, there was a beautiful 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER VIII. 



217 



propriety, at a time when such cala- 
mities impended over the church and 
the world ; when there was such a 
certainty of persecution and sorrow; in 
permitting the mind to rest on the con- 
templation of these happy scenes in 
heaven, where all the redeemed, in 
white robes, and with palms of victory in 
their hands, would be gathered before 
the throne. To us, also, now, amidst 
the trials of the present life - - when 
friends leave us ; when sickness* comes ; 
when our hopes are blasted, when 
calumnies and reproaches come upon 
us ; when, standing on the verge of the 
grave, and looking down into the cold 
tomb, the eyes pour forth floods of tears 
— it is a blessed privilege to be per- 
mitted to look forward to that brighter 
scene in heaven, where not a pang shall 
ever bo felt, and not a tear shall ever 
be shed. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

One seal of the mysterious roll (ch. v. 
i;, remains to be broken — six having 
already disclosed the contents of the vo- 
lume relating to the future. It was na- 
tural that the opening of the seventh, 
and the last, should be attended with 
circumstances of peculiar solemnity, as 
being all that remained in this volume 
to be unfolded, and as the events thus 
far had been evidently preparatory to 
some great catastrophe. It would have 
been natural to expect that, like the six 
former, this seal would have been opened 
at once, and would have disclosed all that 
was to happen at one view. But, instead 
of that, the opening of this seal is fol- 
lowed by a series of events, seven also 
in number, which succeed each other, 
represented by new symbols — the blow- 
ing of as many successive trumpets. 
These circumstances retard the course 
of the action, and fix the mind on a new 
order of events — events which could be 
appropriately grouped together, and 
which, for some reason, might be thus 
more properly represented than they 
could be in so many successive seals. 
What was the reason of this arrange- 
ment will be more readily seen on an 
examination of the particular events 
referred to in the successive trumpet- 
blasts. 

The points in the chapter are the fol- 
lowing : — 



L The opening of the seventh seal, 
ver. 1. This is attended, not with aft 
immediate exhibition of the events which 
are to occur, as in the case of the former 
seals, but with a solemn silence in hea- 
ven for the space of half an hour. The 
reason of this silence, apparently, is 
found in the solemn nature of the events 
which are anticipated. At the opening 
of the sixth seal (ch. vi. 12, seq.) the 
grand catastrophe of the world's history 
seemed about to occur. This had been 
suspended for a time as if by the power 
of angels holding the winds and the 
storm (ch. vii), and now it was natural 
to expect that there would be a series of 
overwhelming calamities. In view of 
these apprehended terrors, the inhabi- 
tants of heaven are represented as stand- 
ing in awful silence, as if anticipating 
and apprehending what was to occur. 
This circumstance adds much to the in- 
terest of the scene, and is a forcible 
illustration of the position which the 
mind naturally assumes in the anticipa- 
tion of dreaded events. Silence — solemn 
and awful silence — is the natural state 
of the mind under such circumstances. — 
In accordance with this expectation of 
what was to come, a series of new repre- 
sentations is introduced, adapted to pre- 
pare the mind for the fearful disclosures 
which are yet to be made. 

2. Seven angels appear, on the open^ 
ing of the seal, to whom are given 
seven trumpets, as if they were ap- 
pointed to perform an important part in 
introducing the series of events which 
was to follow, ver. 2. 

3. As a still farther preparation, an- 
other angel is introduced, standing at 
the altar with a golden censer, vs. 3-5. 
He is represented as engaged in a solemn 
act of worship, offering incense and the 
prayers of the saints before the throne. 
This unusual representation seems to be 
designed to denote that some extraordi- 
nary events were to occur, making it pro- 
per that incense should ascend, and 
prayer be offered, to deprecate the wrath 
of God. After the offering of the in- 
cense, and the prayers, the angel ta^es, 
the censer and casts it to the earth, and 
the effect is that there are voices, and 
thunderings, and lightnings, and an 
earthquake. All these would seem to 
be symbolical of the fearful events which 
are to follow. — The silence ; the in- 
cense-offering ; the prayers ; the fearful 



218 



RETEL 



A r l ION, 



[A. D. 96. 



agitations produced by the casting of the 
censer upon the earth, as if the prayer 
was not heard, and as if the offering of 
the incense did not avail to turn away 
the impending wrath, all are appropriate 
symbols to introduce the series of fearful 
calamities which were coming upon the 
world on the sounding of the trumpets. 

4. The first angel sounds, ver. 7. Hail 
and fire follow, mingled with blood. 
The third part of the trees and of the 
green grass — that is, of the vegetable 
world — is consumed. 

5. The second angel sounds, vs. 8, 9. 
A great burning mountain is cast into 
the sea, and the third part of the sea 
becomes blood, and a third part of all 
that is in the sea — fishes and ships — is 
destroyed. 

6. The third angel sounds, vs. 10, 11. 
A great star, burning like a lamp, falls 
from heaven upon a third part of the 
rivers, and upon the fountains of waters, 
and the waters become bitter, and mul- 
titudes of people die from drinking the 
waters. 

7. The fourth angel sounds, ver. 12. 
The calamity falls on the sources of 
light — the sun, the moon, and the stars, 
and the third part of the light is ex- 
tinguished, and for the third part of the 
day there is no light, and for the third 
part of the night also there is no light. 

8. At this stage of things, after the 
sounding of the four trumpets, there is 
a pause, and an angel flies through the 
midst of heaven, thrice crying wo, by 
reason of the remaining trumpets which 
are to sound, ver. IS. Here would seem 
to be some natural interval, or something 
which would separate the events which 
had occurred from those which were to 
follow. These four, from some cause, 
are grouped together, and are distin- 
guished from those which are to follow — 
as if the latter appertained to a new class 
of events, though under the same general 
group introduced by the opening of the 
seventh seal. 

A few general remarks are naturally 
suggested by the analysis of the chap- 
ter, which may aid us in its exposition 
and application. 

(a) These events, in their order, un- 
doubtedly succeed those which are refer- 
red to under the opening of the first six 
seals. They are a continuation of the 
series which is to occur in the history of 
the world. It has been supposed by 



some that the events here symbolized are 
substantially the same as those already 
referred to under the first six seals, or 
that, at the opening of the sixth seal, 
there is a catastrophe, and, one series 
being there concluded, the writer, by a 
new set of symbols, goes back to tho 
same point of time, and passes over the 
same period by a new and parallel set 
of symbols. But this is manifestly con- 
trary to the whole design. At the first (ch. 
v. 1), a volume was exhibited sealed with 
seven seals, the unrolling of which would 
manifestly develop successive events, and 
the whole of which would embrace all 
the events which were to be disclosed. 
When all these seven seals were broken, 
and the contents of that volume were 
disclosed, there might indeed be another 
set of symbols going over the same 
ground with another design, or giving a 
representation of future events in some 
other point of view ; but clearly the se- 
ries should not be broken until the whole 
seven seals are opened, nor should it be 
supposed that there is, in the opening of 
the same volume, an arresting of the 
course of events, in order to go back again 
to the same beginning. The represent- 
ation in this series of symbols is like 
drawing out a telescope. A telescope 
might be divided into seven parts, as 
well as into the usual number, and the 
drawing out of the seventh part, for ex- 
ample, might be regarded as a represent- 
ation of the opening of the seventh seal. 
But, the seventh part, instead of being one 
unbroken piece like the other six, might 
be so constructed as to be subdivided 
into seven minor parts, each represent- 
ing a smaller portion of the seventh part. 
In such a case, the drawing out of the 
seventh division would succeed that of 
the others, and would be designed to re- 
present a subsequent order of events. 

(b) There was some reason, manifestly, 
why these seven last events, or the se- 
ries represented by the seven trumpets, 
should be grouped together, as coming 
under the same general classification. 
They were sufficiently distinct to make 
it proper to represent them by different 
symbols, and yet they had so much of 
the same general character as to make 
it proper to group them together. If 
this had not been so, it would have been 
proper to represent them by a succession 
of seals extending to thirteen in number, 
instead of representing six seals in sue- 



A.. D, 96.] 



CHAPTER YIIL 



219 



A 



CHAPTER YIIL 
ND when he had opened the 
seventh seal, a there was silence 



cession, and then, under the seventh, a 
new series extending also to the number 
seven. In the fulfilment, it will be pro- 
per to look for some events which have 
some such natural connexion and bear- 
ing that, for some reason, they can be 
classed together, and yet so distinct that, 
under the same general symbol of the 
seal, they can be represented under the 
particular symbol of the trumpets. 

(c) For some reason, there was a fur- 
ther distinction between the events re- 
presented by the first four trumpets, and 
those which were to follow. There was 
some reason why they should be more 
particularly grouped together, and placed 
in close connexion, and why there should 
be an interval (eh. viii. 13) before the 
other trumpet should sound. In the ful- 
filment of this, we should naturally look 
for such an order of events as would be 
designated by four successive symbols, 
and then for such a change, in some re- 
spects, as to make an interval proper, 
and a proclamation of too, before the 
sounding of the other three, ch. viii. 13. 
Then, it would be natural to look for 
such events as could properly be grouped 
under the three remaining symbols — the 
three succeeding trumpets. 

(d) It is na tural, as already intimated, 
to suppose that the entire group would 
extend, in some general manner at least, 
to the consummation of all things ; or, 
that there would be, under the last one, 
a reference to the consummation of all 
things — the end of the world. The reason 
for this has already been given, that the 
apostle saw a volume (ch. v. 1.), which 
contained a sealed account of the future, 
and it is natural to suppose that there 
would be a reference to the great leading 
events which were to occur in the history 
of the church and of the world. This 
natural anticipation is confirmed by the 
events disclosed under the sounding of 
the seventh trumpet (ch. xi. 15, seq.), 
"And the seventh angel sounded; and 
there were great voices in heaven, say- 
ing, The kingdoms of this world are be- 
come the kingdoms of our Lord, and of 
his Christ, and he shall reign forever 
and ever. And the four and twenty 
elders which sat before God on their 
seats, fell upon their faces, and worship- 



in heaven about the space of half 
an hour. 



a c. 5. 1. 



ped God, saying, We give thee thanks, 
Lord, God Almighty, which art, and 
wast, and art to come; because thou 
hast taken thy great power, and hast 
reigned/' &c. At all events, this would 
lead us on to the final triumph of 
Christianity — to the introduction of 
the millenium of glory — to the period 
when the Son of God should reign on 
the earth. — After that (ch. xi. 19, seq.), 
a new series of visions commences, dis- 
closing, through the same periods of 
history, a new view of the church to the 
time also of its final triumph : — the 
church internally ; the rise of antichrist, 
and the effect of the rise of this formi- 
dable power. See the Analysis of the 
Book, Part Fifth. 

1. And xohen he had opened the seventh 
seal. See Notes on ch. v. 1. $f There 
was silence in heaven. The whole scene 
of the vision is laid in heaven (ch.iv.), and 
John represents things as they seem to 
be passing there. The meaning here is, 
that on the opening of this seal, instead 
of voices, thunderings, tempests, as per- 
haps was expected from the character of 
the sixth seal (ch. vi. 12, seq.), and which 
seemed only to have been suspended for 
a time (ch. vii.), there was an awful still- 
ness, as if all heaven was reverently 
waiting for the development. Of course, 
this is a symbolical representation, and 
is designed not to represent a pause in 
the events themselves, but only the im- 
pressive and fearful nature of the events 
which are now to be disclosed. ^ About 
the space of half an hour. He did not 
profess to designate the time exactly. It 
was a brief period — yet a period whicl 
in such circumstances would appear U 
be long — about half an hour. The word 
here used — wiupiov — does not occm 
elsewhere in the New Testament. It is 
correctly rendered half an hour, and as 
the day was divided into twelve parta 
from the rising to the setting of the sun, 
the time designated would not vary 
much from half an hour with us. Of 
course, therefore, this denotes a brief 
period. In a state, however, of anxious 
suspense, the moments would seem to 
move slowly; and to see the exact force 
of this, we are to reflect on the scenes 
represented — the successive opening of 



220 



REVELATION, 



fA. D. 36. 



2 And I saw the seven angels 

e Lu. i. 19. 6 2 Ch. 29. 25-28. 

*eals disclosing most important events — 
^creasing in interest as each new one 
las opened ; the course of events which 
*eemed to be leading to the consumma- 
tion of all things, arrested after the open- 
ing of the sixth seal ; and now the last in 
fche series to be opened, disclosing what 
Ghe affairs of the world would be at the 
consummation of all things. John looks 
on this; and in this state of suspense, the 
half hour may have seemed an age. — We 
•ire not, of course, to suppose that the 
;|ilence in heaven is produced by the 
Jiaracter of the events which are now 
io follow — for they are as yet unknown. 
I t is caused by what, from the nature of 
he previous disclosures, was naturally 
pprehended, and by the fact that this 
is the last of the series — the finishing 
f the mysterious volume. This seems 
o me to be the obvious interpretation of 
his passage, though there has been here, 
wS in other parts of the book of Revela- 
tion, a great variety of opinion as to the 
ceaning. Those who suppose that the 
tfhole book consists of a tipple series of 
visions designed to prefigure future 
events, parallel with each other, and 
each leading to the consummation of all 
things — the series embracing the seals, 
the trumpets, and the vials, each seven 
in number — regard this as the proper 
ending of the first of this series, and 
suppose that we have on the opening of 
the seventh seal, the beginning of a new 
symbolical representation, going over 
the same ground, under the representa- 
tions of the trumpets,' in a new aspect or 
point of view. — Eichhorn and Rosen- 
muller suppose that the silence intro- 
duced by the apostle is merely for effect, 
and that, therefore, it is without any 
special signification. — Grotius applies 
the whole representation to the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, and supposes that the 
silence in heaven refers to the restrain- 
ing of the winds referred to in ch. vii. 1 
— the wrath in respect to the city, 
which was now suspended for a short 
time. Professor Stuart also refers it to the 
destruction of Jerusalem, and supposes 
that the seven trumpets refer to seven 
gradations in the series of judgments 
that were coming upon the persecu- 
tors of the church. Mr. Daubuz re- 
gards the silence here referred to as 



which stood ° before God ; and to 
them were given seven trumpets.* 

a symbol of the liberty granted to the 
church in the time of Constantine ; Yi- 
tringa interprets it of the peace of the 
millenium which is to succeed the over- 
throw of the beast and the false prophet; 
Dean Woodhouse and Mr. Cunningham© 
regard it as the termination of the series 
of events which the former seals denote, 
and the commencement of a new train of 
revelations ; Mr. Elliott as the suspension 
of the winds during the sealing of the 
servants of God; Mr. Lord as the period 
of repose which intervened between the 
close of the persecution by Diocletian and 
Galerius, in 311, and the commencement, 
near the close of that year, of the civil 
wars by which Constantine the Great 
was elevated to the imperial throne. It 
will be seen at once how arbitrary and 
unsatisfactory most of those interpreta- 
tions are, and how far from harmony 
expositors have been as to the meaning 
of this symbol. The most simple and 
obvious interpretation is likely* to be the 
true one; and that is, as above sug- 
gested, that it refers to silence in heaven 
as expressive of the fearful anticipation 
felt on opening the last seal that was to 
close the series, and to wind up the affairs 
of the church and the world. Nothing 
would be more natural than such a state of 
solemn awe on such an occasion ; nothing 
would introduce the opening of the seal 
in a more impressive manner; nothing 
would more naturally express the anxiety 
of the church, the probable feelings of the 
pious on the opening of these successive 
seals, than the representation that in- 
cense, accompanied with their prayers, 
was continually offered in heaven. 

2. And I sav) the seven angels which 
stood before God. Prof. Stuart supposes 
that by these angels are meant the 
" presence-angels" which he under- 
stands to be referred to in ch. i. 4, by 
the "seven spirits which are before the 
throne." If, however, the interpreta- 
tion of that passage above proposed, 
that it refers to the Holy Spirit, with 
reference to his multiplied agency and 
operations, be correct, then we must 
seek for another application of the 
phrase here. The only difficulty in ap- 
plying it arises from the use of the 
article — " the seven angels"— rows — as if 
they were angels already referred to* 



A. P. %. < 



CHAPTER VIII. 



221 



3 And another angel came and 
stood at the altar, having a golden 



and, as there has been no previous 
mention of "seven angels," unless it be 
in the phrase " the seven spirits which 
are before the throne," in ch. i. 4, it is 
argued that this must have such a re- 
ference. But this interpretation is not 
absolutely necessary. John might use 
this language either because the angels 
had been spoken of before ; or because it 
would be sufficiently understood, from 
the common use of language, who would 
be referred to — as we now might speak 
of " the seven members of the cabinet of 
the United States," or " the thirty-one 
governors of the states of the Union," 
though they had not been particularly 
mentioned; or he might speak of them 
as just then disclosed to his view, and 
because his meaning would be sufficient- 
ly definite by the circumstances which 
were to follow — their agency in blow- 
ing the trumpets. It would be entirely 
in accordance with the usage of the 
article, for one to say that he saw an 
army, and the commander-in-chief, and 
the four staff-officers, and the five bands 
of music, and the six companies of 
sappers and miners, &c. It is not abso- 
lutely necessary, therefore, to suppose 
that these angels had been before re- 
ferred to. There is, indeed, in the use 
of the phrase " which stood before God," 
the idea that they are to be regarded as 
permanently standing there, or that that 
is their proper place — as if they were 
angels who were particularly designated 
to this high service. Comp. Luke i. 19 : 
— " I am Gabriel, that stand in the pre- 
sence of God." If this idea is involved in 
the phrase, then there is a sufficient rea- 
son why the article is used, though they 
had not before been mentioned, And 
to them ivere given seven trumpets. One 
to each. By whom the trumpets were 
given is not said. It may be supposed 
to have been done by Him who sat on 
the throne. Trumpets were used then, 
as now, for various purposes ; to sum- 
mon an assembly; to muster the hosts 
of battle ; to inspirit and animate troops 
in conflict. Here they are given to 
announce a series of important events 
producing great changes in the world — 
as if God summoned and led on his 
hosts to accomplish his designs. 
19* 



censer ; and there was given unto 
him much incense, that he should 



3. And another angel came. Who this 
angel was, is not mentioned, nor have 
we any means of determining. Of 
course a great variety of opinion has 
been entertained on the subject (see 
Poole's Synopsis), some referring it to 
angels in general ; others to the minis- 
try of the church ; others to Gonstantine ; 
others to Michael ; and many others to 
the Lord Jesus. All that we know is, 
that it was an angel who thus appeared, 
and there is nothing inconsistent in 
the supposition that any one of the 
angels in heaven may have been ap- 
pointed to perform what is here repre- 
sented. The design seems to be to 
represent the prayers of the saints as 
ascending in the anticipation of the ap- 
proaching series of v"onders in the world, 
and there would hi a beautiful pro- 
priety in representing them as offered by 
an angel — feeling a deep interest in the 
church, and ministering in behalf of the 
saints, And stood at the altar. In 
heaven — represented as a temple, with 
an altar, and with the usual array of 
things employed in the worship of God. 
The altar was the appropriate place for 
him to stand when about to offer the 
prayers of the saints — for that is the 
place where the worshipper stood under 
the ancient dispensation. Comp. Notes 
on Matt. v. 23, 24; Luke i. 11. In the 
latter place, an angel is represented as 
appearing to Zacharias " on the right 
side of the altar of incense." <J Having 
a golden censer. The jire-pan, made 
for the purpose of carrying fire, on which 
to burn incense in time of worship. See 
it described and illustrated, in the Notes 
on Heb. ix. 4. There seems reason to 
suppose that the incense that was 
offered in the ancient worship was de- 
signed to be emblematic of the prayers 
of saints, for it was the custom for wor- 
shippers to be engaged in prayer at the 
time the incense was offered by the 
priest. See Luke i. 10. ^ And there 
was given unto him much incense. See 
Notes on Luke i. 9. A large quantity 
was here given to him, because the occa- 
sion was one on which many prayers 
might be expected to be offered, That 
he should offer it with the prayers. 
Marg., "add it to. Gr., "that he should 



222 



BEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



• offer it with the prayers 6 of all 
saints upon the golden c altar 
which was before the throne. 

4 And the smoke of the in- 
cense, d loliich came with the pray- 
ers of the saints, ascended up 
before God out of the anger's hand. 

a Or, add it to. b c. 5. 8. c c. 6. 9. 



give it with" — duct]. The idea is plain, 
that, when the prayers of the saints 
ascended, he would also burn the in- 
cense, that it might go up at the same 
moment, and be emblematic of them. 
Comp. Notes on ch. v. 8. f Of all 
saints. Of all who are holy ; of all who 
are the children of God. The idea 
seems to be, that, at tjtiis time, all the 
saints would unite in calling on God, 
and in deprecating his wrath. As the 
events which were about to occur were a 
matter of common interest to the people 
of God, it was to be supposed that 
they would unite in common supplica- 
tion. ^[ Upon the golden altar. The 
altar of incense. This in the tabernacle 
and in the temple was overlaid with 
gold. ^[ Which xoas before the throne. 
This is represented as a temple-service, 
and the altar of incense is, with pro- 
priety, placed before his seat or throne, 
as it was in the tabernacle and temple. 
In the temple, God is represented as 
occupying the mercy-seat in the holy of 
holies, and the altar of incense is in the 
holy place before that. See the descrip- 
tion of the temple in the Notes on 
Matt. xxi. 12. 

4. And the smoJce of the incense, &c. 
The smoke caused by the burning in- 
>ense. John, as he saw this, naturally 
nterpreted it of the prayers of the 
aints. The meaning of the whole sym- 
bol, thus explained, is, that at the time 
referred to, the anxiety of the church in 
pogard to the events which were about to 
occur, would naturally lead to much 
prayer. It is not necessary to attempt 
to verify this by any distinct historical 
facts, for no one can doubt that, in a 
time of such impending calamities, the 
church would be earnestly engaged in 
devotion. Such has always been the 
case in times of danger, and it may 
always oe assume * to be true, that when 
danger thrca*<w. whether it be to the 
church a£ tar#o, or to an individual 



5 And the angel took the cen- 
ser, and filled it with fire of the 
altar, and cast it into • the earth : 
and f there were voices, and thun- 
derings, and lightnings, and an 
earthquake. s 

d Ex. 30 1. e Or, upon. } c. 16. 18. 
g 2 Sa. 22. 8. 



Christian, there will be a resort to the 
throne of grace. 

5. And the angel took the cens+.r. 
Ver. 3. This is a new symbol, designed 
to furnish a new representation of future 
events. By the former it had been shown 
that there would be much prayer offered j 
by this it is designed to show that, not- 
withstanding the prayer that would be 
offered, great and fearful calamities 
would come upon the earth. This is 
symbolized by casting the censer upon 
the earth, as if the prayers were not 
heard any longer, or as if prayer were 
now in vain. ^[ And filled it with fire 
of the altar. An image similar to this 
occurs in Ezek. x. 2, where the man 
clothed in linen is commanded to go 
between the wheels under the cherub, 
and fill his hand with coals of fire from 
between the cherubims, and to scatter 
them over the city as a symbol of 
its destruction. Here the coals are 
taken, evidently, from the altar of 
sacrifice. Comp. Notes on Isa. vi. 1. 
On these coals no incense was placed, 
but they were thrown at once to the 
earth. The new emblem, therefore, is 
the taking of coals, and scattering them 
abroad as a symbol of the destruction 
that was about to ensue, And cast it 
into the earth. Marg., upon. The mar- 
gin expresses undoubtedly the meaning. 
The symbol, therefore, properly denoted 
that fearful calamities were about to 
come upon the earth. Even the prayers 
of saints did not prevail to turn them 
away, and now the symbol of the scat- 
tered coals indicated that terrible judg- 
ments were about to come upon the 
world, And there were voices. Sounds, 
noises. See Notes on ch. iv. 5. The 
order is not the same here as there, but 
lightnings, thunderings, and voices are 
mentioned in both. % And an earth- 
quake. Ch. vi. 12. This is a symbol of 
commotion. It is not necessary to look 
for a literal fulfilment of it, any more 



CHAPTER VIIL 



223 



6 And the seven angels which 
had the seven trumpets prepared 
themselves to sound. 

than it is for literal " voices/' " light- 
nings," or " thunderings." 

6. And the seven angels which had the 
seven trumpets prepared themselves to 
sound. Ver. 7. Evidently in succession, 
perhaps by arranging themselves in the 
order in which they were to sound. 
The way is now prepared for the sound- 
ing of the trumpets, and for the fearful 
commotions and changes which would 
be indicated by that. The last seal is 
opened ; heaven stands in suspense to 
know what is to be disclosed ; the saints, 
filled with solicitude, have offered their 
prayers ; the censer of coals has been 
cast to the earth, as if these judgments 
could be no longer stayed by prayer ; 
and the angels prepare to sound the 
trumpets indicative of what is to occur. 

7. The first angel sounded. The first 
in order, and indicating the first in the 
series of events that were to follow. 
*f And there followed hail. Hail is usu- 
ally a symbol of the divine vengeance, 
as it has often been employed to ac- 
complish the divine purposes of punish- 
ment. Thus in Exodus ix. 23, "And 
the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the 
fire ran along the ground, and the Lord 
rained hail upon the land of Egypt." So 
in Ps. cv. 32, referring to the plagues 
upon Egypt, it is said, " He gave them 
hail for rain, and flaming fire in their 
land." So agaAn, Ps. lxxviii. 48, " He 
gave up their cattle also to the hail, and 
their flocks to hot thunderbolts." As 
early as the time of Job, hail was under- 
stood to be an emblem of the divine dis- 
pleasure, and an instrument in inflicting 
punishment : 

'last thou entered into the treasures of the snow, 
Or hast thou seen the treasure of the hail ? 
Which I have reserved against the day of trouble, 
Against the day of battle and war ?" — 

ch. xxxviii. 22, 23. 

So also the same image is used in Ps. 
xviii. 13. 

"The Lord also thundered in the heavens, 
And the Most High gave forth his voice, 
Hailstones and coals of fire." 

Uomp. Haggai, ch. ii. 17. The destruc- 
tion of the Assyrian army, it is said, 
ivould be accomplished in the same way, 
tsa. xxx. 30. Comp. Ezek. xiii. 11 ; 
xxxviii. 22. And fire. Lightning. 
This also is an instrument and an em- j 



7 The first angel sounded, and* 
there followed hail and fire mingled 

a Eze. 38. 22. 



blera of destruction. ^Mingled with 
blood. By blood, "we must naturally 
understand," says Prof. Stuart, " in this 
case, a shower of colored rain ; that is, 
rain of a rubidinous aspect, an occur- 
rence which is known sometimes to take 
place, and which, like falling stars, 
eclipses, etc., was viewed with terror by 
the ancients, because it was supposed to 
be indicative of blood that was to be 
shed." — The appearance doubtless was 
that of a red shower, apparently of hail, 
or snow — for rain is not mentioned. It 
is not a rain storm, it is a hail storm that 
is the image here — and the image is that 
of a driving hail storm, where the light- 
nings flashed, and where there was the 
intermingling of a reddish substance 
that resembled blood, and that was an 
undoubted symbol of blood that was to 
be shed. I do not know that there is 
red rain, or red hail, but red snow is not 
very uncommon, and the image here 
would be complete if we suppose that 
there was an intermingling of red snow 
in the driving tempest. This species of 
snow was found by Captain Ross at Baf- 
fin's Bay on the 1 7 th of August, 1819. 
The mountains that were dyed with the 
snow were about eight miles long, and six 
hundred feet high. The red color reach ed 
to the ground in many places ten or 
twelve feet deep, and continued for a 
great length of time. Although red snow 
had not until this attracted much no- 
tice, yet it had been long before observed 
in Alpine countries. Saussare discovered 
it on Mount St. Bernard in 1778. Ramond 
found it on the Pyrenees; and Sommer- 
field discovered it in Norway. " In 1818 
red snow fell on the Italian Alps and 
Apennines. In March, 1808, the whole 
country about Cadore, Belluno, and Fel- 
tri, was covered with a red-colored snow, 
to the depth of six and a half feet; but 
a white snow had fallen both before and 
after it, the red formed a stratum in the 
middle of the white. At the same time 
a similar fall took place in the moun- 
tains of the Valteline, Brescia, Carinthia, 
and Tyrol." Edin. Ency. Art. Snow. 
These facts show that what is referred 
to here in the symbol might possibly 
occur. Such a symbol would be pro- 
perly expressive of blood and carnage. 



224 



REVELATION, 



I A. D. %. 



with blood, and they were cast upon 
the earth: and the third part of 



^[ And they were cast, upon the earth. 
The hail, the fire, and the blood — de- 
noting that the fulfilment of this was to 
be on the earth. ^[ And the third part 
of trees loas burnt up. By the fire that 
came down with the hail and the blood. 
5f And all green grass icas burnt up. 
Wherever this lighted on the earth. 
The meaning would seem to be, that, 
wherever this tempest beat, the effect 
was to destroy a third part — that is, a 
large portion of the trees, and to con- 
sume all the grass. A portion of the 
trees — strong and mighty — would stand 
against it ; but that which was so ten- 
der, as grass is, would be consumed. 
The sense does not seem to be that the 
tempest would be confined to a third 
part of the world and destroy all the 
trees and the grass there, but that it 
would be a sweeping and general tem- 
pest, and that wherever it spread it would 
prostrate a third part of the trees and 
consume all the grass. Thus under- 
stood, it would seem to mean that, in 
reference to those things in the world 
which were firm and established like 
trees, it would not sw?ep them wholly 
away, though it would make great deso- 
lation ; but in reference to those which 
were delicate and feeble — like grass — it 
would sweep them wholly away. — This 
would not be an inapt description of the 
ordinary effects of invasion in time of 
war. A few of those things which 
seem most firm and established in soci- 
ety — like trees in a forest — weather 
out the storm ; while the gentle virtues, 
"the domestic enjoyments, the arts of 
peace, like tender grass, are wholly 
destroyed. The fulfilment of this, we 
are undoubtedly to expect to find in the 
terrors of invasion; the evils of war; 
the effusion of blood; the march of 
armies. So far as the language is con- 
cerned, the symbol would apply to any 
hostile invasion ; but, in pursuing the 
exposition on the principles on which 
we have thus far conducted it, we are to 
look for the fulfilment in one or more of 
those invasions of the northern hordes 
that preceded the downfall of the Ro- 
man empire and that contributed to it. — 
In the ' Analysis' of the chapter, some 
reasons were given why these four trum- 



trees a was burnt up, and all greeD 
grass was burnt up. 

a Is. 2.13. 

pet signals were placed together, as per- 
taining to a series of events of the same 
general character, and as distinguished 
from those which were to follow. The 
natural place which they occupy, or the 
events which we should suppose, from 
the views taken above of the first six 
seals, would be represented, would bo 
the successive invasions of the northern 
hordes which ultimately accomplished 
the overthrow of the Roman empire. 
There are four of these " trumpets/' and 
it would be a matter of enquiry whether 
there were four events of sufficient dis- 
tinctness that would mark these inva- 
sions, or that would constitute periods 
or epochs in the destruction of the Ro- 
man power. At this point in writing, I 
looked on a chart of history, composed 
with no reference to this prophecy, and 
found a singular and unexpected prom- 
inence given to four such events ex- 
tending from the first invasion of the 
Goths and Vandals at the beginning of 
the fifth century, to the Fall of the 
Western empire, A. I). 4TG. The first 
was the invasion cf Alaric, king of the 
Goths, AD. 410; a second was the in- 
vasion of Attila, king of the Huns, 
" scourge of God," A. D. 447 ; a third 
was the sack of Rome by Genseric, king 
of the Vandals, A.D. 455 ; and the fourth, 
resulting in the final conquest of Rome, 
was that of Odoacer, l^ng of the He- 
ruli, who assumed the title of King of 
Italy, A. D. 476. We shall see, however, 
on a closer examination, that although 
two of these — Attila and Genseric — were, 
during a part of their career, cotempo- 
rary, yet the most prominent place is 
due to Genseric in the events that at- 
tended the downfall of the empire, 
and that the second trumpet probably 
related to him; the third to Attila. 
These were, beyond doubt, four great 
periods or events attending the Fall of 
the Roman empire, which synchronize 
w r ith the period before us. If, therefore, 
we regard the opening of the sixth seal 
as denoting the threatening aspect of 
these invading powers — the gathering 
of the dark cloud that hovered over the 
borders of the empire, and the consterna- 
tion produced by that approaching storm ; 
and if we regard the transactions in the 



CHAPTER VIII. 



2.25 



A. D. 96.] 

viith chapter — the holding of the winds 
in check, and the sealing of the chosen 
of God, as denoting the suspension of the 
impending judgments in order that a 
work might be done to save the church, 
and jjs referring to the divine interposi- 
tion in behalf of the church, then the 
appropriate place of these four trumpets, 
under the seventh seal, will be when 
that delayed and restrained storm burst 
in successive blasts upon different parts 
of the empire ; the successive invasions 
which were so prominent in the over- 
throw of that vast power. History marks 
four of these events — four heavy blows — 
four sweepings of the tempest and the 
storm, under Alaric, Genseric, Attila, 
and Odoacer, whose movements could 
not be better symbolized than by these 
successive blasts of the trumpet — The 
first of these is the invasion of Alaric, 
and the enquiry now is, whether his in- 
vasion is such as would be properly 
symbolized by the first trumpet. In 
illustrating this, it will be proper to no- 
tice some of the movements of Alaric, 
and the alarm consequent on his inva- 
sion of the empire ; and then to enquire 
how far this corresponds with the images 
employed in the description of the first 
trumpet. For these illustrations, I shall 
be indebted mainly to Mr. Gibbon. Ala- 
ric, the Goth, was at first employed in 
the service of the emperor Theodosius, 
in his attempt to oppose the usurper Ar- 
bogastes, after the murder of Valenti- 
nian, emperor of the West. Theodosius, 
in order to oppose the usurper, em- 
ployed, among others, numerous barba- 
rians — Iberians, Arabs, and Goths. One 
of them was Alaric, who, to use the 
language of Mr. Gibbon (ii. 179), "ac- 
quired in the school of Theodosius, the 
knowledge of the art of war, which he 
afterward so fatally exerted in the des- 
truction of Rome." A. D. 392-394. After 
the death of Theodosius (A. D. 395), the 
Goths revolted from the Roman power, 
and Alaric, who had been disappointed 
in his expectations of being raised to the 
command of the Roman armies, became 
'heir leader. Dec. and Fall,iL2lS. "That 
renowned leader was descended from 
the noble race of the Baiti; which 
yielded only to the royal dignity of the 
Omali; he had solicited the command 
of the Roman armies; and the imperial 
court provoked him to demonstrate the 
folly of their refusal, ai d the importance 



of their loss. In the midst of a divided 
court, and a discontented people, the 
emperor Arcadius was terrified by the 
aspect of the Gothic arms," &c. Alaric 
then invaded aad conquered Greece, 
laying it waste in his progress, until he 
reached Athens, ii. 214, 215. " The 
fertile fields of Phocis and Boeotia were 
instantly covered by a deluge of barba- 
rians; who massacred the males of age 
to bear arms, and drove away the beau- 
tiful females, with the spoil and cattle 
of the flaming villages." Alaric then 
concluded a treaty with Theodosius, the 
emperor of the East (ii. 216) ; was made 
master-general of Eastern Hiyricum, and 
created a magistrate (ii. 217); soon 
united under his command the bar- 
barous nations that had made the in- 
vasion, and was solemnly declared to be 
the king of the Visigoths, ii. 217. 
" Armed with this double power, seated 
on the verge of two empires, he alter- 
nately sold his deceitful promises to the 
courts of Arcadius and Honorius, till he 
declared and executed his purpose of 
invading the dominion of ihe West. The 
provinces of Europe which belonged to 
the Eastern empire were already ex- 
hausted ; those of Asia were inaccessible ; 
and the strength of Constantinople had 
resisted his attack. But he was tempted 
by the beauty, the wealth, and the fame 
of Italy, which he had twice visited ; and 
he secretly aspired to plant the Gothic 
standard on the walls of Rome, and to 
enrich his army with the accumulated 
spoils of three hundred triumphs." ii. 
217-218. In describing his march to 
the Danube, and his progress towards 
Italy, having increased his army with a 
large number of barbarians, Mr. Gibbon 
uses the remarkable language expressive 
of the general consternation, already 
quoted, in the description of the sixth seal. 
Alaric approached rapidly towards the 
imperial city, resolved to "conquer or die 
before the gates of Rome." But he was 
checked by Stilicho, and compelled to 
make peace, and retired (Dec. and Fall, 
ii. 222), and the threatening storm was 
for a time suspended. See Notes on 
ch. vii. 1, seq. So great was the con- 
sternation, however, that the Roman 
court, which then had its seat at Milan, 
thought it necessary to remove to a safer 
place, and became fixed at Ra ven a a. 
ii. 224. This calm, secured by the re- 
treat of Alaric, was. however, of short 



226 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



continuance. In A. D. 408, be again 
invaded Italy, in a more successful 
manner, attacked the capital, and more 
than once pillaged Rome. The follow- 
ing facts, for which I am indebted to 
Mr. Gibbon, will illustrate the progress 
of these events, and the effects of this 
blast of the "first trumpet''" in the series 
that announced the destruction of the 
Western empire. 

(a) The effect, on the destiny of the 
empire, of removing the Roman court to 
Ravenna from the dread of the Goths. 
As early as A. D. 303, the court of the 
emperor of the West was, for the most 
part, established at Milan. For some 
time before, the " sovereignty of the 
capital was gradually annihilated by the 
extent of conquest," and the emperors 
were required to be long absent from 
Rome on the frontiers, until in the time 
of Diocletian and Maximin, the seat of 
government was fixed at Milan, " whose 
situation at the foot of the Alps ap- 
peared far more convenient than that of 
Rome, for the important purpose of 
watching the motions of the barbarians 
of Germany." Gibbon, i. 213. " The 
life of Diocletian and Maximin was a 
life of action, and a considerable portion 
of it was spent in camps, or in those 
long and frequent marches ; but when- 
ever the public business allowed them 
any relaxation, they seem to have re- 
tired with pleasure to their favorite resi- 
dences of Nicomedia and Milan. Till 
Diocletian, in the twentieth year of his 
reign, celebrated his Roman triumph, it 
is extremely doubtful whether he ever 
visited the ancient capital of the em- 
pire." Gibbon i. 214. From this place, 
the court was driven away, by the dread 
of the Northern barbarians, to Ravenna, 
a safer place, which thenceforward be- 
came the seat of government, while 
Italy was ravaged by the Northern 
hordes, and while Rome was besieged 
and pillaged. Mr. Gibbon, under date 
of A. D. 404, says, " The recent danger 
to which the person of the emperor had 
been exposed in the defenceless palace 
of Milan [from Alaric and the Goths] 
urged him to seek a retreat in some inac- 
cessible fortress in Italy, where he might 
securely remain, while the open country 
was covered by a deluge of barbarians." 
Vol. ii. p. 224. He then proceeds to 
describe the situation of Ravenna, and 
the removal of the court thither, and then 



adds (p. 225), " The fears of Honorius 
were not without foundation, nor were 
his precautions without effect. While 
Italy rejoiced in her deliverance from 
the Goths, a furious tempest was exeited 
among the nations of Germany, who 
yielded to the irresistible impulse that 
appears to have been generally commu- 
nicated from the eastern extremity of 
the continent of Asia." That mighty 
movement of the Huns is then described, 
as the storm was preparing to burst 
upon the Roman empire, ii. 225. The 
agitation, and the removal of the Roman 
government, were events not inappro- 
priate to be described by symbols re- 
lating to the fall of that mighty power. 

(b) The particulars of that invasion, 
the consternation, the siege of Rome, 
and the capture and pillage of the im- 
perial city, would confirm the propriety 
of this application of the symbol of the 
first trumpet. It would be too long to 
copy the account — for it extends through 
many pages of the history of the Decline 
and Fall of the empire ,* but a few se- 
lected sentences may show the general 
character of the events, and the pro- 
priety of the symbols, on the supposition 
that they referred to these things. Thus 
Mr. Gibbon (ii. 226, 227) says, " The 
correspondence of the nations was, in 
that age, so imperfect and precarious, 
that the revolutions of the North might 
escape the knowledge of the court of 
Ravenna till the dark cloud which was 
collected along the coast of the Baltic, 
burst in thunder upon the banks of the 
Upper Danube. The king of the con- 
federate Germans passed, without resist- 
ance, the Alps, the Po, and the Apen- 
nine; leaving on the one hand the 
inaccessible palace of Honorius securely 
buried among the marshes of Ravenna, 
and on the other the camp of Stilicho, 
who had fixed his head quarters at 
Ticinium, or Pavia, but who seems to 
have avoided a decisive battle till he 
had assembled his distant forces. Many 
cities of Italy were pillager 1 , or destroyed. 
The senate and people trer»ibled at their 
approach within a hmu»;trd and eighty 
miles of Rome ; and anxiously compared 
the danger which they had escaped, with 
the new perils to which they were ex- 
posed," &c. Rome was besieged for the 
first time by the Goths, A. D. 408. Of 
this siege, Mr. Gibbon (ii. 252-254) has 
given a graphic description. Among 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VIII. 



227 



other things he says, " That unfortunate 
city gradually experienced the distress 
of scarcity, and at length the horrid 
calamity of famine." " A dark suspicion 
was entertained, that some desperate 
wretches fed on the bodies of their fellow- 
creatures whom they had secretly mur- 
dered: and even mothers (such were the 
horrid conflicts of the two most powerful 
instincts implanted by nature in the 
human breast) even mothers are said to 
have tasted the flesh of their slaughtered 
infants. Many thousands of the inha- 
bitants of Rome expired in their houses, 
or in the streets, for want of sustenance ; 
and, as the public sepulchres without 
the walls were in the power of the enemy, 
the stench, which arose from so many 
putrid and unburied carcases, infected 
the air ; and the miseries of famine were 
succeeded and aggravated by a pesti- 
lential disease." The first siege was 
raised by the payment of an enormous 
ransom. Gibbon, ii. 254. The second 
siege of Rome by the Goths occurred 
A. D. 409. This siege was carried on by 
preventing the supply of provisions, 
Alaric having seized upon Ostia, the 
Roman port, where the provisions for 
the capital were deposited. The Romans 
finally consented to receive a new em- 
peror at the hand of Alaric, and Attalus 
was appointed in the place of the feeble 
Honorius, who was then at Ravenna, 
and who had abandoned the capital. 
Attalus, an inefficient prince, was soon 
publicly stripped of the robes of office, 
and Alaric, enraged at the conduct of the 
court at Ravenna towards him, turned 
his wrath a third time on Rome, and 
laid siege to the city. This occurred 
A. D. 410. " The king of the Goths, 
who no longer dissembled his appetite 
for plunder and revenge, appeared in 
arms under the walls of the capital ; and 
the trembling senate, without any hope 
of relief, prepared, by a desperate effort, 
to delay the ruin of their country. But 
they were unable to guard against the 
conspiracy of their slaves and domestics ; 
who either from birth or interest were 
attached to the cause of the enemy. At 
the hour of midnight, the Salarian gate 
was silently opened, and the inhabitants 
were awakened by the tremendous sound 
if the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred 
and sixty-three years after the founda- 
tion of Rome, the imperial city, which 
ha4 subdued and civilized so consider- 



able a part of mankind, was delivered to 
the licentious fury of the tribes of Ger- 
many and Scythia." Gibbon, ii. 260. 

(c) It is, perhaps, only necessary to 
add that the invasion of Alaric was in 
fact but one of the great events that led 
to the fall of the empire, and that, in 
announcing that fall, where a succession 
of events was to occur, it would pro- 
perly be represented by the blast of one 
of the trumpets. The expressions em- 
ployed in the symbol, are, indeed, such 
as might be applied to any invasion of 
hostile armies, but they are such as 
would be used if the design were ad- 
mitted to be to describe the invasion of 
the Gothic conqueror. For (1) that in- 
vasion, as we have seen, would be well 
represented by the storm of hail and 
lightning that was seen in vision; (2) 
by the red color mingled in that storm — 
indicative of blood; (3) by the fact that 
it consumed the trees and the grass. 
This, as we saw in the exposition, would 
properly denote the desolations produced 
by war — applicable, indeed, to all war, 
but as applicable to the invasion of Ala- 
ric as any war that has occurred, and it 
is such an emblem as would be used if it 
were admitted that it was the design to 
represent his invasion. The sweeping 
storm prostrating the trees of the forest, 
is an apt emblem of the evils of war, 
and, as was remarked in the exposition, 
no more striking illustration of the con- 
sequences of a hostile invasion could be 
employed than the destruction of the 
" green grass." What is hero represented 
in the symbol, cannot perhaps be better 
expressed than in the language of Mr. 
Gibbon when describing the invasion 
of the Roman empire under Alaric. 
Speaking of that invasion, he says: — 
"While the peace of Germany was se- 
cured by the attachment of the Franks 
and the neutrality of the Alemanni, the 
subjects of Rome, unconscious of their 
approaching calamities, enjoyed the 
state of quiet and prosperity which had 
seldom blessed the frontiers of Gaul. 
Their flocks and herds were permitted 
to graze in the pastures of the Barba- 
rians ; their huntsmen penetrated, with- 
out fear or danger, into the darkest 
recesses of the Hyrcenian wood. The 
banks of the Rhine were crowned, like 
those of the Tiber, with houses and well- 
cultivated farms ; and if a poet descend- 
ed the river, he might express his doubt 



228 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



8 And the second angel sounded, 
and as it were a great mountain a 



on which side was situated the territory 
of the Romans. This scene of peace 
and plenty was suddenly changed into 
a desert ; and the prospect of the smok- 
ing ruins could alone distinguish the 
Bolitude of nature from the desolation 
of man. The flourishing city of Mentz 
was surprised and destroyed ; and many 
thousand Christians were inhumanly 
massacred in the church. Worms per- 
ished after a long and obstinate siege ; 
Strasburg, Spires, Eheims, Tournay, 
Arras, Amiens, experienced the cruel 
oppression of the German yoke; and 
the consuming flames of war spread 
from the banks of the Rhine over the 
greatest part of the seventeen provinces 
of Gaul. That rich and extensive coun- 
try, as far as the ocean, the Alps, and 
the Pyrenees, wa-s delivered to the Bar- 
barians, who drove before them, in a 
promiscuous crowd, the bishop, the sen- 
ator, and the virgin, laden with the 
spoils of their houges and altars." ii. 230. 
In reference, also, to the invasion of 
Alaric, and the particular nature of the 
desolation depicted under the first trum- 
pet, a remarkable passage which Mr. 
Gibbon has quoted from Claudian, as 
describing the effects of the invasion of 
Alaric, may be here introduced. " The 
old man," says he, speaking of Claudian, 
"who had passed his simple and inno- 
cent life in the neighborhood of Verona, 
was a stranger to the quarrels both of 
kings and of bishops ; his pleasures, his 
desires, his knowledge, were confined 
within the circle of his paternal farm ; 
and a staff supported his aged steps on 
the same ground where he had sported 
in infancy. Yet even this humble and 
rustic felicity (which Claudian describes 
with so much truth and feeling) was still 
exposed to the undistinguishing rage of 
war. His trees, his old contemporary* 
trees, must blaze in the conflagration of 
the whole country; a detachment of 
Gothic cavalry must sweep away his 
cottage and his family ; and the power 
of Alaric could destroy this happiness 
which he was not able either to taste or 



# Ingentem meminit parvo qui genuine quercum 
Aequaevumque v'Jet consenuisse neraus. 
&. neighboring wood born with himself he segs, 
jLn( loves his old conte-rop^rary trees. — Cowley. 



burning with jire was east into 
a Je. 51. 25. 



to bestow. 'Fame/ says the poet, 'en- 
circling with terror or gloomy wings, 
proclaimed the march of the Barbarian 
army, and filled Italy with consterna- 
tion/" ii. 218. And (4) as to the extent 
of the calamity, there is also a striking 
propriety in the language of the symbol 
as applicable to the invasion of Alaric. 
I do not suppose, indeed, that it is ne- 
cessar} 7 , in order to find a proper fulfil- 
ment of the symbol, to be able to show 
that exactly one-third part of the empire 
was made desolate in this way, but it is 
a sufficient fulfilment if desolation spread 
over a considerable portion of the Roman 
world — as if a third part had been de- 
stroyed. No one who reads the account 
of the invasion of Alaric, can doubt that 
it would be an apt description of the 
ravages of his arms to say that a third 
part was laid waste. That the desola- 
tions produced by Alaric were such as 
would be properly represented by this 
symbol, may be fully seen by consulting 
the whole account of that invasion in 
Gibbon, ii. 213—266. 

8. And the second angel sounded. 
Comp. Notes on vs. 2. 7. This, accord- 
ing to the interpretation proposed above, 
refers to the second of the four great 
events which contributed to the downfall 
of the Roman empire. It will be proper 
in this case, as in the former, to enquire 
into the literal meaning of the symbol, 
and then whether there was any event 
that corresponded with it. % And as it 
were a great mountain. A mountain is a 
natural symbol of strength, and hence 
becomes a symbol of a strong and power- 
ful kingdom ; for mountains are not only 
places of strength in themselves, but 
they anciently answered the purposes 
of fortified places, and were the seats of 
power. Hence they are properly sym- 
bols of strong nations. " The stone that 
smote the image became a great moun- 
tain, and filled the whole earth." Dan. 
ii. 35. Comp. Zech. iv. 7 ; Jer. Ii. 25. We 
naturally, then, apply this part of the 
symbol to some strong and mighty na- 
tion — not a nation, necessarily, that 
issued f rom a mountainous region, but a 
nation that in strength resvmblcd a 
mountain. ^[ Burning with fire. A moun- 
tain in a blaze ; that is, with all its woods 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VIII. 



229 



the sea : a and the third part of the 
sea became blood; b 

9 And the third part of the crea- 

a Am. 7. 4. 



on fire, or, more probably a volcanic 
mountain. There would perhaps be no 
more sublime image than such a moun- 
tain, lifted suddenly from its base and 
thrown into the sea. One of the sublimest 
parts of the Paradise Lost, is that where 
the poet represents the angels in the 
great battle in heaven as lifting the 
mountains — tearing them from their base 
— and hurling them on the foe. 

44 From their foundations heaving to and fro, 
They plucked the seated hills, with all their load, 
Rocks, waters, woods, and by the shaggy tops 
Uplifting, bore them in their'hands," — etc. — B. vi. 

The poet, however, has not, as John 
has, represented a volcano borne along 
and cast into the sea. The symbol em- 
ployed here would denote some fiery, 
impetuous, destructive power. If used 
to denote a nation, it would be a nation 
that was, as it were, burning with the 
desire of conquest — impetuous and fierce 
and fiery in its assaults — and consuming 
all in it's way. fl" Cast into the sea. 
The image is very sublime; the scene, 
should such an event occur, would be 
awfully grand. — As to the fulfilment of 
this, or the thing that was intended to 
be represented by it, there cannot be 
any material doubt. It is not to be un- 
derstood literally of course, and the na- 
tural application is to some nation or 
army, that has a resemblance in some 
respects to such a blazing mountain, and 
the effect of whose march would be like 
casting such a mountain into the ocean. 
We naturally look for agitation and 
commotion, and particularly in refer- 
ence to the sea, or to some maritime 
coasts. It is undoubtedly required in 
the application of this, that we should 
find its fulfilment in some country lying 
beyond the sea, or in some sea-coast or 
maritime country, or in reference to 
commerce. *f And the third part of the 
sea became blood. Resembled blood ; 
became as red as blood. The figure here 
is, that as cuch a blazing mountain cast 
into the sea, would, by its reflection on 
the waters, seem to tinge them with red, 
so there would be something correspond- 
ing with this in what was referred to 
by the symbol. It would be fulfilled if 
there was a fierce maritime warfare, and 
20 



tures which were in the sea, and 
had life, died: and the third part 
of the ships were destroyed. 

b Ex. 7. 19. 21. c. 16. 3, &c 

if in some desperate naval engagement 
the sea should be tinged with blood. 

9. And the third part of the creatures 
ichich were in the sea, and had life, died. 
The effect was as if one third of all the 
fish in the sea were cut off. Of course, 
this is not to be taken literally. It is 
designed to describe an effect, pertaining 
to the maritime portion of the world, as 
if a third portion of all that was in the 
sea should perish. The natural interpre- 
tation would be to apply it to some in- 
vasion or calamity pertaining to the 
sea — to the islands, to the maritime 
regions, or to commerce. If the whole 
description pertains to the Roman em- 
pire, then this might be supposed to 
have particular reference to something 
that would have a bearing on the mari- 
time parts of that empire. *[ And the 
third part of the ships were destroyed. 
This also pertains to the same general 
calamity, affecting the commerce of the 
empire. The destruction of the " ships'' 
was produced, in some way, by casting 
the mountains into the sea — either by 
their being consumed by the contact 
with the burning mass, or by being 
sunk by the agitation of the waters. 
The essential idea is, that the calamity 
would be of such a nature as would pro- 
duce the destruction of vessels at sea — 
either naval armaments, or ships of 
commerce. In looking now for the ap- 
plication, or fulfilment of this, it is ne- 
cessary (a) to find some event or events 
which would have a particular bearing 
on the maritime or commercial part of 
the world; and (b) some such event or 
events that, on the supposition that they 
were the things referred to, would be 
properly symbolized by the image here 
employed. (1) If the first trumpet had 
reference to the invasion of Alaric and 
the Goths, then in this we naturally 
look for the next succeeding act of in- 
vasion which shook the Roman empire, 
and contributed to its fall. (2) The 
next invasion was that under Genseric 
at the head of the Yandals. Gibbon ii. 
306, seq. This occurred A. D. 428-468. 
(3) The symbol of a blazing or burning 
mountain, torn from its foundation, and 



230 



REVEL 



ATI ON, 



[A. D. 96 



precipita't id into the ocean, would well 
represent this mighty nation moved 
from its ancient seat, and borne along 
towards the maritime parts of the em- 
pire, and its desolations there — as will 
be shown in the following remarks. 
(4) The acts of the Vandals under Gen- 
seric, corresponded with the ideas ex- 
pressed by the symbol. — In illustrating 
this, I shall be indebted as heretofore, 
principally to Mr. Gibbon, (a) His ge- 
neral account of the Vandals is this : 
They are supposed (i. 138) to have been 
originally the same people with the 
Goths, the Goths and Vandals consti- 
tuting one great nation living on the 
shores of the Baltic. They passed in 
connection with them over the Baltic ; 
emigrated to Prussia and the Ukraine ; 
invaded the Roman provinces ; received 
tribute from the Romans ; subdued the 
countries about the Bosphorus; plun- 
dered the cities of Bythynia; ravaged 
Greece and Illyrium, and were at last 
settled in Thrace under the emperor 
Theodosius. Gibbon, i. 136-166 ; ii. 110- 
150. They were then driven forward 
by the Huns, and having passed through 
France and Spain into Africa, conquered 
the Carthaginian territory, established 
an independent government, and thence 
through a long period harassed the 
neighboring islands, and the coasts of 
the Mediterranean by their predatory 
incursions, destroying the ships and the 
commerce of the Romans, and were dis- 
tinguished in the downfall of the empire 
by their ravages on the islands and the 
sea. Thus they were moved along from 
place to place until the scene of their 
desolations became more distinctly the 
maritime parts of the empire ; and the 
effect of their devastations might be 
well compared with a burning mountain 
moved from its ancient base and then 
thrown into the sea. (b) This will be 
apparent from the statements of Mr. 
Gibbon in regard to their ravages under 
their leader Genseric. " Seville and Car- 
thagena became the reward, or rather 
the prey of the ferocious conquerors" 
[after they had defeated the Roman 
Castinus], " and the vessels which they 
found in the harbor of Carthagena 
might easily transport them to the isles 
of Majorca and Minorca, where the 
Spanish fugitives, as in a secure recess, 
had vainly concealed the!/ families and 
fortunes. The experience of navigation, 



and perhaps the prospect of Africa, en- 
couraged the Vandals to accept the in- 
vitation which they received from Count 
Boniface" [to aid him in his appre- 
hended difficulties with Rome, and to 
enter into an alliance with him by set- 
tling permanently in Africa. Gibbon ii. 

305, 306] ; " and the death of Genseric" 
[the Vandal king] " served only to for- 
ward and animate the bold enterprise. 
In the room of a prince, not conspicuous 
for any superior powers of the mind or 
body, they acquired his bastard brother, 
the terrible Genseric, a name, which, in 
the destruction of the Roman empire, hots 
deserved an equal rank with the names 
of Alaric and Attila." " The ambition 
of Genseric was almost without bounds, 
and without scruples; and the warrior 
would dexterously employ the dark en- 
gines of policy to solicit the allies who 
might be useful to his success, or to scat- 
ter among his enemies the seeds of en- 
mity and contention. Almost in the 
moment of his departure he was in- 
formed, that Hermanric, king of the 
Suevi, had presumed to ravage the Spa- 
nish territories, which he was resolved 
to abandon, Impatient of the insult, 
Genseric pursued the hasty retreat of 
the Suevi as far as Merida; precipitated 
the king and his army into the river 
Anas, and calmly returned to the sea- 
shore to embark his troops. The ves^ 
sels which transported the Vandals over 
the modern straits of Gibraltar, a chan- 
nel only twelve miles in breadth, were 
furnished by the Spaniards, who anxious- 
ly wished for their departure ; and by 
the African general who had implored 
their formidable assistance." Gibbon, ii. 

306. Genseric, in the accomplishment 
of his purposes soon took possession of 
the northern coast of Africa, defeating 
the armies of Boniface, and " Carthage, 
Cirta, and Hippo Regius, were the only 
cities that appeared to rise above the 
general inundation." Gibbon ii. 308. 
" On a sudden," says Mr. Gibbon (M; 
309), " the seven fruitful provinces, from 
Tangier to Tripoli, were overwhelmed 
by the invasion of the Vandals; whose 
destructive rage has perhaps been exag- 
gerated by popular animosity, religious 
zeal, and extravagant declamation. War, 
in its fairest form, implies a perpetual 
violation of humanity and justice ; and 
the hostilities of barbarians are inflamed 
by the fierce and lawless spirit whic v 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTE 



R VIII. 



231 



perpetually disturbs their peaceful and 
domestic society. The Vandals, where 
they found resistance, seldom gave quar- 
ter; and the deaths of their valiant 
countrymen were expiated by the ruin 
of the cities under whose walls they had 
fallen," &c. The result of the invasion 
was the conquest of all Northern Africa; 
the reduction of Hippo and Carthage, 
and the establishment of a government 
under Genseric in Africa that waged a 
long war with Rome. Gibbon, ii. 310, 311. 
The symbol before us has particular re- 
ference to maritime or naval operations 
and desolations, and the following ex- 
tracts from Mr. Gibbon will show with 
what propriety, if this symbol was de- 
signed to refer to him, these images were 
employed. " The discovery and conquest 
of the Black nations [in Africa], that 
might dwell beneath the torrid zone, 
could not tempt the rational ambi- 
tion of Genseric; but he cast his eyes 
towards the sea; he resolved to create 
a naval power, and his bold resolution 
was executed with steady and active 
perseverance. The woods of Mount 
Atlas afforded an inexhaustible supply 
of timber; his new subjects were skilled 
in the arts of navigation and ship- 
building; he animated his daring Van- 
dals to embrace a mode of warfare which 
would render any maritime country 
accessible to their arms ; the Moors and 
Africans were allured by the hope of 
plunder; and after an interval of six 
centuries, the fleets that issued from the 
port of Carthage again claimed the em- 
pire of the Mediterranean. The success 
of the Vandals, the conquest of Sicily, 
the sack of Palermo, and the frequent 
descents on the coasts of Lucania, awak- 
ened and alarmed the mother of Valen- 
tinian, and the sister of Theodosius. 
Alliances were formed ; and armaments, 
expensive and ineffectual, were prepared 
for the destruction of the common 
enemy, who reserved his courage to 
encounter those dangers which his policy 
could not prevent or elude. The revo- 
lutions of the palace, which left the 
Western empire without a defender, and 
without a lawful prince, dispelled the 
apprehension, and stimulated the ava- 
rice, of Genseric. He immediately equip- 
ped a numerous fleet of Vandals and 
Moors, and cast anchor at the mouth of 
the Tiber," &c. Gibbon, ii. 352. " On 
the third day after the tumult [A. D. 



455, on the death of Maximus] Genseric 
boldly advanced from the port of Ostia 
to the gates of the defenceless city. 
Instead of a sally of the Roman youth, 
there issued from the gates an unarmed 
and venerable procession of the bishop 
at the head of his clergy. But Borne 
and its inhabitants were delivered to the 
licentiousness of the Vandals and the 
Moors, whose blind passions revenged 
the injuries of Carthage. The pillage 
lasted fourteen days and nights ; and all 
that yet remained of public or private 
wealth, of sacred or profane treasure, 
was diligently transported to the vessels 
of Genseric," &c, &c. See the account of 
this pillage in Gibbon, ii. 355-366. The 
emperor Majorian (A.D.457) endeavored 
to " restore the happiness of the Romans," 
but he encountered the arms of Genseric, 
from his character and situation, their 
most formidable enemy. A fleet of Van- 
dals and Moors landed at the mouth of 
the Liris, or Garigliano ; but the impe- 
rial troops surprised and attacked the 
disorderly barbarians, who were encum- 
bered with the spoils of Campania ; 
they were chased with slaughter to 
their ships ; and their leader, the king's 
brother-in-law, was found in the num- 
ber of the slain. Such vigilance might 
announce the character of the new 
reign ; but the strictest vigilance, and 
the most numerous forces, were insuf- 
ficient to protect the long-extended 
coast of Italy from the depredations of 
a naval war." Gibbon, ii. 363. " The 
emperor had foreseen that it was impos- 
sible, without a maritime power, to 
achieve the conquest of Africa. In the 
first Punic war, the republic had exerted 
such incredible diligence, that within 
sixty days after the first stroke of the 
axe had been given in the forest, a fleet 
of one hundred and sixty galleys proudly 
rode at anchor in the sea. Under cir- 
cumstances much less favorable, Majo- 
rian equalled the spirit and perseverance 
of the ancient Romans. The woods of 
the Apennines were felled; the arsenals 
and manufactures of Ravenna and Mise- 
nium were restored ; Italy and Gaul vied 
with each other in liberal contributions 
to the public service; and the imperial 
navy of three hundred large galleys, with 
an adequate proportion of transports and 
smaller vessels, was collected in the 
secure and capacious harbor of Cartha- 
gena in Spain." Gibbon, ii. 383, 364, 



232 



REVELATION. 



I A. D. 96. 



10 4nd the third angel sounded, 
and there fell a a great star from 
heaven, burning as it were a lamp, 

a Is. 14. 12; c. 9. 1. 



The fate of this large navy is thus 
described by Mr. Gibbon : " Genseric 
was saved from impending and inevit- 
able ruin by the treachery of some pow- 
erful subjects; envious or apprehensive 
of their master's success. Guided by 
their secret intelligence, he surprised the 
unguarded fleet in the bay of Cartha- 
gena; many of the ships were sunk, or 
taken, or burnt; and the preparations of 
three years were destroyed in a single 
day." ii. 364. The farther naval ope- 
rations, and maritime depredations of 
the Vandals under Genseric, are thus 
stated by Mr. Gibbon : " The kingdom 
of Italy, a name to which the Western 
eippire was gradually reduced, was 
afflicted, under the reign of Ricimer, 
by the incessant depredations of Vandal 
pirates. In the spring of each year, they 
equipped a formidable navy in the port 
of Carthage; and Genseric himself, 
though in very advanced age, still com- 
manded in person the most important 
expeditions. His designs were conceal- 
ed with impenetrable secresy, till the 
moment that he hoisted sail. When he 
was asked by the pilot what course he 
should steer ; ' Leave the determination 
to the winds/ replied the barbarian, with 
pious arrogance, ' they will transport us 
to the guilty coast, whose inhabitants 
have provoked the divine justice but 
Genseric himself deigned to issue more 
precise orders : he judged the most 
wealthy to be the most criminal. The 
Vandals repeatedly visited the coasts of 
Spain, Liguria, Tuscany, Campania, Lu- 
cania, Bruttium, Apulia, Calabria, Vene- 
tia, Dalmatia, Epirus, Greece, and Sicily; 
they were tempted to subdue the island 
of Sardinia, so advantageously placed 
in the centre of the Mediterranean ; and 
their arms spread desolation, or terror, 
from the columns of Hercules to the 
mouth of the Nile. As they were more 
ambitious of spoil than of glory, they 
seldcm attacked any fortified cities or 
engaged any regular troops in the open 
field. But the celerity of their motions 
enabled them, almost at the same time, 
to threaten and to attack the most dis- 
tant objects which attracted their desires; 
and as they always embarked a sufficient 



and it fell upon the third part of 
the rivers, and upon the fountains 

of waters : 



number of horses, they had no sooner 
landed than they swept the dismayed 
country with a body of light cavalry." 
ii. 366. How far this description agrees 
with the symbol in the passage before 
us — " a great mountain burning with 
fire cast into the sea;" "the third part 
of the ships were destroyed," must be 
left to the reader to judge. It may be 
asked, however, with at least some show 
of reason, whether, if it be admitted that 
it was the design of the author of the 
Book of "Revelation to refer to the move- 
ments of the Vandals under Genseric as 
one of the important and immediate 
causes of the ruin of the Roman empire, 
he could have found a more expressive 
symbol than this? Indeed, is there 
now any symbol that would be more 
striking and appropriate ? If one should 
now undertake to represent this as one 
of the causes of the downfall of the 
empire by a symbol, could he easily 
find one that would be more expres- 
sive? It is a matter that is in itself 
perhaps of no importance, but it may 
serve to show that the interpretation 
respecting the second trumpet was not 
forced, to remark that I had gone 
through with the interpretation of the 
language of the symbol, before I looked 
into Mr. Gibbon with any reference to 
the application. 

10. And the third angel sounded. In- 
dicating, according to the interpretation 
above proposed, some important event 
in the downfall of the Roman empire. 

And there fell a great star from hea- 
ven. A star is a natural emblem of a 
prince, of a ruler, of one distinguished 
by rank, or by talent. Comp. Notes on 
eh. ii. 28. See Num. xxiv. 17, and the 
Notes on Isa. xiv. 12. A star falling from 
heaven, would be a natural symbol of 
one who had left a higher station, or of 
one whose character and course would 
be like a meteor shooting through the 
sky. Burning as it were a lamp. Or, 
as a torch. The language here is such 
as would describe a meteor blazing 
through the air; and the reference in 
the symbol is to something that would 
have a resemblance to such a meteor. 
It is not a lurid meteor (livid, pale, 



A. D. 96 i 



CHAPTER VIII. 



233 



11 And the name of the star 
is called Wormwood. a and the 
third part of the waters b became 

a De. 29. 18. Am. 5. 7. He. 12. 15. 



ghastly) that is here referred to, but a 
bright, intense, blazing star — emblem of 
fiery energy : of rapidity of movement 
and execution; of splendor of appear- 
ance — such as a chieftain of high endow- 
ments, of impetuousness of character, 
and of richness of apparel, would be. 
In all languages, probably, a star has 
been an emblem of a prince whose 
virtues have shone brightly, and who 
has exerted a beneficial influence on 
mankind. In all languages also, pro- 
bably, a meteor flaming through the 
sky has been an emblem of some 
splendid genius causing or threatening 
desolation and ruin ; of a warrior who 
has moved along in a brilliant but de- 
structive path over the world; and who 
has been regarded as sent to execute 
the vengeance of heaven. This usage 
occurs because a meteor is so bright; 
because it appears so suddenly : because 
its course cannot be determined by any 
known laws; and because, in the appre- 
hensions of men, it is either sent as a 
proof of the divine displeasure, or is 
adapted to excite consternation and 
alarm. In the application of this part 
of the symbol, therefore, we naturally 
look for some prince or warrior of bril- 
liant talents, who appears suddenly and 
sweeps rapidly over the world ; who ex- 
cites consternation and alarm : whose 
path is marked by desolation, and who 
is regarded as sent from heaven to exe- 
cute the divine purposes — who comes 
not to bless the world by brilliant 
talents well-directed, but to execute 
vengeance on mankind. ^ And it fell 
ujjon the third part of the rivers, and 
upon the fountains of waters. On the 
phrase " the third part," see Notes on 
ver. 7. This reference to the " rivers" 
and to the " fountains of waters" seems, 
in part, to be for the purpose of saying 
that every thing would be affected by 
this series of judgments. In the pre- 
vious visions the trees and the green 
^rass, the sea and the ships, had been 
referred to. The rivers and the foun- 
tains of waters are not less important 
than the trees, the grass, and the com- 
merce of the world, and hence this 
20* 



wormwood ; and many died of the 
waters, because they were made 
bitter. 

b Ex. 15. 23. Je. 9. 15. 23. 15. 

judgment is mentioned as particularly 
bearing on them. At the same time, as 
in the case of the other trumpets, there 
is a propriety in supposing that there 
would be something in the event referred 
to by the symbol which would make it 
more appropriate to use this symbol in 
this case than in the others. It is 
natural, therefore, to look for some deso- 
lations that would particularly affect the 
portions of the world where rivers 
abound, or where they take their rise; 
or, if it be understood as having a more 
metaphorical sense, to regard it as affect- 
ing those things which resemble rivers 
and fountains — the sources of influence; 
the morals, the religion of a people, the 
institutions in a country, which are 
often so appropriately compared with 
running fountains or flowing streams. 

11. And the name of the star is called 
Wormicood. Is appropriately so called. 
The writer does not say that it would be 
actually so called, but that this name 
would be properly descriptive of its 
qualities. Such expressions are common 
in allegorical writings. The Greek 
word — axptvSog — denotes xcormwood, a 
well-known bitter herb. That word be- 
comes the proper emblem of bitterness. 
Comp. Jer. ix. 15, xxiii. 15 ; Lam. iii. 
15, 19. % And the third part of the 
waters became wormwood. Became bittei* 
as wormwood. This is doubtless an em- 
blem of the calamity which icould occur 
if the waters should be thus made bitter. 
Of course, they would become useless for 
the purposes to which they are mostly 
applied, and the destruction of life would 
be inevitable. To conceive of the extent 
of such a calamity, we have only to ima- 
gine a large portion of the wells, and 
rivers, and fountains of a country made 
bitter as wormwood. Comp. Ex. xv. 23, 24. 
^[ And many men died of the waters, be- 
cause they were made bitter. This effect 
would naturally follow if any considerable 
portion of the fountains and streams of a 
land were changed by an infusion of worm- 
woo 1. It is not necessary to suppose 
that this is intended to be literally true, 
for as, by the use of a symbol, it is not 
to be supposed that literally a part of the 



234 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 90. 



waters wculd b(, turned into wormwood 
by the baleful influence of a falling me- 
teor, so it is not necessary to suppose 
that there is intended to be represented 
a literal destruction of human life by the 
use of waters. Great destruction and 
devastation are undoubtedly intended to 
be denoted by this — destruction that 
would be well represented in a land by 
the natural effects if a considerable part 
of the waters were, by their bitterness, 
made unfit to drink. 

In the interpretation and application, 
therefore, of this passage, we may adopt 
the following principles and rules : — 

(a) It may be assumed, in this exposi- 
tion, that the previous symbols, under 
the first and second trumpet-blasts, re- 
ferred respectively to Alaric and his 
Gotln, and to Genseric and his Vandals. 

(b) That the next great and decisive 
event in the downfall of the empire, 
is the one that is here referred to. 

(c) That there would be some chieftain 
or warrior who might be compared with 
a blazing meteor ; whose course would 
be singularly brilliant; who would ap- 
pear suddenly like a blazing star, and 
then disappear like a star whose light 
was quenched in the waters, (d) That 
the desolating course of that meteor 
would be mainly on those portions of 
the world that abounded with springs 
of water and running streams, (e) That 
an effect would be produced as if those 
streams and fountains were made bitter; 
that is, that many persons would perish, 
and that wide desolations would be 
caused in the vicinity of those rivers and 
streams, as if a bitter and baleful star 
should fall into the waters, and death 
should spread over the lands adjacent to 
them, and watered by them. Whether 
any events occurred of which this would 
be the proper emblem, is now the ques- 
tion. Among expositors there has been 
a considerable degree of unanimity in 
supposing that Attila, the king of the 
Huns, is referred to, and if the preceding 
expositions are correct, there can be no 
doubt on the subject. After Alaric and 
Genseric, Attila occupies the next place 
as an important agent in the overthrow 
of the Roman empire, and the only 
question is, whether he would be proper- 
ly symbolized by this baleful star. The 
following remarks may be made to show 
the propriety of the symbol. (1) As 
already remarked, the place which he 



occupies in history, as immediately suc- 
ceeding Alaric and Genseric in the 
downfall of the empire. This will ap- 
pear in any chronological table, or in 
the table of contents of any of the his- 
tories of those times. A full detail of 
the career of Attila may be found in 
Gibbon, vol. ii. pp. 314-351. His ca- 
reer extended from A. B. 433, to A. B t 
453. It is true that he was contempo- 
rary with Genseric, king of the Vandals, 
and that a portion of the operations of 
Genseric in Africa were subsequent to 
the death of Attila (A. B. 455 — A. B. 
467),* but it is also true that Genserie 
preceded Attila in the career of con- 
quest, and was properly the first in or- 
der, being pressed forward in the Roman 
warfare by the Huns, A. B. 428. See 
Gibbon, ii. 306, seq. (2) In the manner 
of his appearance, he strongly resembled 
a brilliant meteor flashing in the sky. 
He came from the east, gathering his 
Huns, and poured them down, as we 
shall see, with the rapidity of a flashing 
meteor, suddenly on the empire. He 
regarded himself also as devoted to 
Mars, the god of war, and was accus- 
tomed to array himself in a peculiarly 
brilliant manner, so that his appearance, 
in the language of his flatterers, was 
such as to dazzle the eyes of beholders. 
One of his followers perceived that a 
heifer that was grazing had wounded 
her foot, and curiously followed the track 
of blood, till he found in the long grass 
the point of an ancient sword, which he 
dug out of the ground and presented to 
Attila. " That magnanimous, or rather 
that artful prince," says Mr. Gibbon, 
"accepted with pious gratitude this 
celestial favor ; and, as the rightful pos- 
sessor of the sword of Mars, asserted his 
divine and indefeasible claim to the do- 
minion of the earth. The favorite of 
Mars soon acquired a sacred character, 
which rendered his conquests more easy 
and more permanent; and the Barbarian 
princes confessed, in the language of 
devotion or flattery, that they could not 
presume to gaze, with a steady eye, on 
the divine majesty of the king of the 
Huns." ii. 317. How appropriate would 
it be to represent such a prince by the 
symbol of a bright and blazing star — 
or a meteor flashing through the sky ! 
(3) There may be propriety, as applica- 
ble to him, in the expression — "a greai 
star from heaven falling upon the earth/ 



A.. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER VIII. 



235 



Attila was regarded as an instrument in I 
the divine hand in inflicting punishment. 
The common appellation by -which he 
has been known is " the scourge of 
God." This title is supposed by the 
modern Hungarians to have been first 
given to Attila by a hermit of Gaul, but 
*t was "inserted by Attila among the 
titles of his royal dignity." Gibbon, 11. 
321, foot-note. To no one could the 
title be more applicable than to him. 
(4) His career as a conqueror, and the 
effect of his conquests on the downfall 
of the empire, were such as to be pro- 
perly symbolized in this manner, (a) 
The general effect of the invasion was 
worthy of an important place in de- 
scribing the series of events whieh re- 
sulted in the overthrow of the empire. 
This is thus stated by Mr. Gibbon : 
" The western world was oppressed by 
the Goths and Vandals, who fled before 
the Huns; but the achievements of the 
Huns themselves were not adequate to 
their power and prosperity. Their vic- 
torious hordes had spread from the Vol- 
ga to the Danube, but the public force 
was exhausted by the discord of inde- 
pendent chieftains,* their valor was idly 
consumed in obscure and predatory ex- 
cursions j and they often degraded their 
national dignity by condescending, for 
the hopes of spoil, to enlist under the 
banners of their fugitive enemies. In 
the reign of Attila, the Huns again be- 
came the terror of the world- and I 
shall now describe the character and 
actions of that formidable Barbarian 
who alternately invaded and insulted 
the east and the west, and urged the 
rapid downfall of the Roman empire" 
vol. ii. pp. 314, 315. (6) The parts of the 
earth affected by the invasion of the 
Huns, were those which would be pro- 
perly symbolized by the things specified 
at the blowing of this trumpet. It is 
said particularly, that the effect would 
be on "the rivers," and on "the foun- 
tains of waters." If this has a literal 
application, or if, as was supposed in 
the case of the second trumpet, the lan- 
guage used was such as had reference 
to the portion of the empire that would 
be particularly affected by the hostile 
invasion, then we may suppose that this 
refers to those portions of the empire 
that abounded in rivers and streams, 
and more particularly those in which the 
rivers and streams had their origin — for 



the effect was permanently in the "foun- 
tains of waters." — As a matter of fact, 
the principal operations of Attila were 
in the regions of the Alps and on the 
portions of the empire whence the rivers 
flow down into Italy. The invasion of 
Attila is described by Mr. Gibbon in this 
general language : " The whole breadth 
of Europe, as it extends above five hun- 
dred miles from the Euxine to the Adri- 
atic, was at once invaded, and occu- 
pied, and desolated, by the myriads of 
barbarians whom Attila led into the 
field." ii. 319, 320. After describing th» 
progress and the effects of this invasion 
(pp. 320-331), he proceeds more parti- 
cularly to detail the events in the inva- 
sion of Gaul and Italy, pp. 331-347. 
After the terrible battle of Chalons, in 
which, according to one account, one 
hundred and sixty-two thousand, and, 
according to other accounts, three hun- 
dred thousand persons were slain, and 
in which Attila was defeated, he re- 
covered his vigor, collected his forces, 
and made a descent on Italy. Under 
pretence of claiming Honoria, the daugh- 
ter of the empress of Rome, as his bride, 
"the indignant lover took the field, 
passed the Alps, invaded Italy, and be- 
sieged Aquileia with an innumerable 
host of barbarians." After endeavoring 
in vain for three months to subdue the 
city, and when about to abandon the 
siege, Attila took advantage of the ap- 
pearance of a stork as a favorable omen 
to arouse his men to a renewed effort, 
"a large breach was made in the part 
of the wail where the stork had taken 
her flight ; the Huns marched to the as- 
sault with irresistible fury ; and the suc- 
ceeding generation could scarcely dis- 
cover the ruins of Aquileia. After this 
dreadful chastisement, Attila pursued his 
march ; and as he passed, the cities of 
Altinum, Concordia, and Padua, were 
reduced into heaps of stones and ashes. 
The inland towns, Vicenza, Verona, and 
Bergamo, were exposed to the rapacious 
cruelty of the Huns. Milan and Pavia 
submitted, without resistance, to the lost 
of their wealth, and applauded the un- 
usual clemency which preserved from 
the flames the public, as well as the pri- 
vate buildings, and spared the lives of 
the captive multitude. The popular tra- 
ditions of Comum, Turin, or Modena, 
may be justly suspected, yet they concur 
I with more authentic evidence to prove 



236 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



12 And the fourth angel sounded, 
and the third part of the sun a was 
smitten, and the third part of the 



that Attila spread his ravages over the 
rich plains of modern Lombardy, which 
are divided by the Po, and bounded by 
the Alps and the Apennines." ii. pp. 343, 
344. " It is a saying worthy of the fero- 
cious pride of Attila, that the grass never | 
grew on the spot where his horse had 
trod." Ibid. p. 345. Any one has only 
to look on a map, and to trace the pro- j 
gress of those desolations and the chief j 
seats of his military operations, to see I 
with what propriety this symbol would j 
be employed. In these regions tt3 great j 
rivers that water Europe have their ori- 
gin, and are swelled by numberless 
streams that flow down from the Alps, ■ 
and about the fountains whence these | 
streams flow, were the principal military j 
operations of the invader, (c) With j 
equal propriety is he represented in the I 
symbol, as affecting "a third" part of j 
these rivers and fountains. At least a ; 
third part of the empire was invaded 
and desolated by him in his savage 
march, and the effects of his invasion 
were as disastrous on the empire as if a 
bitter star had fallen into a third part of 
those rivers and fountains and had con- 
verted them into wormwood, {d) There 
is one other point which shows the pro- ; 
priety of this symbol. It is, that the 
meteor, or star, seemed to be absorbed in ■ 
the waters. It fell into the waters ; em- j 
bittered them ; and was seen no more, j 
Such would be the case with a meteor 
that should thus fall upon the earth — 
flashing along the sky, and then disap- 
pearing forever. Now, it was remark- 
able in regard to the Huns, that their 
power was concentrated under Attila; 
that he alone appeared as the leader of 
this formidable host ; and that when 
he died all the concentrated power of the j 
Huns was dissipated, or became ab- | 
sorbed and lost. — " The revolution," j 
says Mr. Gibbon (ii. 348), "which sub- ! 
verted the empire of the Huns, establish- j 
ed the fame of Attila, ichose genius alone 
had sustained the huge and disjointed 
fabric. After his death, the boldest 
chieftains aspired to the rank of kings ; 
the most powerful kings refused to ac- 
knowledge a superior ; and the nume- 
rous sons, whom so many various mo- 



nioon, and the third part of the 

a Isa. 13. 10; Je.4.23; Eze.32.7, 8; Joel % 
10; Am. 8, 9. 



thers bore to the deceased monarch, 
| divided and disputed, like a private in- 
^eritance, the sovereign command of the 
' nations of Germany and Scythia." Soon, 
however, in the conflicts which suc- 
ceeded, the empire passed away, and the 
empire of the Huns ceased. The people 
that composed it were absorbed in the 
surrounding nations, and Mr. Gibbon 
makes this remark, after giving a sum- 
mary account of these conflicts, which 
continued but for a few years': " The 
Igours of the north, issuing from the 
cold Siberian regions, which produced 
the most valuable furs, spread them- 
selves over the desert, as far as the Bo- 
risthenes and the Caspian gates, and 
finally extinguished the empire of the 
Huns." — These facts may, perhaps, show 
with what propriety Attila would be 
compared with a bright but beautiful 
meteor ; and that, if the design was to 
symbolize him as acting an important 
part in the downfall of the Roman em- 
pire, there is a fitness in the symbol 
here employed. 

12. And the fourth angel sounded. 
Notes vs. 8, 7. And the third part of 
the sea was smitten. On the phrase the 
third part, see Notes on ver. 7. The 
darkening of the heavenly luminaries is 
everywhere an emblem of any great 
calamity — as if the light of the sun, 
moon, and stars should be put out. See 
Notes on ch. vi. 12, 13. — There is no cer- 
tain evidence that this refers to rulers, 
as many have supposed, or to any thing 
that would particularly affect the govern- 
m ent as such. The meaning is, that cala- 
mity would come as if darkness should 
spread over the sun, the moon, and the 
stars, leaving the world in gloom. What 
is the precise nature of the calamity, is 
not indicated by the language, but any 
thing that would diffuse gloom and dis- 
aster, would accord with the fair mean- 
ing of the symbol. — There are a few cir- 
cumstances, however, in regard to this 
symbol, which may aid us in determin- 
ing its application. (1) It would follow 
in the series of calamities that were to 
occur. (2) It would be separated in 
some important sense — of time, place, or 
degree, from these which were to follow, 



a. d. w:] 



C II APT EE VIII. 



237 



stars ; so as the third part of them I not for a third part of it, and the 
was darkened, and the day shone night likewise. 



tor there is a pause here (ver. 13), and 
the angel proclaims that more terrible 
woes are to succeed this series. (3) Like 
the preceding, it is to affect "one third 
part" of the world ; — that is, it is to be 
a calamity as if a third part of the sun, 
the moon, and the stars were suddenly 
smitten and darkened. (4) It is not to 
be total. It is not as if the sun, the 
moon, and the stars were entirely blotted 
out, for there was still some remaining 
light : that is, there was a continuance of 
the existing state of things — as if these 
heavenly bodies should still give an ob- 
scure and partial light. (5) Perhaps it is 
also intended by the symbol, that there 
would be light again. The world was 
not to go into a state of total and per- 
manent night. For a third part of the 
day, and a third part of the night, this 
darkness reigned ; but does not this im- 
ply that there would be light again — 
that the obscurity would pass away, and 
that the sun, and moon, and stars would 
shine again ? That is, is it not implied 
that there would still be prosperity in 
some future period? 

Now, in regard to the application of 
this, if the explanation of the preceding 
symbols is correct, there can be little 
difficulty. If the previous symbols re- 
ferred to Alaric, toGenseric, and to Attila, 
there can be no difficulty in applying 
this to Odoacer, and to his reign — a reign 
m which, in fact, the Roman dominion 
in the West came to an end, and passed 
into the hands of this barbarian. Any 
one has only to open the " Decline and 
Fall of the Roman Empire," to see that 
this is the next eA r ent that should be 
symbolized if the design were to repre- 
sent the downfall of the empire. These 
four great barbarian leaders succeed 
each other in order, and under the last, 
Odoacer, the barbarian dominion was 
established; for it is here that the 
existence of the Roman power, as 
such, ended. The Western empire, 
terminated, according to Mr. Gibbon 
(ii. p. 380), about A. D. 476, or 479. 
Odoacer was " King of Italy" from A. D. 
476 to A. D. 490. Gibbon, ii. 379. The 
Eastern empire still lingered, but cala- 
nr.ty, like blotting out the sun, and 
moon, and stars, bad come over that 



part of the world which for so many 
centuries had constituted the seat of 
power and dominion. — Odoacer was the 
son of Edecon, a barbarian, who was in 
the service of Attila, and who left two 
sons — Onulf and Odoacer. The former 
directed his steps to Constantinople ; 
Odoacer, "led a wandering life among 
the barbarians of Noricum, with a mind 
and fortune suited to the most desperato 
adventures,* and when he had fixed his 
choice he privily visited the cell of 
Severinus, the popular saint of the 
country, to solicit his approbation and 
blessing. The lowness of the door would 
not admit the lofty stature of Odoacer ; 
he was obliged to stoop ; but in that 
humble attitude the saint could discern 
the symptoms of his future greatness; 
and addressing him in a prophetic tone, 
* Pursue/ said he, your design ; proceed 
to Italy ; you will cast away the coarse 
garment of skins ; and your wealth will 
be adequate to the liberality of your 
mind.' The barbarian, whose daring 
spirit accepted and ratified this predic- 
tion, was admitted into the service of 
the Western empire, and soon obtained 
an honorable rank in the guards. His 
manners were gradually polished, his 
military skill improved, and the con- 
federates of Italy would not have elected 
him for their general, unless the ex- 
ploits of Odoacer had established a high 
opinion of his courage and capacity. 
Their military acclamations saluted him 
with the title of king; but he abstained 
during his whole reign from the use of 
the purple and the diadem, lest he should 
offend those princes, whose subjects, by 
their accidental mixture, had formed 
the victorious army which time and 
policy -might insensibly unite into a 
great nation." Gibbon, ii. 379, 380, 
In another place Mr. Gibbon suy&, 
" Odoacer was the first barbarian who 
reigned in Italy, over a people who had 
once asserted their superiority above the 
rest of mankind. The disgrace of the 
Romans still excites our respectful com- 
passion, and we fondly sympathize with 
the imaginary grief and indignation of 
their degenerate posterity. But ths 
calamities of Italy had gradually sub- 
dued the proud consciousness of freedoia 



238 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



and glory. In the age of Roman virtue, 
the provinces were subject to the arms, 
and the citizens to the laws, of the re- 
public ; till those laws were subverted by 
civil discord, and both the city and the 
provinces became the property of a 
servile tyrant. The forms of the consti- 
tution which alleviated or disguised 
their abject slavery, were abolished by 
time and violence ; the Italians alter- 
nately lamented the presence or the 
absence of the sovereigns whom they 
detested or despised,* and the succession 
of five centuries inflicted the various 
evils of military license, capricious des- 
potism, and elaborate oppression. Du- 
ring the same period the barbarians had 
emerged from obscurity and contempt, 
and the warriors of Germany and Scythia 
were introduced into the provinces, as 
the servants, the allies, and at length 
the masters, of the Romans, whom they 
insulted or protected." ii. 381, 382. Of 
the effect of the reign of Odoacer, Mr. 
Gibbon remarks : " In the division and 
decline of the empire, the tributary har- 
vests of Egypt and Africa were with- 
drawn ; the numbers of the inhabitants 
continually decreased with the means of 
subsistence; and the country was ex- 
hausted by the irretrievable losses of 
war, famine, and pestilence. St. Am- 
brose has deplored the ruin of a popu- 
lous district, which had been once 
adorned with the flourishing cities of 
Bologna, Modena, Regium, and Pla- 
centia. Pope Gelasius was a subject of 
Odoacer; and he affirms, with strong 
exaggeration, that in iEinilia, Tuscany, 
and the adjacent provinces, the human 
species was almost extirpated. One- 
third of those ample estates, to which 
the ruin of Italy is originally imputed, 
was extorted for the use of the con- 
querors." ii. 383. Yet, the light was not 
wholly extinct. It was "a third part" 
of it which was put out; and it was still 
true that some of the forms of the 
ancient constitution were observed — that 
the light still lingered before it wholly 
passed away. In the language of an- 
other, " The authority of the Roman 
name had not yet entirely ceased. The 
senate of Rome continued to assemble 
as usual. The consuls were appointed 
yearly, one by the Eastern emperor, one 
by Italy and Rome. Odoacer himself 
governed Italy under a title (that of 
Patrician), conferred on him by the 



Eastern emperor. There was still a 
certain, though often faint, recognition 
of the supreme imperial authority. The 
moon and the stars might seem still tc 
shine in the West, with a dim, reflected 
light. In the course of the events, how- 
ever, which rapidly followed in the next 
half century, these too were extinguish- 
ed. After above a century and a half 
of calamities unexampled almost, as Dr 
Robertson most truly represents it,* 
in the History of Nations, the statement 
of Jerome — a statement couched under 
the very Apocalyptic figure of the text, 
but prematurely pronounced on the 
first taking of Rome by Alaric — might 
be considered at length accomplished : 
* Clarissimum terrarum lumen extinc- 
tum est' — ' The world's glorious sun has 
been extinguished;' or as the modern 
poet (Byron, Childe Harold, canto iv.) 
has expressed it, still under the Apoca- 
lyptic imagery — 

• She saw her glories star by star expire,' 

till not even one star remained to glim- 
mer in the vacant and dark night." 
Elliott, i. 360, 361. 

I have thus endeavored to explain the 
meaning of the four first trumpets under 
the opening of the seventh seal, em- 
bracing the successive severe blows 
struck on the empire by Alaric, Gen- 
seric, Attila, and Odoacer, until the 
empire fell to rise no more. I cannot 
better conclude this part of the expo- 
sition than in the words of Mr. Gibbon, 
in his reflections on the fall of the em- 
pire : " I have now accomplished," says 
he, " the laborious narrative of the de- 
cline and fall of the Roman empire, from 
the fortunate age of Trajan and the 
Antonines, to its latest extinction in the 
West, about five centuries after the 
Christian era. At that unhappy period, 
the Saxons fiercely struggled with the 
natives for the possession of Britain ; 
Gaul and Spain were divided between the 
powerful monarchies of the Franks and 
the Visigoths, and the dependent king- 
doms of the Suevi and the Burgundians , 
Africa was exposed to the cruel perse- 
cution of the Vandals, and the savage 
insults of the Moors ; Rome and Italy, 
as far as the banks of the Danube, were 
afflicted by an army of barbarian mer- 



* * If we were called on to fix a period most cala- 
mitous, it would be that from the death of Theodosiua 
to the establishment of the Lombards.' Charles 
pp, 11, 12. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



23S 



13 And I beheld, and heard an 
angel flying a through the midst of 
heaven, saying with a loud voice, 

a c. 14. 6. 



cenaries, whose lawless tyranny was 
succeeded by the reign of Theodosia, the 
Ostrogoth. All the subjects of the em- 
pire, who, by the use of the Latin 
language, more particularly deserved the 
name and privileges of Romans, were 
oppressed by the disgrace and calamities 
of foreign conquest ; and the victorious 
nations of Germany established a new 
system of manners and government in 
the western countries of Europe. The 
majesty of Rome was faintly represented 
by the princes of Constantinople, the 
feeble and imaginary successors of 
Augustus." Vol. ii. pp. 440, 441. " The 
splendid days of Augustus and Trajan 
were eclipsed by a cloud of ignorance 
[a fine illustration of the language 'the 
third part of the sun was smitten, and 
the day shone not, and the night like- 
wise'] ; and the barbarians subverted 
the laws and palaces of Rome." Ibid, 
p. 446. 

Thus ended the history of the Gothic 
period ; and, as I suppose, the immediate 
symbolic representation of the affairs of 
the Western empire. An interval now 
occurs (ver. 15) in the sounding of the 
trumpets, and the scene is transferred, 
in the three remaining trumpets, to the 
Eastern parts of the empire. After that, 
the attention is directed again to the 
West, to contemplate Rome under a 
new form, and exerting a new influence 
in the nations, under the Papacy, but 
destined ultimately to pass away in its 
1 spiritual power, as its temporal power 
had yielded to the elements of internal 
I decay in its bosom, and to the invasions 
of the Northern hordes. 

13. And I beheld. My attention was 
I attracted by a new vision, •[f And heard 
I an angel flying, &c. I heard the voice 
I of an angel making this proclamation. 
* Woe, woe, woe. That is, there will be 
I great woe. The repetition of the word 
j is intensive, and the idea is, that the 
\ sounding of the three remaining trum- 
} pets would indicate great and fearful 
I calamities. These three are grouped to- 
I gether, as if they pertained to a similar 
series of events, as the first four had 
I been. The two classes are separated 



Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants 
of the earth, by reason of the other 
voices of the trumpet of the three 
angels, which are yet to sound. 



from each other by this interval and by 
this proclamation — implying that the 
first series had been completed, and that 
there would be some interval, either of 
space or time, before the other series 
would come upon the world. All thai 
is fairly implied here would be fulfilled 
by the supposition that the former re- 
ferred to the West, and that the lattei 
pertained to the Fast, and were to fol- 
low when those should have been com- 
pleted. 

CHAPTER IX. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

The three remaining trumpets (chs 
ix-xi) are usually called the icoe-trum- 
pets, in reference to the proclamation ol 
woes, ch. viii. 13. Prof. Stuart. The 
three extend, as I suppose, to the end 
of time, or, as it is supposed by the 
writer himself (ch. xi. 15), to the period 
when " the kingdoms of this world shall 
have become the kingdom of Christ." 
embracing a succinct view of the most 
material events that were to occur, par- 
ticularly in a secular point of view. See 
the "Analysis prefixed to the book. In 
ch. xi. 19, as I understand it, a new 
view is commenced, referring to the 
church internally ; the rise of Anti- 
christ, and the effect of the rise of 
that formidable power on the internal 
history of the church, to the time of 
its overthrow, and the triumphant esta- 
blishment of the kingdom of God. This, 
of course, synchronizes in its begin- 
ning and its close with the portion 
already passed over, but with a different 
view. See the Analysis prefixed to ch. 
xi. 19, seq. 

This chapter contains properly three 
parts. 

(1) First, a description of the first of 
those trumpets, or the fifth in the order 
of the whole, vs. 1-12. — This woe is re- 
presented under the figure of calamities 
brought upon the earth by an immense 
army of locusts. A star is seen to fall 
from heaven — representing some mighty 
chieftain, and to him is given the key of 
the bottomless pit. He opens the pit, and 
then comes forth an innumerable swarm 



240 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



CHAPTER IX. 

AND the fifth angel sounded, 
and I saw a star a fall from 

a Lu. 10. 18; c. 8. 10. 

of locusts that darken the heavens, and 
they go forth upon the earth. They 
have a command given them to do a 
certain work. — They are not to hurt the 
earth, or any green thing, but they are 
sent against those men which have not 
the seal of God on their foreheads. 
Their main business, however, was not 
to kill them, but to torment them for a 
limited time — for five months. A des- 
cription of the appearance of the locusts 
then follows. Though they are called 
locusts, because in their general appear- 
ance, and in the ravages they commit, 
they resemble them, yet, in the main, 
they are imaginary beings, and combine 
in themselves qualities which are never 
found united in reality. They had a 
strong resemblance to horses prepared 
for battle ; they wore on their heads 
crowns of gold ; they had the faces of 
men, but the hair of women, and the 
teeth of lions. They had breastplates 
of iron, and tails like scorpions, with 
stings in their tails. They had a mighty 
king at their head, with a name signifi- 
cant of the destruction which he would 
bring upon the world. These myste- 
rious beings had their origin in the 
bottomless pit, and they are summoned 
forth to spread desolation upon the 
earth. 

(2) Second, a description of the second 
of these trumpets, the sixth in order, vs. 
13-19. When this is sounded, a voice 
is heard from the four horns of the 
altar which is before God. The angel is 
commanded to loose the four angels 
which are bound in the great river 
Euphrates. These angels are loosed — 
angels which had been prepared for a 
definite period — a day, and a month, 
and a year, to slay the third part of 
men. — The number of the army that 
would appear — composed of cavalry — 
is stated to amount to two hundred 
thousand, and the peculiarities of these 
horsemen are then stated. They are 
remarkable for having breastplates of 
fire, and jacinth, and brimstone; the 
heads of the horses resemble lions ; 
and they breathe forth fire and brim- 
stone. A third part of men fall before 



heaven unto the earth: and to him 
was given the key of the bottom- 
less pit. b 

b c. 17. 8. 20. 1. 



them, by the fire, and the smoke, and 
the brimstone. Their power is in 
their mouth and in their tails, for their 
tails are like serpents. 

(3) Third, a statement of the effect of 
the judgments brought upon the world 
under these trumpets, vs. 20, 21. The 
effect, so far as the reasonable result 
could have been anticipated, is lost. 
The nutions are not turned from idola- 
try. Wickedness still abounds, and 
there is no disposition to repent of the 
abominations which had been so long 
practised on the earth. 

1. And the fifth angel sounded. See 
Notes on ch. viii. 6, 7. % And I saw a 
star fall from heaven unto the earth. 
This denotes, as was shown in the 
Notes on ch. viii. 10, a leader, a mili- 
tary chieftain, a warrior. — In the fulfil- 
ment of this, as in the former case, we 
look for the appearance of some mighty 
prince and warrior, to whom is given 
power, as it were, to open the bottomless 
pit, and to summon forth its legions. That 
some such agent is denoted by the star, 
is farther apparent from the fact that it 
is immediately added that " to him 
[the star] wa B given the key of the 
bottomless pit." It could not be meant 
that a key would be given to a literal 
star, and we naturally suppose, there- 
fore, that some intelligent being of ex- 
alted rank, and of baleful influence, is 
here referred to. Angels, good and bad, 
are often called stars ; but the reference 
here, as in ch. viii. 10, seems to me not 
to be to angels, but to some mighty 
leader of armies, who was to collect his 
hosts, and to go through the world in 
the work of destruction. ^[ And to him 
was given the key 'f the bottomless pit. 
Of the under-world, considered particu- 
larly of the abode of the wicked. This 
is represented often as a dark prison- 
house, enclosed with walls, and accessi- 
ble by gates or doors. These gates or 
doors are fastened, so that none of the 
inmates can come out, and the key is in 
the hand of the keeper or guardian. In 
ch. i. 18, it is said that the keys of that 
world are in the hand of the Saviour 
(comp. Notes on that passage); here it 



A. D. 96.1 CHAPTER IX. 241 



2 And lie opened the bottomless 
pit; and there arose a smoke out 
of the pit, as the smoke of a great 
furnace ; and the sun and the air 

a Joel 2. 2. 



is said that f-jr a time, and for a tempo- 
rary purpose, they are committed to an- 
other. The word pit — cppiap — denotes, 
properly, a well, or a pit for water dug 
in the earth ; and then any pit, cave, 
abyss. The reference here is doubtless 
to the nether world considered as the 
abode of the wicked dead, the prison- 
house of the guilty. The word bottom- 
less — a&vacos — whence our word abyss, 
means properly without any bottom 
(from a, pr. and pv$o$, depth, bottom). 
It would be applied properly to the 
ocean, or to any deep and dark dell, or 
to any obscure place whose depth was 
imknown. Here it refers to Hades — the 
region of the dead — the abode of wicked 
spirits — as a deep, dark place whose 
bottom was unknown. Having the hey 
to this, is to have the power to confine 
those who are there, or to permit them 
to go at large. The meaning here is 
that this master-spirit would have power 
to evoke the dead from these dark re- 
gions ; and it would be fulfilled if some 
mighty genius, that could be compared 
with a fallen star, or a lurid meteor, 
should summon forth followers which 
would appear like the dwellers in the 
nether world called forth to spread de- 
solation over the earth. 

2. And he opened the bottomless pit. 
It is represented before as wholly con- 
fined, so that not even the smoke or va- 
por could escape. ^ And there arose a 
smoke out of the pit. Comp. ch. xiv. 11. 
The meaning here is, that the pit, as a 
place of punishment, or as the abode of 
the wicked, was filled with burning sul- 
phur, and consequently that it emitted 
smoke and vapor as soon as opened. 
The common image of the place of 
punishment, in the Scriptures, is that of 
a "lake that burns with fire and brim- 
stone." Comp. ch. xiv. 10 ; xix. 20 ; xx. 
10 ; xxi. 8. See also- Ps. xi. 6 ; Ezek. 
xxxviii. 22 ; Isa. xxx. 33. It is not im- 
probable that this image was taken from 
the destruction of Sodom and Gomor- 
rah. Gen. xix. 24. Such burning sul- 
phur would produce, of course, a dense 
b-moke or vapor, and the idea here is, 
21 



were darkened a by reason of the 
smoke of the pit. 

3 And there came out of the 
smoke locusts * upon the earth: 

& Ex. 10. 4, &c 

that the pit had been closed, and that as 
soon as the door was opened, a dense 
column escaped that darkened the hea- 
vens. The purpose of this is, probably, 
to indicate the origin of the plague that 
was about to come upon the world. It 
would be of such a, character that it 
would appear as if it had been emitted 
from hell ; as if the inmates of that dark 
world had broke loose upon the earth. 
Comp. Notes on ch. vi. 8. ^ As the smoke 
of a great furnace. So in Gen. xix. 28, 
whence probably this image is taken ; — 
"And he looked towards Sodom and 
Gomorrah, and all the land of the plain, 
and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the 
country went up as the smoke of a fur- 
nace." •[ And the sun and the air were 
darkened, &c. As will be the case when 
a smoke ascends from a furnace. The 
meaning here is, that an elTeet would be 
produced as if a dense and dark vapor 
should ascend from the under-world. 
We are not, of course, to understand this 
literally. 

3. And there came out of the smoke 
locusts upon the earth. That is, they 
escaped from the pit with the smoke. 
At first they were mingled with the 
smoke so that they were not distinctly 
seen, but when the smoke cleared away, 
they appeared in great numbers. The 
idea seems to be, that the bottomless pit 
was filled with vapor and with those 
creatures, and that as soon as the gate 
was opened the whole contents expand- 
ed and burst forth upon the earth. The 
sun was immediately darkened and the 
air was full, but the smoke soon cleared 
away, so that the locusts became dis- 
tinctly visible. The appearance of these 
locusts is described in another part of 
the chapter, vs. 7, seq. ; The locust is a 
voracious insect belonging to the grass- 
hopper or grylli genus, and is a great 
scourge in Oriental countries. A full 
description of the locust may be seen in 
Robinson's Calmet, and in Kitto's Ency. 
vol. ii. pp. 258, seq. There are ten He- 
brew words to denote the locust, and 
there are numerous references to the 
destructive habits of the insect in th% 



242 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



and unto them was given power 
a ver. 10. 



Scriptures. In fact, from their numbers, 
and their destructive habits, there was 
scarcely any other plague that was so 
much dreaded in the East. Considered as 
a symbol, or emblem, the following remarks 
may be made in explanation : — (1) The 
symbol is Oriental, and would most na- 
turally refer to something that was to 
occur in the East. As locusts have 
appeared chiefly in the East, and as 
they are in a great measure an Oriental 
plague, the mention of this symbol would 
most naturally turn the thoughts to that 
portion of the earth. The symbols of 
the first four trumpets had no especial 
locality, and would suggest no particular 
part of the world ; but, on the mention 
of this, the mind would be naturally 
turned to the East, and we should ex- 
pect to find that the scene of this woe 
would be located in the regions where 
the ravages of locusts most abounded. 
Compare, on this point, Elliott, Horae. 
Apoc, i. 394-406. He has made it pro- 
bable that the prophets, when they used 
symbolical language to denote any 
events, commonly, at least, employed 
those which had a local or geographical 
reference. Thus, in the symbols derived 
from the vegetable kingdom, when Ju- 
dah is to be symbolized, the olive, the 
vine, and the fig-tree are selected ; when 
Egypt is referred to, the reed is chosen ; 
where Babylon, the willow. And so, in 
the animal kingdom, the lion is the 
symbol of Judah ; the wild-ass, of the 
Arabs; the crocodile, of Egypt, &o. 
Whether this theory could be wholly 
carried out or not, no one can doubt that 
the symbol of locusts would most natu- 
rally suggest the Oriental world, and that 
the natural interpretation of the passage 
would lead us to expect its fulfilment 
ihere. (2) Locusts were remarkable for 
their numbers — so great often as to ap- 
oear like clouds, and to darken the sky. 
In this respect, they would naturally be 
symbolical of numerous armies or hosts 
of men. This natural symbol of nume- 
rous armies is often employed by the 
prophets. Thus, in Jer. xlvi. 23 : 

' Cu* down her forest [i. e. her people, or cities], 
saith Jehovah, 
That it may not be found on searching; 
Although they surpass the locusts in multitude, 
4.nd they are without number.*' 



as the scorpions a of the earth have 
power. , 



So in Nahum iii. 15 : 

" There shall the fire devour thee ; 
The sword shall cut thee off j it shall devour thee 

as the locust, 
Increase thyself as the numerous locust." 

So also in Nahum iii. 17 : 

"Thy crown'd princes are as the numerous locust, 

And thy captains as the grasshoppers; 

Which encamp in the fences in the cold day, 

But when the sun ariseth they depart, 

And their place is not known where they were." 

See also Deut. xxviii. 38, 42 ; Ps. Ixxvili. 
46 ; Amos vii. 1. Comp. Judges vi. % 
— 6, vii. 12, and Joel, chs. i. and ii. 
(3) Locusts are an emblem of desolation 
or destruction. No symbol of desolation 
could be more appropriate or striking 
than this, for one of the most remarka- 
ble properties of locusts is, that they 
devour every green thing, and leavt) & 
land perfectly waste. They do this even 
when what they destroy is not necessary 
for their own sustenance. "Locusts 
seem to devour not so much from a 
ravenous appetite as from a rage for 
destroying. Destruction, therefore, and 
not food, is the chief impulse of their 
devastations, and in this consists their 
utility; they are in fact omnivorous. 
The most poisonous plants are indifferent 
to them ; they will prey even upon the 
crowfoot, whose causticity burns ever 
the hides of beasts. They simply con 
sume every thing, without predilection- 
vegetable matter, linens, woollens, sl'k 
leather, &o. ; and Pliny does not ex^g 
gerate them when he says, fores quo( u i 
teetorurn — 'even the doors of hou^ca/ 
for they have been known to consw.*' 
the very varnish of furniture. Tb/v* 
reduce every thing indiscriminately U 
shreds, which become manure." — KUtc'j 
Encyclo. ii. 263. Locusts become, thero 
fore, a most striking symbol of au all- 
devouring army, and as such are oftei/ 
referred to in Scripture. So also h. 
Josephus, de Bello Jud. B. v. eh. vii 
"As after locusts, we see the woodi 
stripped of their leaves, so, in the rear 
of Simon's army, nothing but devastation 
remained." The natural application of 
this symbol, then, is to a numei ms and 
destructive army, or to a great r ultituds 
of people committing ravages, a* 1 sweep* 
ing off every thing in their marcQ. 
<j[ And u7ito them was </iven po*~ tr, ThU 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



243 



4 And it was commanded them 
° that they should not hurt the grass 
of the earth, neither any green thing, 

a c. 6. 6. 



was something that Tvas imparted to 
them beyond their ordinary nature. The 
locust in itself is not strong, and is not 
a symbol of strength. Though destruc- 
tive in the extreme, yet neither as indi- 
viduals, nor as combined, are they dis- 
tinguished for strength. Hence it is 
mentioned as a remarkable circumstance 
that they had such power conferred on I 
them. *[ As the scorpions of the earth, 
have power. The phrase "the earth,", 
seems to have been introduced here be- 
cause these creatures are said to have 
come up from " the bottomless pit," and 
it was natural to compare them with 
some well-known objects found on the 
earth. The scorpion is an animal with 
eight feet, eight eyes, and a long jointed j 
tail, ending in a pointed weapon or sting, j 
It is the largest and the most malignant 
of all the insect tribes. It somewhat 
resembles the lobster in its general ap- 
pearance, but is much more hideous. ' 
See Notes on Luke x. 19. Those found 
in Europe seldom exceed four inches in ; 
length, but in tropical climates, where j 
they abound, they are often found twelve ; 
inches long. There are few animals j 
more formidable, and none more irasci- 
ble, than the scorpion. Goldsmith states 
that Maupertius put about a hundred of 
them together in the same glass, and j 
that as soon as they came into contact, j 
they began to exert all their rage in j 
mutual destruction, so that in a few days 
there remained but fourteen, which had 
killed and devoured all the rest. The j 
sting of the scorpion, Dr. Shaw states, j 
is not always fatal ; the malignity of i 
their venom being in proportion to their 
size and complexion. The torment of a 
scorpion when he strikes a man, is thus 
described by Dioscorides, lib. vii. cap. 7, 
as cited by Mr. Taylor : " When the 
scorpion has stung, the place becomes 
inflamed and hardened; it reddens by 
tension, and is painful by intervals, being 
now chilly, now burning. The pain soon 
rises high, and rages, sometimes more, 
sometimes less. A sweating succeeds, 
attended by a shivering and trembling ; 
the extremities of the body become cold, 
the groin swells, the hair stands on end, 



neither any tree ; but only thosr* 
men which have not the seal * oi 
God in their foreheads. 

b Ex. 12. 23. Job 2. 6. Eze. 9. 4. c. 7. 3. 



the members become pale, and the skin 
feels throughout the sensation of a per- 
petual pricking, as if by needles." — 
Fragments to Calmet, Die. vol. iv. 376, 
377. "The tail of the scorpion is long, 
and formed after the manner of a string 
of beads, the last larger than the others, 
and longer; at the end of which are, 
sometimes, two stings which are hollow, 
and filled with a cold poison, which it 
ejects into the part which it stings." 
Cal. Die. The sting of the scorpion, 
therefore, becomes the emblem of that 
which causes acute and dangerous suf- 
fering. On this comparison with scor- 
pions, see the remark of Niebuhr, quoted 
in the Notes on ver. 7. 

4. And it was commanded them. The 
writer does not say by whom this com- 
mand was given, but it is clearly by 
some one who had the direction of them. 
As they were evoked from the " bottom- 
less pit" by one who had the key to that 
dark abode, and as they are represented 
in ver. 11 as under the command of one 
who is there called Abaddon, or Apollv- 
on, the Destroyer, it would seem most 
probable that the command referred to 
is one that is given by him ; that is, that 
this expresses one of the principles on 
which he would act in his devastations. 
At all events, this denotes what would 
be one of the characteristics of these 
destroyers. Their purpose would be to 
vex and trouble men ; not to spread 
desolation over vineyards, olive-yards, 
and fields of grain. *[ That they should 
not hurt the grass of the earth, &c. See 
Notes on ch. viii. 7. The meaning here 
is plain. There would be some sensf 
in which these invaders would be cha- 
racterized in a manner that was not 
common among invaders, to wit, that 
they would show particular care not to 
carry their devastations into the vegeta- 
ble world. Their warfare would be with 
men, and not with orchards and green 
fields. *[ But only those men ichich have 
not the seal of God in their foreheads. 
See Notes on ch. vii. 2, 3. They com- 
menced war against that part of the 
human race only. The language here 
properly denotes those who were not th*< 



244 



REVELATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



5 And to them it was given that 
they should not kill them, but 
that they should be tormented five 



friends of God. It may here refer, how- 
ever, either to those who in reality were 
not such, or to those who were regarded 
by him who gave this command as not 
being such. In the former case, the 
commission would have respect to real 
infidels in the sight of God; that is, to 
those who rejected the true religion; in 
the latter, it would express the sentiment 
of the leader of this host, as referring to 
those who in his apprehension were in- 
fidels or enemies of God. The true in- 
terpretation must depend on the sense 
in which we understand the phrase "it 
was commanded-^" whether as referring 
to God, or to the leader of the host him- 
self. The language, therefore, is am- 
biguous, and the meaning must be deter- 
mined by the other parts of the passage. 
Either method of understanding the 
passage would be in accordance with its 
fair interpretation. 

6. And to them it was given. There is 
here the same indefiniteness as in the 
former verse, the impersonal verb being 
here also used. The writer does not 
Bay by whom this power was given, 
whether by God, or by the leader of the 
hosi,. It may be admitted, however, 
that the most natural interpretation 
is to suppose that it was given them 
by God, and that this was the exe- 
cution of his purpose in this case. Still, 
it is remarkable that this is not directly 
affirmed, and that the language is so 
general as to admit of the other applica- 
tion. The fact that they did not kill 
them, but tormented them — if such a 
fact should be found to exist — would be 
in every sense a fulfilment of what is 
here said, That they should not kill 
them. This is in accordance with the 
nature of the symbol. The locusts do 
not themselves destroy any living crea- 
ture; and the sting of the scorpion, 
though exceedingly painful, is not usu- 
ally fatal. The proper fulfilment of this 
would be found in that which would not 
be generally fatal, but which would dif- 
fuse misery and wretchedness. Comp. 
ver. 6. Perhaps all that would be ne- 
cessarily meant by this, would be, not 
khat ^dividual men would not be killed, 



months : and their torment was as 
the torment of a scorpion, when he 
striketh a man. 



but that they would be sent to inflict 
plagues and torments rather than to 
take life, and that the characteristic 
effects of their appearing would be dis- 
tress and suffering rather than death. — 
There may be included in the fair inter- 
pretation of the words, general distress 
and sorrow ; acts of oppression, cruelty, 
and violence ; such a condition of public 
suffering that men would regard death as 
a relief if they could find it. ^ But that 
they should be tormented. That is, that 
they should be subjected to ills and 
troubles which might be properly com- 
pared with the sting of a scorpion. 

Five months. So far as the words here 
are concerned, this might be taken lite- 
rally, denoting five months or cue hun- 
dred and fifty days; or as a prophetic 
reckoning, where a day stands for a 
year. Comp. Notes on Dan. ix. 24, seq. 
The latter is undoubtedly the correct 
interpretation here, for it is the charac- 
ter of the book thus to reckon time. 
See Notes on ver. 15. If this be the 
true method of reckoning here, then it 
will be necessary to find some events 
which will embrace about the period of 
one hundred and fifty years, during 
which this distress and sorrow would 
continue. The proper laws of interpre- 
tation demand that one or the other of 
these periods should be found — either 
that of five months literally, or that of 
an hundred and fifty years. It may be 
true, as Prof. Stuart suggests (in loc.) 
that "the usual time of locusts is from 
May to September, inclusive = five 
months. " It may be true, also, that this 
symbol was chosen partly because that 
was the fact, and they would, from that 
fact, be well adapted to symbolize a 
period that could be spoken of as "five 
months ;" but still the meaning must be 
more than simply it was "a short pe« 
riod" as he supposes. The phrase a 
few months might designate such a pe- 
riod, but if that had been the writer's 
intention, he would not have selected 
the definite number five. *f And their 
torment was as the torment of a scorpion t 
Ac. See Notes on ver. 3. That is, it 
would be painful, severe, dangerous. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



245 



6 And in those days shall men ° 
seek death, and shall not find it; 
and shall desire to die, and death 
shall flee from them. 



6. And in those days shall men seek 
death, &c. See Notes on ver. 5. It is 
very easy to conceive of such a state of 
things as is here described, and, indeed, 
this has not been very uncommon in the 
world. It is a state where the distress is 
so great that men would consider death 
a relief, and where they anxiously look 
to the time when they may be released 
from their sufferings by death. In the 
case before us, it is not intimated that 
they would lay violent hands on them- 
selves, or that they would take any po- 
sitive measures to end their sufferings, 
and this, perhaps, may be a circumstance 
of some importance to show that the 
persons referred to were servants of 
God. When it is said that " they would 
sesk death," it can only be meant that 
they would look out for it — or desire it — 
as the end of their sorrows. This is 
descriptive, as we shall see, of a particu- 
lar period of the world ; but the lanc/uage 
is beautifully applicable to what occurs 
in all ages, and in all lands. There is 
always a great number of sufferers who 
are looking forward to death as a re- 
lief. In cells and dungeons ,* on beds of 
pain and languishing ; in scenes of po- 
verty and want; in blighted hopes and 
disappointed affections, how many are 
there who would be glad to die, and 
who have no hope of an end of suffering 
but in the grave! A few, by the pistol, 
by the halter, by poison, or by drown- 
ing, seek thus to end their woes. A 
large part look forward to death as a 
release, when, if the reality were known, 
death would furnish no such relief, for 
there are deeper and longer woes be- 
yond the grave than there are this side 
of it. Comp. Notes on Job iii. 20-22. 
But to a portion death will be a relief. 
It will be an end of sufferings. They 
will find peace in the grave; and are 
assured they shall suffer no more. Such 
bear their trials with patience, for the 
end of all sorrow to them is near, and 
death will come to release their spirits 
from the suffering clay, and to bear 
them in triumph to a world where a 
pang shall never be felt, and a tear 
never shed. 
21* 



7 And the shapes * of the locusts 
ivere like unto horses prepared unto 
battle ; and on their heads were as 

a Job 3. 21 ; Je. 8. 3. b Joel 2. 4. 



7. And the shapes of the locusts were 
like unto horses prepared for battle. 
The resemblance between the locust and 
the horse, dissimilar as they are in most 
respects, has been often marked. Dr. 
Robinson (Bib. Research, i. 59), says, 
" We found to-day upon the shrubs an 
insect, either a species of black locust, 
or much resembling them, which our 
Bedawin called Faras el-Jundy, * sol- 
diers' horses/ They said these insects 
were common on Mount Sinai, of a 
green color, and were found on dead 
trees, but did them no injury." The 
editor of the Pictorial Bible makes the 
following remarks : " The first time we 
saw locusts browsing with their wings 
closed, the idea of comparing them to 
horses arose spontaneously to our minds 
— as we had not previously met with 
such a comparison, and did not at that 
time advert to the present text [Joel ii. 
4.] The resemblance in the head first 
struck our attention, and this notion, 
having once arisen, other analogies were 
found or imagined in its general appear- 
ance and action in feeding. We have since 
found the observation very common. The 
Italians, indeed, from this resemblance, 
call the locust cavaletta, or little horse. 
Sir W. Ouseley reports, 'Zakaria Cazvini 
divides the locusts into two classes, 
like horsemen and footmen — mounted 
and pedestrian/ Niebuhr says, that he 
heard from a Bedouin, near Bussorah, a 
particular comparison of the locust to 
other animals; but as this passage of 
Scripture did not occur to him at the 
time, he thought it a mere fancy of the 
Arab's, till he heard it repeated a* 
Bagdad. He compared the head of the 
locust to that of the horse ; the feet to 
those of the camel; the belly with that 
of a serpent; the tail with that of a 
scorpion ; and the feelers (if Niebuhr 
remembered rightly) to the hair of a 
virgin." Pict. Bib. on Joel, ii. 4. The 
resemblance to horses would naturally 
suggest the idea of cavalry, as being 
referred to by the symbol, And on 
their heads were, as it were, crowns 
like gold. The writer does not say 
either 'that these were literally crowns, 



m REVELATION, [A. D. 96 



it were a crowns like gold, and their 
faces b ivere as the faces of men. 
8 And they had hair as the hair 

a Na. 3. 17. b Da. 7. 4, 8. 



or that they were actually made of gold. 
They were "as it were" — u>s — crowns, 
and they were like — fyiotot — gold. That 
is, as seen by him, they had a resem- 
blance to crowns or diadems, and they 
also resembled gold in their color and 
brilliancy. The word crown — ari^avog — 
means properly a circlet, chaplet, en- 
circling the head, (a) as an emblem of 
royal dignity, and as worn by kings ; 

(b) as conferred on the victors in the 
public games — a chaplet, a wreath ; 

(c) as an ornament, honor, or glory. 
Phil. iv. 1. No particular shape ' is 
designated by the word aricpavog — ste- 
phano8 t and perhaps the word crown 
does not quite express the meaning. The 
word diadem would come nearer to it. 
The true notion in the word is that of 
something that is passed around the 
head, and that encircles it, and as such 
it would well describe the appearance of 
a turban as seen at a distance. On the 
supposition that the symbolic beings 
here referred to had turbans on their 
heads, and on the supposition that 
something was referred to which was 
not much worn in the time of John, 
and which therefore had no name, the 
word Stephanos, or diadem would be 
likely to be used in describing it. This, 
too, would accord with the use of the 
phrase " as it were" — ojg. The writer 
saw such head-ornaments as he was 
accustomed to see. They were not ex- 
actly crowns or diadems, but they had a 
resemblance to them, and he, therefore, 
uses this language : " and on their heads 
were, as it were, crowns." Suppose that 
these were turbans, and that they were 
not in common use in the time of John, 
and that they had, therefore, no name, 
would not this be the exact language 
which he would use in describing them ? 
The same remarks may be made re- 
specting the other expression : like gold. 
They were not pure gold ; but they had 
a resemblance to it. Would not a yellow 
turban correspond with all that is said 
in this description ? And their faces 
were as the faces of men. They had a 
human countenance. This would indi- 
cate that, after all, they were human 



of women, and their teeth c were as 
the teeth of lions. 

9 And they had breastplates, as 

c Ps. 57. 4; Joel 1. 6. 



beings that the symbol described, though 
they had come up from the bottomless 
pit. Horsemen, in strange apparel, with 
a strange head-dress, would be all that 
would be properly denoted by this. 

8. And they had hair as the hair of 
women. Long hair; not such as men 
commonly wear, but such as women 
wear. See Notes on 1 Cor. xi. 14. 
This struck John as a peculiarity, that, 
though warriors, they should have the 
appearance of effeminacy indicated by 
allowing their hair to grow long. It is 
clear from this, that John regarded their 
appearance as unusual and remarkable. 
Though manifestly designed to represent 
an army, yet it was not the usual ap- 
pearance of men who went forth to 
battle. Among the Greeks of ancient 
times, indeed, long hair was not uncom- 
mon (see the Notes above referred to 
on 1 Cor. xi. 14), but this was by no 
means the usual Custom among the 
ancients; and the fact that these war- 
riors had long hair like women was a 
circumstance that would distinguish 
them particularly from others. On this 
comparison of the appearance of the 
locusts with the hair of women, see the 
remarks of Niebuhr, in the Notes on 
ver 7. % And their teeth were as the 
teeth of lions. Strong ; fitted to devour. 
The teeth of the locust are by no means 
prominent, though they are strong, for 
they readily cut down, and eat up, all 
vegetable substances that come in their 
way. But it is evident that John means 
to say that there was much that was un- 
usual and remarkable in the teeth of 
these locusts. They would be ravenous 
and fierce, and would spread terror and 
desolation like the lions of the desert. 

9. And they had breastplates, as it 
were breastplates of iron. Hard, horny, 
impenetrable as if they were made of 
iron. The locust has a firm and hard 
cuticle on the fore-part of the breast, 
which serves for a shield or defence 
while it moves in the thorny and furzy 
vegetation. On those which John saw, 
this was peculiarly hard and horny, and 
would thus be well adapted to be an em- 
blem of the breastplates of iron com- 



k. D. 96.] 



C H APT 



ER IX. 



247 



it were breastplates of iron; and 
the sound of their wings was as the 
sound of c chariots of many horses 
running to battle. 

10 And they had tails like unto 

a Na. 2. 4. 



monly worn by ancient warriors. The 
meaning is, that the warriors referred to 
would be well clad with defensive armor. 
|[ And the sound of their icings was as the 
*ound of chariots of many horses, running 
to battle. The noise made by locusts is 
often spoken of by travellers, and the 
comparison of that noise with that of 
chariots rushing to battle, is not only 
appropriate, but also indicates clearly 
what was symbolized. It was an army 
that was symbolized, and every thing 
about them served to represent hosts of 
men, well armed, rushing to conflict. 
The same thing here referred to is 
noticed by Joel (ch. ii. 4, 5, 7) : 

The appearance of them is as the appearance of 
horses ; 

And as horsemen so shall they run. 

Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains, 

shall they leap ; 
Like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the 

stubble ; 

As a strong people set in battle array 
Thev shall run like mighty men; 
They shall climb the wall like men of war; 
And they shall march every one his ways, and shall 
not break their ranks," &c. 

It is remarkable that Volney, who had 
no intention of illustrating the truth of 
Scripture, has given a description of 
locusts, as if he meant to confirm the 
truth of what is here said : " Syria," 
says he, "as well as Egypt, Persia, and 
almost all the South of Asia, is subject 
to another calamity no less dreadful 
[than earthquakes] ; I mean those clouds 
of locusts so often mentioned by travel- 
lers. The quantity of these insects is 
incredible to all who have not them- 
selves witnessed their astounding num- 
bers; the whole earth is covered with 
them for the space of several leagues. 
The noise they make in browsing on the 
trees and herbage may be heard to a 
great distance, and resembles that of an 
army foraging in secret/' Travels in 
Egypt and Syria, vol. i. pp. 283, 284. 

10. And they had tails like unto scor- 
pions. The fancy of an Arab now often 
discerns a resemblance between the tail 
of the locust and the scorpion. See the 
remark of Niebuhr, quoted in the Notes 
on ver. 7. % And there were stings in 



scorpions, and there were stings in 
their tails : and h their power was 
to hurt men five months. 

11 And they had a king*over 
them, which is the angel of the 

b Yer. 5. c Ep. 2. 2. 



their tails. Like the stings of scorpions. 
See Notes on ver. 3. This made the 
locusts which appeared to John the 
more remarkable, for, though the fancy 
may imagine a resemblance between the 
tail of a locust and a scorpion, yet the 
locusts have properly no sting. The 
only thing which they have resembling 
a sting is a hard bony substance, like a 
needle, with which the female punctures 
the bark and wood of trees in order to 
deposit her eggs. It has, however, no 
adaptation like a sting, for conveying 
poison into a wound. These, however, 
appeared to be armed with stings pro- 
perly so called, And their power ivas 
to hurt men. Not primarily to kill men, 
but to inflict on them various kinds of 
tortures. See Notes on ver. 5. The 
word here used — ahiK^uat, rendered to 
hurt, is different from the word in ver. 5 
— fiaaiviaSiocri — rendered should be tor- 
mented. This word properly means to 
do wrong, to do unjustly, to injure, to 
hurt ; and the two words would seem to 
convey the idea that they would produce 
distress by doing wrong to others ; or by 
dealing unjustly with them. It does not 
appear that the wrong would be by in- 
flicting bodily torments, but would be 
characterized by that injustice towards 
others which produces distress and an- 
guish. % Five months. See Notes on ver. 5. 

11. And they had a king over thenu 
A ruler who marshalled their hosts. Lo- 
custs often, and indeed generally, move 
in bands, though they do not appear 
to be under the direction of any one as 
a particular ruler or guide. In this case 
it struck John as a remarkable pecu- 
liarity that they had a king — a king 
who, it would seem, had the absolute 
control, and to whom was to be traced 
all the destruction which would ensue 
from their emerging from the bottom- 
less pit. ^[ Which is the angel of the 
bottomless pti. Notes, ver. 1. The word 
angel here would seem to refer to the 
chief of the evil angels, who presided 
over the dark and gloomy regions from 
whence the locusts seemed to emerge. 



248 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



bottomless pit, whose name in the 
Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in 

# : 

This may either mean that this evil 
angel seemed to command them person- 
ally, or that his spirit was infused into 
the leader of these hosts. ^[ Whose name 
in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon. The 
name Abaddon means literally destruc- 
tion, and is the same as Apollyon. But 
in the Greek tongue hath his name 
Apollyon. From cnroXXv/xi — to destroy. 
The word properly denotes a destroyer, 
and the name is given to this king of 
the hosts represented by the locusts, 
because this would be bis principal cha- 
racteristic. 

After this minute explanation of the 



the Greek tongue hath his name 
a Apollyon. 

a That is, a destroyer. 



literal meaning of the symbol, it may be 
useful, before attempting to apply it, 
and to ascertain the events designed to 
be represented, to have a distinct im- 
pression of the principal image — the 
locust. It is evident that this is, in 
many respects, a creature of the ima- 
gination, and that we are not to expect 
the exact representation to be found in 
any forms of actual existence in the 
animal creation. The following cut, 
prepared by Mr. Elliott (vol. i. p. 410), 
will give a sufficiently accurate repre- 
sentation of this symbolical figure as it 
appeared to John. 




The question now is, whether any 
events occurred in history, subsequent 
to, and succeeding those supposed to be 
referred to in the fourth seal, to which 
this symbol would be applicable. — Rea- 
sons have already been suggested for 
supposing that there was a transfer of 
the seat of the operations to another 
part of the world. The first four trum- 
pets referred to a continual series of 
events of the same general character, 
and having a proper close. These 
have been explained as referring to the 
successive shocks which terminated in 
the downfall of the Western empire. At 
the close of that series there is a pause 
in the representation (ch. viii. 13), and a 
solemn proclamation that other scenes 
were to open distinguished for woe. 
These were to be symbolized in the 



sounding of the remaining three trum- 
pets, embracing the whole period till the 
consummation of all things — or sketch- 
ing great and momentous events in the 
future, until the volume sealed with the 
seven seals (ch. v. 1) should have been 
wholly unrolled and its contents dis- 
closed. The whole scene now is changed 
Rome has fallen. It has passed into 
the hands of strangers. The power that 
had spread itself over the world has, in 
that form, come to an end, and is to 
exist no more — though, as we shall see 
(ch. xi., seq.), another power, quite as 
formidable, existing there, is to be 
described by a new set of symbols. But 
here (ch. ix.) a new power appears. The 
scenery is all Oriental, and clearly has 
reference to events that were to spring 
up in the East. With surprising una- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



249 



nimity, commentators have agreed in 
regarding this as referring to the em- 
pire of the Saracens, or to the rise and 
progress of the religion, and the empire, 
set up by Mohammed. The enquiry 
now is, whether the circumstances intro- 
duced into the symbol find a proper ful- 
filment in the rise of the Saracenic 
power, and in the conquests of the 
Prophet of Mecca. 

(1) The country teller e the scene is laid. 
As already remarked, the scene is Orien- 
tal — for the mention of locusts naturally 
suggests the East — that being the part 
of the world where they abound, and 
they being in fact peculiarly an Oriental 
plague. It may now be added, that, in 
a more strict and proper sense, Arabia 
may be intended ; that is, if it be ad- 
mitted that the design was to symbolize 
events pertaining to Arabia, or the ga- 
thering of the hosts of Arabia for con- 
quest, the symbol of locusts would have 
been employed, for the locust, the 
groundwork of the symbol, is peculiarly 
Arabic. It was the east wind which 
brought the locusts on Egypt (Ex. x. 
13), and they must therefore have come 
from some portion of Arabia — for Arabia 
is the land that lies over against Egypt 
in the East. Such, too, is the testimony 
of Volney, " the most judicious," as Mr. 
Gibbon calls him, " of modern travel- 
lers." " The inhabitants of Syria," says 
he, " have remarked that locusts come 
constantly from the desert of Arabia." 
Ch. xx. Sect. 5. All that is necessary to 
say further on this point is, that on the 
supposition that it was the design of the 
Spirit of inspiration in the passage 
before us, to refer to the followers of 
Mohammed, the image of the locusts 
was that which would be naturally se- 
lected. There was no other one so ap- 
propriate and so striking; no one that 
would so naturally designate the coun- 
try of Arabia. As some confirmation of 
this, or as showing how natural the 
symbol would be, a remark may be in- 
troduced from Mr. Forster. In his Ma- 
hommedanism Unveiled (i. 217), he says, 
"In the Bedoween romance of An tar, 
the locust is introduced as the national 
emblem of the Ishmaelites. And it is a 
remarkable coincidence that Mahom- 
medan tradition speaks of locusts having 
dropped into the hands of Mahomet, 
bearing on their wings this inscription 
— 'We are the army of the Great 



God/" These circumstances will sho"0 
the propriety of the symbol on the 
supposition that it refers to Arabia and 
the Saracens. 

(2) The people. The question is, whe- 
ther there was any thing in the symbol, 
as described by John, which would pro- 
perly designate the followers of Moham- 
med, on the supposition that it was 
designed to have such a reference, 
(a) As to numbers. Judges vi. 5 : 
" They (the Midianite Arabs) came- as 
locusts for multitude." See Notes on 
ver. 3. Nothing would better represent 
the numbers of the Saracenic hordes that 
came out of Arabia, and that spread 
over the East, over Egypt, Libya, Mau- 
ritania, Spain, and that threatened to 
spread over Europe, than such an army 
of locusts. " One hundred years after 
his flight [Mohammed] from Mecca," 
says Mr. Gibbon, " the arms and reigns 
of his successors extended from India 
to the Atlantic ocean, over the various 
and distant provinces which may be 
comprised under the names of Persia, 
Syria, Egypt, Africa, and Spain." iii. 410. 
"At the end of the first century of the 
Hegira, the caliphs were the most potent 
and absolute monarchs cn the globe. 
Under the last of the Ommiades, the 
Arabian empire extended two hundred 
days' journey from east to west, from 
the confines of Tartary and India to the 
shores of the Atlantic ocean." Ibid, p. 460. 
In regard to the immense hosts employed 
in these conquests, an idea may be 
formed by a perusal of the whole 51st 
chapter in Gibbon (vol. iii. pp. 408-461). 
Those hosts issued primarily from Ara- 
bia, and in their numbers would be well 
compared with the swarms of locusts 
that issued from the same country, si 
numerous as to darken the sky. (b) The 
description of the people. Their faces 
ivere as the faces of men. This would 
seem to be in contrast with other people, 
or to denote something that was peculiar 
in the appearance of tho persons repre- 
sented. In other words, the meaning 
would seem to be, that there was some- 
thing manly and warlike in their appear- 
ance, so far as their faces were concerned. 
It is remarkable that the appearance of 
the Goths (represented, as I suppose, 
under the previous trumpets) is describeo 
by Jerome (Com. on Isa. viii.) as quite 
the reverse. They are described as 
having faces shaven and smooth ; facesj 



250 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 98 



Va contrast with the bearded Romans, 
{ike women's faces.* Is it fancy to sup- 
pose that the reference here is to the 
beard and moustache of the Arabic 
hosts ? We know with what care they 
regarded the beard ; and if a representa- 
tion was made of them, especially in 
contrast with nations that shaved their 
faces, and who thus resembled women, 
it would be natural to speak of those 
represented in the symbol as "having 
faces as the faces of men." They had 
hair as the hair of women. A strange 
mingling of the appearance of effemi- 
nacy with the indication of manliness 
and courage. See Notes on ver. 8. And 
yet this strictly accords with the appear- 
ance of the Arabs or Saracens. Pliny, 
the contemporary of John, speaks of the 
Arabs then as having the hair long and 
uncut, with the moustache on the upper 
lip, or the beard: Arabes mitrati sunt, 
aut intonso crine. Barba abraditur, 
praeterquam in superiors labro. Aliis 
et haec intonsa. Nat. His. vi. 28. So 
Solinus describes them in the third cen- 
tury (Plurimis crinis intonsus, mitrata 
capita, pars rasa in cutem barba, c. 53); 
so Ammianus Marcellinus, in the fourth 
century (Crinitus quidam a Saraceno- 
rum cuneo, xxxi. 16) ; and so Claudian, 
Theodore of Mopsuesta, and Jerome, in 
the fifth. Jerome lived about two cen- 
turies before the great Saracen invasion, 
and as he lived at Bethlehem, on the 
borders of Arabia, he must have been 
familiar with the appearance of the 
Arabs. Still later, in that most charac- 
teristic of Arab poems, Antar, a poem 
written in the time of Mohammed's 
childhood, we find the moustache, and 
the beard, and the long flowing hair on 
ihe shoulder, and the turban, all speci- 
*» f ed as characteristic of the Arabians. 
" He adjusted himself properly, twisted 
his whiskers, and folded up his hair un- 
der his turban, drawing it from off his 
shoulders." i. 340. "His hair flowed 
down on his shoulders." i. 169. "Antar 
cut off Maudi's hair in revenge and in- 
sult." iii. 117. " We will hang him up 
by his hair." iv. 325. See Elliott, i. 
411, 412. Comp. Newton on the Pro- 
phecies, p. 485. And on their heads 
were as it were crowns of gold. Notes 
ver 7. That is, diadems, or something 
that appeared like crowns, or chaplets. 

* Foemineas incisas facies praeferentes, virorum et 
■see barbatorum fusienta terga confodiunt. 



This will agree well with the turixtn 
worn by the Arabs or Saracens, andl 
which was quite characteristic of them 
in the early periods when they became 
known. So in the passage already 
quoted, Pliny speaks of them as Arabes 
mitrati; so Solinus, mitrata capita; so 
in the poem of Antar, " he folded up his 
hair under his turban." It is remarkable 
also that Ezekiel (ch. xxiii. 42) describes 
the turbans of the Sabean or Kcturite 
Arabs, under the very appellation here 
used by John : " Sabeans from the wil- 
derness, which put beautiful crowns upon 
their heads." So in the Preface to An- 
tar, it is said, "It was a usual saying 
among them, that God had bestowed 
four peculiar things on the Arabs ; that 
their turbans should be unto them in- 
stead of diadems, their tents instead of 
walls and houses, their swords instead 
of intrenchments, and their poems in- 
stead of written laws." Mr. Forster, in 
his "Mohammedanism Unveiled," quotes 
as a precept of Mohammed, "Make a 
point of wearing turbans, because it is 
the way of angels." Turbans might 
then with propriety be represented as 
crowns, and no doubt these were often 
so gilded and ornamented that they 
might be spoken of as "crowns of gold." 
They had breastplates, as it were breast- 
plates of iron. See the Notes on ver. 9. 
As a symbol, this would be properly de- 
scriptive of the Arabians or Saracens. 
In the poem Antar, the steel and iron 
cuirasses of the Arab warriors are fre- 
quently noticed : "A warrior immersed 
in steel armor." ii. 203. " Fifteen thou- 
sand men armed with cuirasses, and well 
accoutred for war." ii. 42. " They were 
clothed in iron armor, and brilliant 
cuirasses." i. 23.^ " Out of the dust ap- 
peared horsemen clad in iron." iii. 274. 
The same thing occurs in the Koran : 
" God hath given you coats of mail to 
defend you in your wars." ii. 104. In 
the history of Mohammed, we read ex- 
pressly of the cuirasses of himself and 
of his Arab troops. Seven cuirasses are 
noted in the list of Mohammed's private 
armory. Gagnier, iii. 328-334. In his 
second battle with the Koreish, seven 
hundred of his little army are spoken or" 
by Mr. Gibbon as armed with cuirasses. 
See Elliott, i. 413. These illustrations 
will show with what propriety the locusts 
in the symbol were represented as having 
breastplates like breastplates of iron. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



25) 



On the supposition that this referred to 
the Arabs and the Saracens, this would 
have been the very symbol which would 
have been used. Indeed all the features 
in the symbol are precisely such as 
would properly be employed on the sup- 
position that the reference was to them. 
It is true that, beforehand, it might not 
have been practicable to describe exactly 
what people were referred to, but (1) it 
would be easy to see that some fearful 
calamity was to be anticipated from the 
ravages of hosts of fearful invaders,* 
and (2) when the events occurred, there 
would be no difficulty in determining to 
whom this application should be made. 

(3) The time when this xoould occur. 
As to this, there can be no difficulty in 
the application to the Saracens. On the 
supposition that the four first trumpets 
refer to the downfall of the Western em- 
pire, then the proper time supposed to 
be represented by this symbol is subse- 
quent to that; and yet the manner in 
which the last three trumpets are intro- 
duced (ch. viii. 13) shows that there 
would be an interval between the sound- 
ing of the last of the four trumpets and 
the sounding of the fifth. The events 
referred to, as I have supposed, as re- 
presented by the fourth trumpet, occur- 
red in the close of the fifth century (A. D. 
476-490). The principal events in the 
seventh century, were connected with 
the invasions and conquests of the Sara- 
cens. The interval of a century is not 
more than the fair interpretation of the 
proclamation in ch. viii. 13 would jus- 
tify. 

(4) The commission given to the sym- 
bolical locusts. This embraces the fol- 
lowing things : — (a) They were not to 
hurt the grass of the earth, nor any 
green thing; (b) they were especially to 
go against those who had not the seal of 
God in their foreheads ; (c) they were 
not to kill them, but were to torment 
them. — They were not to hurt the grass 
of the earth, &o. Notes ver. 4. This 
agrees remarkably with an express com- 
mand in the Koran. The often-quoted 
order of the Caliph Aboubeker, the 
father-in-law and successor of Moham- 
med, issued to the Saracen hordes on 
their invasion of Syria, shows what was 
understood to be the spirit of their reli- 
gion : " Remember that you are always 
in the presence of God, on the verge of 
death, in the assurance of judgment, 



and the hope of paradise. Avoid injus- 
tice and oppression; consult with youi 
brethren, and study to procure the love 
and confidence of your troops. "When 
you fight the battle of the Lord, acquit 
yourselves like men, without turning 
your backs ; but let not the victory fro 
stained with the blood of women or chil- 
dren. Destroy no palm-trees, nor burn 
any fields of corn. Cut down no fruit- 
trees, nor do any mischief to cattle, only 
such as you hill ro eat. When you make 
any covenant or article, stand to it, and 
be as good as your word. As you go on 
you will find some religious persons wh< 
live retired in monasteries, and propose 
to themselves to serve God in that way : 
let them alone, and neither kill them'' 
[And to them it was given that they 
should not kill them, ver. 5], "nor de- 
stroy their monasteries," &c. Gibbon, 
iii. 417, 418. So Mr. Gibbon notices this 
precept of the Koran : — " In the siege of 
Tayaf," says he, "sixty miles from 
Mecca, Mahomet violated his own laics 
by the extirpation of the fruit-trees." ii, 
392. The same order existed among the 
Hebrews, and it is not improbable that 
Mohammed derived his precept from the 
command of Moses (Deut. xx. 19), though 
what was mercy among the Hebrews was 
probably mere policy with him. This 
precept is the more remarkable because 
it has been the usual custom in war, and 
particularly among barbarians and semi- 
barbarians, to destroy grain and fruit, 
and especially to cut down fruit-trees, in 
order to do greater injury to an enemy. 
Thus we have seen (Notes on ch. viii. 
7), that in the invasion of the Goths, 
their course was marked by desolations 
of this kind. Thus, in more modern 
times, it has been common to carry the 
desolations of war into gardens, orchards, 
and vineyards. In the single province 
of Upper Messenia, the troops of Mo- 
hammed Ali, in the war with Greece, 
cut down half a million of olive-trees, 
and thus stripped the country of itg 
means of wealth. So Scio was a beau- 
tiful spot, the seat of delightful villas, 
and gardens, and orchards; and in one 
day all this beauty was destroyed. — On 
the supposition, therefore, that this pre- 
diction had reference to the Saracens, 
nothing could be more appropriate. In- 
deed, in all the history of barbarous and 
savage warfare, it would be difficult to 
find another distinct command that iso 



252 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 9*5 



injury should be done to gardens and 
orchards, (b) Their commission was 
expressly against " those men who had 
not the seal of God in their foreheads." 
See Notes on ver. 4. That is, they were 
to go either against those who were not 
really the friends of God, or those who 
in their estimation were not. Perhaps, 
if there were nothing in the connexion 
to demand a different interpretation, the 
former would be the most natural ex- 
planation of the passage; but the lan- 
guage may be understood as referring to 
the purpose which they considered them- 
selves as called upon to execute: — that 
is, that they were to go against those 
whom they regarded as being strangers 
to the true God, to wit, idolaters. Now, 
it is well known that Mohammed consi- 
dered himself called upon, principally, 
to make war with idolaters, and that he 
went forth, professedly, to bring them 
into subjection to the service of the true 
God. " The means of persuasion," says 
Mr. Gibbon, " had been tried, the season 
of forbearance was elapsed, and he was 
now commanded to propagate his reli- 
gion by the sword, to destroy the monu- 
ments of idolatry, and without regarding 
the sanctity of days or months— to pur- 
sue the unbelieving nations of the earth." 
iii. 387. " The fair option of friendship, 
or submission, or battle, was proposed to 
the enemies of Mohammed." Ibid. " The 
sword," says Mohammed, "is the key 
of heaven and hell; a drop of blood 
shed in the cause of God, a night spent 
in arms, is of more avail than two 
months of fasting and prayer; whosoever 
falls in battle, his sins are forgiven : at 
the day of judgment his wounds shall 
be resplendent as vermilion and odor- 
iferous as musk; and the loss of his 
limbs shall be supplied by the wings of 
angels and cherubim." Gibbon, iii. 387. 
The first conflicts waged by Mohammed 
were against the idolaters of his own 
country — those who can, on no supposi- 
tion, be regarded as "having the seal 
of God in their foreheads ;" his subse- 
quent wars were against infidels of all 
classes, that is, against those whom he 
regarded as not having the " seal of God 
in their foreheads/' or as being the ene- 
mies of God. (c) The other part of the 
commission was "not to kill, but to tor- 
ment them." Notes ver. 5. Comp. the 
quotation from the command of Abube- 
£ir, as quoted above : " Let not the vie- 
22 



tory be stained with the blood of womeu 
and children." "Let them alone, and 
neither kill them nor destroy their mon- 
asteries." The meaning of this, if un- 
derstood as applied to their commission 
against Christendom, would seem to be, 
that they were not to go forth to "kill," 
but to " torment" them ; to wit, by the 
calamities which they would bring upon 
Christian nations for a definite period. 
Indeed, as we have seen above, it was 
an express command of Abubekir that 
they should not put those to death 
who were found leading quiet and 
peaceable lives in monasteries, though 
against another class, he did give an ex- 
press command to " cleave their skulls." 
See Gibbon, iii. 418. As applicable to 
the conflicts of the Saracens with Chris- 
tians, the meaning here would seem to 
be, that the power conceded to those 
who are represented by the locusts was 
not to cut off and to destroy the church, 
but it was to bring upon it various cala- 
mities to continue for a definite period. 
Accordingly, some of the severest afflic- 
tions which have come upon the church 
have undoubtedly proceeded from the 
followers of the Prophet of Mecca. There 
were times in the early history of that 
religion, when to all human appearance 
it would universally prevail, and wholly 
supplant the Christian church. But the 
church still survived, and no power was 
at any time given to the Saracenic hosts 
to destroy it altogether. In respect to 
this, some remarkable facts have oc- 
curred in history. The followers of the 
false prophet contemplated the subjuga- 
tion of Europe, and the destruction of 
Christianity, from two quarters — the 
East and the West — expecting to make 
a junction of the two armies in the 
North of Italy, and to march down to 
Rome. Twice did they attack the vital 
part of Christendom by besieging Con- 
stantinople ; first, in the seven years' 
siege, which lasted from A. D. 668 to 
A. D, 675, and secondly, in the yeara 
716-718, when Leo the Isaurian was on 
the imperial throne. But, on both oc- 
casions, they were obliged to retire de- 
feated and disgraced. Gibbon, iii. 461, 
seq. Again, they renewed their attack 
on the West. Having conquered North- 
ern Africa, they passed over into Spain, 
subdued that country and Portugal, and 
extended their conquests as far as the 
Laire. At that time, they designed to 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER IX. 



253 



subdue France, and having united with 
the forces which they expected from the 
East, they intended to make a descent 
on Italy, and complete the conquest of 
Europe. This purpose was defeated by 
the valor of Charles Martel, and Europe 
and the Christian world were saved from 
subjugation. Gibbon, iii. 467, seq. "A 
victorious line of march," says Mr. Gib- 
bon, " had been prolonged above a thou- 
sand miles, from the rock of Gibraltar 
to the mouth of the Loire ; the repetition 
of an equal space would have carried 
the Saracens to the confines of Poland, 
and the highlands of Scotland. The 
Rhine is not more impassable than the 
Nile or the Euphrates, and the Arabian 
fleet might have sailed without a naval 
combat into the mouth of the Thames. 
Perhaps the interpretation of the Koran 
would now be taught in the schools of 
Oxford, and her pulpits might demon- 
strate to a circumcised people, the sanc- 
tity and truth of the revelations of 
Mahomet." The arrest of the Saracen 
hosts before Europe was subdued, was 
what there was no reason to anticipate, 
and it even yet perplexes historians to 
be able to account for it. "The calm 
historian," says Mr. Gibbon, "who 
strives to follow the rapid course of the 
Saracens, must study to explain by 
what means the church and state were 
saved from this impending, and, as it 
should seem, inevitable danger." " These 
conquests," says Mr. Hallam, "which 
astonish the careless and superficial, are 
less perplexing to a calm inquirer than 
their cessation — the loss of half the 
Roman empire than the preservation of 
the rest." Middle Ages, ii. 3, 169. 
These illustrations may serve to explain 
the meaning of the symbol — that their 
grand commission was not to annihilate 
or root out, but to annoy and afflict. 
Indeed, they did not go forth with a 
primary design to destroy. The an- 
nouncement of the Mussulman always 
was, "the Koran, the tribute, or the 
sword," and when there was submission, 
either by embracing his religion, or by 
tribute, life was always spared. "The 
fair option of friendship, or submission, 
or battle," says Mr. Gibbon (iii. 387), 
" was proposed to the enemies of Maho- 
met." Comp. also, vol. iii. 453, 456. 
. The torment mentioned here, I suppose, 
refers to the calamities brought upon 
the Christian world — on Egypt, and 



Northern Africa, and Spain, and Gaulj 
and the East, by the hordes which came 
out of Arabia, and which swept over all 
those countries, like a troublesome and 
destructive host of locusts. Indeed, 
would any image better represent the 
effects of the Saracenic invasions, than 
such a countless host of locusts ? Even 
now, can we find an image that would 
better represent this ? 

(5) The leader of this host, (a) He 
was like a star that fell from heaven 
(ver. 1), a bright and illustrious prince, 
as if heaven-endowed, but fallen. Would 
anything better characterize the genius, 
the power, and the splendid but per- 
verted talent of Mohammed ? Moham- 
med was, moreover, by birth, of the 
princely house of the Koreish, governors 
of Mecca, and to no one could the term 
be more appropriate than to one of that 
family, (b) He was a king. That is, 
there was to be one monarch — one ruling 
spirit to which all these hosts were sub- 
ject. And never was any thing more 
appropriate than this title as applied to 
the leader of the Arabic host?. All those 
hosts were subject to one mind — to the 
command of the single leader that origi- 
nated the scheme, (e) The name, Abad- 
don, or Apollyon — Destroyer, ver. 11. 
This name would be appropriate to one 
who spi»ead his conquests so far over the 
world; who wasted so many cities and 
towns ; who overthrew so many king- 
doms; and who laid the foundation of 
ultimate conquests by which so many 
human beings were sent to the grave. 
(d) The description of the leader "as 
the angel of the bottomless pit." ver. 11. 
If this be regarded as meaning that "the 
angel of the bottomless pit" — the Spirit 
of darkness himself — originated the 
scheme, and animated these hosts, what 
term would better characterize the lead- 
er ? And if it be a poetic description of 
Mohammed as sent out by that presiding 
spirit of evil, how could a better repre- 
sentative of the spirit of the nether world 
have been sent out upon the earth 
than he was — one more talented, more 
sagacious, more powerful, more warlike, 
more wicked, more fitted to subdue the 
nations of the earth to the dominion of 
the Prince of darkness, and to hold them 
for ages under his yoke ? 

(6) The duration of the torment. It U 
said (ver. 5) that this would be fiv* 
mcnths ; that is, prophetically, an hun. 



554 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



dred and fifty years. See Notes on ver. 
5. The Hegira, or flight cf Mohammed, 
occurred A. D. 622; the Saracens first 
issued from the desert into Syria, and 
began their series of wars on Christen- 
dom, A. D. 629. Reckoning from these 
"periods respectively, the five months, or 
the hundred and fifty years, would ex- 
tend to A. D. 772, or 779. It is not 
necessary to understand this period of 
an hundred and fifty years, of the actual 
continued existence of the bodies sym- 
bolized by the locusts, but only of the 
period in which they would inflict their 
" torment" — "that they should be tor- 
mented five months." That is, this 
would be the period of the intensity of 
the woe inflicted by them ; there would 
be at that time some marked inter- 
mission of the torment. The question 
then is, whether, in the history of the 
Saracens, there was any period after 
their career of conquest had been con- 
tinued for about an hundred and fifty 
years, which would mark the inter- 
mission or cessation of these " torments." 
If so, then this is all that is necessary to 
determine the applicability of the symbol 
to the Arabian hordes. Now, in reply 
to this question, we have only to refer to 
Mr. Gibbon. The table of contents pre- 
fixed to chapters forty-one and forty- 
two of his work, would supply all the 
information desired. I looked at that 
table, after making the estimate as to 
what period the " five months," or hun- 
dred and fifty years, would conduct us 
to, to see whether any thing occurred at 
about that time in the Mohammedan 
power and influence, which could be 
regarded as marking the time of the 
intermission or cessation of the cala- 
mities inflicted by the Arabic hordes on 
the Christian world. After Mr. Gibbon 
had recorded in detail (vol. iii. 360-460) 
the character and conquests of the Ara- 
bian hordes under Mohammed and his 
successors, I find the statement of the 
decline of their power at just about the 
period to which the hundred and fifty 
years would lead us, for at that very 
tirae an important change came over the 
followers of the prophet of Mecca, turn- 
ing them from the love of conquest to 
the pursuits of literature and science. 
Prom that period, they ceased to be 
Formidable to the church ; their limits 
irere gradually contracted; their power 
iiminished; and the Chrftian world, 



in regard to them, was substantially at 
peace. This change in the character 
and purposes of the Saracens is thus 
described by Mr. Gibbon, at the close 
of the reign of the caliph Abdalrahman, 
whose reign commenced A. D. 755, and 
under whom the peaceful sway of the 
Ommiades of Spain began, which con- 
tinued for a period of two hundred 
and fifty years. " The luxury of the 
caliphs, so useless to their private hap- 
piness, relaxed the nerves, and termi- 
nated the progress, of the Arabian 
empire. Temporal and spiritual con- 
quest had been the sole occupation of 
the successors of Mahomet; and after 
supplying themselves with the neces- 
saries of life, the whole revenue was 
scrupulously devoted to that salutary 
work. The Abassides were impoverish 
ed by the multitude of their wants, an 
their contempt of economy. Instead o 
pursuing the great object of ambition 
their leisure, their affections, and the 
powers of their minds, were diverted by 
pomp and pleasure : the rewards of valor 
were embezzled by women and eunuchs 
and the royal camp was encumbered b 
the luxury of the palace. . A simiia 
temper was diffused among the subjects 
of the caliph. Their stern enthusiasm 
was softened by time and prosperity; 
they sought riches in the occupations of 
industry, fame in the pursuits of lite- 
rature, and happiness in the tranquillity 
of domestic life. War was no longer 
the passion of the Saracens ; and the 
increase of pay, the repetition of dona- 
tive, were insufficient to allure the pos- 
terity of these voluntary champions who 
had crowded to the standard of Abubeker 
and Omar for the hopes of the spoil of 
paradise." iii. 477, 478. Of the Ommi- 
ades, or princes who succeeded Abdal- 
rahman, Mr. Gibbon remarks in general, 
" Their mutual designs or declarations 
of war evaporated without effect; but 
instead of opening a door to the con- 
quest of Europe, Spain was dissevered 
from the trunk of the monarchy, engaged 
in perpetual hostility with the East, and 
inclined to peace and friendship with the 
Christian sovereigns of Constantinople 
and France." iii. p. 472. Fow much 
does this look like some change occur- 
ring by which they would cease to be a 
source of " torment" to the nations with 
whom they now dwelt! From this 
period, they gave themselves to the 



A, D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



255 



12 One a woe is past; and, be- 

a c 8. 13. 

arts of peace; cultivated literature and 
science ; lost entirely their spirit of 
conquest, and their ambition for uni- 
versal dominion, until they gradually 
withdrew, or were driven from those 
parts of the Christian world where they 
had inspired most terror, and which in 
the days of their power and ambition 
they had invaded. By turning merely 
to the table of " contents" of Mr. Gib- 
bon's history, the following periods, 
occurring at about the time that would 
be embraced in the "five months," or 
hundred and fifty years, are distinctly 
marked : 

" A. D. 668-675. First siege of Constan- 
tinople by the Arabs. 

" 677. Peace and tribute. 

" 716-18. Second siege of Con- 
stantinople. 

" " Failure and retreat of the 
Saracens. 

" " Invention and use of the 

Greek fire. 
" 721. Invasion of France by the 

Arabs. 

732. Defeat of the Saracens by 
Charles Martel. 
1 " They retreat before the 
Franks. 

" 750. The elevation of the 

Abassides. 
750. Fall of the Ommiades. 
" 755. Revolt of Spain. 
u « Triple division of the cali- 
phate. 

" 750-960. Magnificence of the 
caliphs. 

% " Its consequence on private 
and public happiness. 
734, &e. Introduction of learn- 
ing among the Arabians. 

» ; " Their real progress in the 
sciences." 

I It tfill be seen from this that the decline 
of their military and civil power ; their 

I defeats in their attempts to subjugate 
Europe ; their turning their attention to 
the peaceful pursuits of literature and 
science, synchronize remarkably with 
the period that would be indicated by 

[ the five months, or the hundred and 
fifty 3 r ears. It should be added, also, 
that in the year 762, Almanzor, the 
'Daliph, built Bagdad, and made it the 



hold, there come two woes more 
hereafter. 



capital of the Saracen empire. Hence- 
forward that became the seat of Arabio 
learning, luxury, and power, and the 
wealth and talent of the Saracen empire 
were gradually drawn to that capital, 
and they ceased to vex and annoy the 
Christian world. The building of Bag- 
dad occurred within just ten years of 
the time indicated by the " five months" 
— reckoning that from the Hegira, or 
flight of Mohammed; or reckoning from 
the time when Mohammed began to 
preach (A. D. 609, Gibbon, iii. 383), it 
wanted but three years of coinciding 
exactly with the period. 

These considerations show with what 
propriety the fifth trumpet — the symbol 
of the locusts — is referred to the Ara- 
bian hordes under the guidance of Mo- 
hammed and his successors. On the 
supposition that it was the design of 
John to symbolize these events, the 
symbol has been chosen which of all 
others was best adapted to the end. 
If, now that those events are passed, 
we should endeavor to find some sym- 
bol which would appropriately repre- 
sent them, we could not find one that 
would be more striking or appropriate 
than that which is here employed by 
John. 

12. One woe is past. The woe referred 
to in vs. 1-11. In chapter viii. 13, three- 
woes are mentioned which were to occur 
successively, and which were to em- 
brace the whole of the period comprised 
in the seven seals, and the seven trum- 
pets. Under the last of the seals, we 
have considered four successive periods, 
referring to events connected with the 
downfall of the Western empire; and 
then, we have found one important 
event, worthy of a place in noticing the 
things which would permanently affect 
the destiny of the world — the rise, the 
character, and the conquests of the Sa- 
racens. This was referred to by the 
first icoe-trumpet. We enter now on the 
consideration of the second. This occu- 
pies the remainder of the chapter, and in 
illustrating it the same method will be 
pursued as heretofore ; first, to explain 
the literal meaning of the words, phrases, 
and symbols ; and then to enquire what 
events in history, if any, succeeding the 



256 



BE V EL ATI ON, 



[A. D. 



13 And the sixth ang^l sounded, 
and I heard a voice from the four 
horns of the golden altar which is 
before God, 

14 Saying to the sixth angel 



former, occurred, whieh would correspond 
with the language used, And behold 
there come two woes hereafter. Two 
momentous and important events that 
will be attended with sorrow to man- 
kind. It cannot be intended that there 
would be no other evils that would visit 
mankind; but the eye, in glancing along 
the future, rested on these as having 
a special pre-eminence in affecting the 
destiny of the church and the world. 

13. And the sixth angel sounded. See 
Notes on ch. viiL 2, 7. % And I heard a 
voice from the four horns of the golden al- 
tar which is before God. In the language 
here used there is an allusion to the 
temple, but the scene is evidently laid 
in heaven. The temple in its arrange- 
ments was designed undoubtedly to be 
in important respects a symbol of hea- 
ven, and this idea constantly occurs in 
the Scriptures. Comp. the epistle to the 
Hebrews passim. The golden altar stood 
in the holy place, between the table of 
shew-bread and the golden candlestick. 
See Notes on Heb. ix. 1, 2. This altar, 
made of shittim or acacia wood, was 
ornamented at the four corners, and 
overlaid throughout with laminae of 
gold. Hence it was called " the golden 
altar," in contradistinction from the al- 
tar for sacrifice, which was made of 
stone. Comp. Notes on Matthew, xxi. 
12, seq. On its four corners it had pro- 
jections which were called horns (Ex. 
xxx. 2, 3), which seem to have been in- 
tended mainly for ornaments. See Jahn, 
Arch. I 332; Joseph. Ant. iii. 6. 8. When 
it is said that this was ''before God," 
the meaning is, that it was directly 
before or in front of the symbol of the 
divine presence in the most holy place. 
This image, in the vision of John, is 
transformed to heaven. The voice seemed 
to come from the very presence of the 
Deity; from the place where offerings 
are made to God. 

14. Saying to the sixth angel which 
had the trumpet. Notes ch. viii. 2. 

Loose, &c. This power, it would seem, 
was given to the sixth angel in addition 
to hi3 office of blowing the trumpet. 



which had the trumpet, Loose the 
four angels which are bound in the 
great river Euphrates. ° 

a Ge. 2. 14; Je. 51. 63; c.16. VI. 



All this, of course, was in vision, and 
cannot be literally interpreted. The 
meaning is, that the effect of his blow- 
ing the trumpet would be the same as if 
angels that had been bound should be 
suddenly loosed and suffered to go forth 
over the earth: — that is, some event 
would occur which would be properly 
symbolized by such an act. The four 
angels. Comp. Notes ch. viii. 1, 2. It 
was customary to represent important 
events as occurring under the ministry 
of angels. The general meaning here 
is, that, in the vicinity of the river Eu- 
phrates, there were mighty powers which 
had been bound or held in check, which 
were now to be let loose upon the world. 
What we are to look for in the fulfil- 
ment is evidently this — some power that 
seemed to be kept back by an invisible 
influence as if by angels, now suddenly let 
loose and suffered to accomplish the pur- 
pose of desolation mentioned in the sub- 
sequent verses. It is not necessary to 
suppose that angels were actually em- 
ployed in these restraints, though, no one 
can demonstrate that their agency was 
not concerned in the transactions here 
referred to. Comp. Notes on Daniel, 
x. 12, 13. It has been made a question 
why the number four is specified, and 
whether the forces were in any sense 
made up of four divisions, nations, or 
people. While nothing certain can be 
determined in regard to that, and while 
the number four may be used merely to 
denote a great and strong force, yet it 
must be admitted that the most obvious 
interpretation would be to refer it to 
some combination of forces, or to some 
union of powers, that was to accomplish 
what is here said. If it had been a 
single nation, it would have been more 
in accordance with the usual method in 
prophecy to have represented them as 
restrained by an angel, or by angels in 
general, without specifying any number. 

Which are bound. That is, they seemed 
to be bound. There was something 
which held them, and the forces under 
them, in check, until they were thus 
commanded to go forth. In the fulfil- 



A. D. 96.] CHAPTER IX. 257 

15 And the four angels were | and a year, for to si Ay the third* 
loosed, which were prepared a for part of men. 

an hour, and a day, and a month, a Or, at. b c. 8. 7-9. 



meut of this, it will be necessary to look 
for something of the nature of a check 
or restraint on these forces, until they 
were commissioned to go forth to ac- 
complish the work of destruction, In 
the great river Euphrates. The well- 
known river of that name, commonly 
called, in the Scriptures, "the great 
river," and, by way of eminence, " the 
river." Ex. xxiii. 31; Isa. viii. 7. This 
river was on the east of Palestine ; and 
the language here used naturally de- 
notes that the power referred to under 
the sixth trumpet would spring up in 
the east, and that it would have its ori- 
gin in the vicinity of that river. Those 
interpreters, therefore, who apply this to 
the invasion of Judea by the Romans, 
have great difficulty in explaining this — 
as the forces employed in the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem came from the west, 
and not from the east. The fair inter- 
pretation is, that there were forces in 
the vicinity of the Euphrates which 
were, up to this period, bound or re- 
strained, but which were now suffered to 
spread wo and sorrow over a consider- 
able portion of the world. 

15. And the four angels were loosed. 
Who had this mighty host under re- 
straint. The loosening of the angels 
was in fact also a letting loose of all 
these hosts, that they might accomplish 
the work which they were commissioned 
to do. Which were prepared. See 
ver. 7. The word here used properly 
refers to that which is made ready, fitted 
up, arranged for any thing : — as persons 
prepared for a journey, horses for battle, 
a road for travellers, food for the hungry, 
a house to live in, &c. See Rob. Lex., 
s. voce Eroifid^u). As used here, the 
word means that whatever was neces- 
sary to prepare these angels — the leaders 
of this host — for the work which they 
were commissioned to perform, was now 
done, and that they stood in a state of 
readiness to execute the design. In the 
fulfilment of this it will be necessary to 
look for some arrangements existing in 
the vicinity of the Euphrates, by which 
these restrained hosts were in a state of 
readiness to be summoned forth to the 
execution of this work, or in such a con- 
22* 



dition that they would go forth spon 
taneously if the restraints existing were 
removed, For an hour, &c. Marg., 
at. The Greek — its — means properly 
unto, with reference to ; and the sense is, 
that with reference to that hour, they 
had all the requisite preparation. Prof. 
Stuart explains it as meaning that they 
were " prepared for the particular year, 
month, day, and hour, destined by God 
for the great catastrophe which is to 
follow." The meaning, however, rather 
seems to be that they were prepared, not 
for the commencement of such a period, 
but they were prepared for the whole 
period indicated by the hour, the day, 
the month, and the year; that is, 
that the continuance of this " woe" 
would extend along through the whole 
period. Eor, (a) this is the natural in- 
terpretation of the word "for" — sis; 
(b) it makes the whole sentence intel- 
ligible — for though it might be proper to 
say of any thing that it was " prepared 
for an hour," indicating the commence- 
ment of what was to be done, it is not 
usual to say of any thing that it is 
" prepared for an hour, a month, a day, 
a year," when the design is merely to 
indicate the beginning of it; and (c) it is 
in accordance with the prediction re- 
specting the first "woe" (ver. 5), where 
the time is specified in language similar 
to this, to wit, "five months." It seems 
to me, therefore, that we are to regard the 
time here mentioned as a prophetic indi- 
cation of the period during which this woe 
would continue, An hour, and a day, 
and a month, and a year. If this were 
to be taken literally, it would, of course, 
be but little more than a year. If it be 
taken, however, in the common pro- 
phetic style, where a day is put for a 
year (Notes on Dan. ix. 24, seq.), then 
the amount of time (360 4 30*4- 1 + 
an hour) would be three hundred and 
ninety-one years, and the portion of the 
year indicated by an hour — a twelfth or 
twenty-fourth part, according as the day 
was supposed to be divided into twelve 
or twenty-four hours. That this is the 
true view seems to be clear, because this 
accords with the usual style in thia 
book ; because it can hardly be supposed 



258 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



16 And the number of the army a 
of the horsemen were two hundred 
thousand thousand : * and I heard c 
the number of them. 



that the " preparation" here referred to 
would have been for so brief a period as 
the time would be if literally interpreted ; 
and because the mention of so small a 
portion of time as an " hour," if literally 
taken, would be improbable in so great 
transactions. The fair interpretation, 
therefore, will require us to find some 
events that will fill up the period of 
about three hundred and ninety-one 
years. ^[ For to slay the third part of 
men. Comp. ch. viii. 7. 9. 12. The 
meaning here is, that the immense host 
which was restrained on the Euphrates, 
would, when loosed, spread desolation 
over about a third part of the world. 
We are not to suppose that this is to be 
understood in exactly a literal sense, 
but the meaning is, that the desolation 
would be so wide-spread that it would 
seem to embrace a third of the world. 
No such event as the cutting off of a few 
thousands of Jews in the siege of Jeru- 
salem would correspond with the lan- 
guage here employed, and we must look 
for events more general and more dis- 
astrous to mankind at large. 

16. And the number of the army of the 
horsemen. It is to be observed here that 
the strength of the army seemed to be 
cavalry. In the former plagues there is 
no distinct mention of horsemen ; but 
here that which struck the beholder was 
the immense and unparalleled number of 
horsemen, Were , two hundred thou- 
sand thousand. A thousand thousand 
are a million, and consequently the 
number here referred to would be two 
hundred millions. This would be a 
larger army than was ever assembled, 
and it cannot be supposed that it 
is to be taken literally.. That it would 
be a very large host — so large that it 
would not readily be numbered — is 
clear. The expression in the original, 
while it naturally conveys the idea of an 
immense number, would seem also to 
refer to some peculiarity in the manner 
of reckoning them. The language is, 
two myriads of myriads — 6vo {xvpidbeg 
\tvpidSav. The myriad was ten thousand. 
The idea would seem to be this. John 
saw an immense host of cavalry. They 



17 And thus I saw the horses in 
the vision, and them that sat on 
them, having breastplates of fire, 

a Eze. 38. 4; Da. 11. 40. b Ps. 68. 17. ec.7.4. 



appeared to be divided into large bodies 
that were in some degree separate, and 
that might be reckoned by ten thousands. 
Of these different squadrons there were 
many, and to express their great and un- 
usual number he said that there seemed 
to be myriads of them — two myriads of 
myriads, or twice ten thousand myriads. 
The army thus would seem to be immense 
— an army, as we would say, to be reck- 
oned by tens of thousands, And I heard 
the number of them. They were so nu- 
merous that he did not pretend to be 
able to estimate the number himself, for 
it was beyond his power of computation ; 
but he heard it stated in these round 
numbers, that there were "two myriads 
of myriads" of them. 

17. And thus I saw the horses in the 
vision. That is, he saw them as he pro- 
ceeds to describe them, for the word 
thus — bvTus — refers to what follows. 
Comp. Rob. Lex. on the word, (6), and see 
Matt. i. 18, ii. 5; John xxi. 1; Heb. iv. 4. 
Prof. Stuart, however, refers it to what 
precedes. The meaning, as it seems to 
me, is, that he fixed his attention on the 
appearance of the immense army — the 
horses and their riders, and proceeded 
to describe them as they struck him. 

And them that sat on them. He fixed 
the attention on horse and rider. Their 
appearance was unusual, and deserved a 
particular description, Having breast- 
plates of fire. That is, those who sat on 
them had such breast-plates. The word 
here rendered breast-plate, denoted pro- 
perly a coat of mail that covered the 
body from the neck to the thighs. See 
Notes on Ephesians, vi. 14. This would 
be a prominent object in looking at a 
horseman. This was said to be com- 
posed of "fire, and jacinth, and brim- 
stone;" that is, the part of the body 
usually encased in the coat-of-mail had 
these three colors. The word " fire" here 
simply denotes red. It was burnished 
and bright, and seemed to be a blaze of 
fire. — The word "jacinth" — ' vaKiv$trovs 
— means hyacin thine. The color de- 
noted is that of the hyacinth — a flower 
of a deep purple or reddish blue. Then 
it refers to a gem of the same color 



A. D. 98.] 



CHAPTEE IX. 



259 



and of jacinth, and brimstone : and 
the heads of the horses were as the 
heads of lions : rt and out of their 
mouths issued fire and smoke and 
brimstone. 

fllCh. 12. 8. Is. 5.28, 29. 



nearly related to the zircon of the mine- 
ralogists, and the color here mentioned 
is deep purple or reddish blue. The 
word rendered "brimstone" — SstwSris — 
means properly sulphurous, that is, made 
of sulphur, and means here simply yel- 
low. The meaning of the whole then is, 
that these horsemen appeared to be clad 
in a peculiar kind of armor — armor that 
shone like fire, mingled with blue and 
yellow. It will be necessary to look for 
the fulfilment of this in cavalry that was 
so caparisoned. % And the heads of the 
horses were as the heads of lions. Re- 
sembled, in some respects, the heads of 
lions. He does not say that they loere 
the heads of lions, or that the riders were 
on monsters, but only that they, in some 
respects, resembled the heads of lions. 
It would be easy to give this general 
appearance by the way in which the 
head-dress of the horses was arrayed. 

And out of their mouths issued. That 
is, appeared to issue. It is not neces- 
sary to understand this as affirming that 
it actually came from their mouths, but 
only that, to one looking on such an 
approaching army, it would have this ap- 
pearance. The heathen poets often speak 
of horses breathing out fire and smoke 
(Virg. Geor. ii. 140, hi. 85 ; Ovid, Met. 
vii. 104), meaning that their breath 
seemed to be mingled smoke and fire. 
There is an image superadded here not 
found in any of the classic descriptions, 
that this was mingled with brimstone. 
All this seemed to issue from their 
mouths ; that is, it was breathed forth 
in front of the host, as if the horses 
emitted it from their mouths. ^ Fire 
and smoke, and brimstone. The exact 
;idea, whether that was intended or not, 
would be conveyed by the discharge of 
musketry or artillery. The fire, the 
smoke, and the sulphurous smell of 
such a discharge would correspond pre- 
cisely with this language, and if it be 
supposed that the writer meant to de- 
scribe such a discharge, this would be 
!the very language that would be used. 
Moreover, in describing a battle, nothing 



18 By these three was the third 
part of men killed, by the fire, and 
by the smoke, and by the brim- 
stone, which issued out of their 
mouths. 

19 For their power is in their 



would be more proper than to say that 
this appeared to issue from the horses' 
mouths. If, therefore, it should be 
found that there were any events where 
fire-arms were used, in contradistinction 
from the ancient mode of warfare, this 
language would be appropriate to describe 
that, and if it were ascertained that the 
writer meant to refer to some such fact, 
then the language here used would be 
that which he would adopt. One thing i3 
certain, that this is not language which 
would be employed to describe the onset 
of ancient cavalry in the mode of war- 
fare which prevailed then. No one de- 
scribing a charge of cavalry among the 
Persians, the Greeks, or the Romans, 
when the only armor was the sword and 
the spear, would think of saying that 
there seemed to be emitted from the 
horses' mouths fire, and smoke, and 
brimstone. 

18. By these three. Three things — 
explained immediately as referring to 
the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone. 

Was the third part of men killed. See 
Notes on ch. viii. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, on 
each of which verses we have notices of 
calamities that came upon the third part 
of the race, of the sea, of rivers, &c. 
We are not to suppose that this is to be 
taken literally, but the description is 
given as it appeared to John. Those 
immense numbers of horsemen would 
sweep over the world, and a full third 
part of the race of men would seem to 
fall before them. 

19. For their power is in their month. 
That is, as described — in the fire, smoke, 
and brimstone that proceeded out of 
their mouths. What struck the seer as 
remarkable on looking on the symbol 
was, that this immense destruction 
seemed to proceed out of their mouths. 
It was not that they trampled down 
their enemies; nor that they destroyed 
them with the sword, the bow, or* the 
spear : it was some new and remarkable 
power in warfare — in which the destruc- 
tion seemed to proceed from fire and 
smoke and sulphur issuing from tha 



260 



REVEL 



AT ION. 



LA. D. 96 



mouth, and in their tails : for their 
tails a ivere like unto serpents, and 
had heads, and with them they do 
hurt. 

20 And the rest of the men 
which were not killed by these 
plagues, yet b repented not of the 
works of their hands, that they 

a Is. 9. 15. Ep. 4. 14. 
b Je. 5.3; 8. 6. 



mouths of the horses themselves, And 
in their tails. The tails of the horses. 
This, of course, was something unusual 
and remarkable in horses, for naturally 
they have no power there. The power 
of a fish, or a scorpion, or a wasp, may 
be said to be in their tails, for their 
strength or their means of defence or of 
injury are there, but we never think of 
speaking in this way of horses. It is 
not necessary, in the interpretation of 
this, to suppose that the reference is 
literally to the tails of the horses, any 
more than it is to suppose that the 
smoke and fire and brimstone literally 
proceeded from their mouths. John de- 
scribes things as they appeared to him 
in loo-king at them from a considerable 
distance. From their mouths the horses 
belched forth fire, and smoke, and sul- 
phur, and "even their tails seemed to be 
armed for the work of death, For 
their tails were like unto serpents. Not 
like the tails of serpents, but like ser- 
pents themselves, And had heads. 
That is, there was something remarkable 
in the position and appearance of their 
heads. All serpents, of course, have 
heads; but John saw something unusual 
in this — or something so peculiar in 
their heads as to attract special atten- 
tion. It would seem most probable that 
the heads of these serpents appeared to 
extend in every direction — as if the hairs 
of the horses' tails had been converted 
into snakes, presenting a most fearful 
and destructive image. Perhaps it may 
illustrate this to suppose that there is 
reference to the Amphisbaena, or two- 
headed snake. It is said of this that its 
tail resembles a head, and that with this 
it throws out its poison. Lucan, ix. 179. 
Pliny, Hist. Nat. viii. 35. It really has 
but one head, but its tail has the appear- 
ance of a head, and it has the po^ er of 
moving in either direction to a limited 



should not worship devils, c and 
idols d of gold, and silver, and brass, 
and stone, and of wood: which 
neither can see, nor hear, nor walk. 

21 Neither repented they of their 
murders, nor of their sorceries, ' nor i 
of their fornication, nor of their' 
thefts. 

cLe.17.7. 1. Co. 10. 20. d Ps. 135. 13. 

Is. 40. 19, 20. e c. 22. 15. 

degree. If we suppose these snakes 
fastened to the tail of a horse, the ap- 
pearance of heads would be very promi- 
nent and remarkable. The image is 
that of the power of destruction. They j 
seemed like ugly and poisonous serpents 
instead of tails, \ And with them they 
do hurt. Not the main injury, but they 
have the power of inflicting some injury 
by them. 

20. And the rest of the men which were 
not killed by these plagues. One third; 
part is represented as swept off, and it 
might have been expected that a salu- 
tary effect would have been produced on 
the remainder, in reforming them, and I 
restraining them from error and sin. j 
The writer proceeds to state, however, 
that these judgments did not have the 
effect which might reasonably have been 
anticipated. No reformation followed; 
there was no abandonment of the pre- I 
vailing forms of iniquity ; there was no 
change in their idolatry and superstition. 
In regard to the exact meaning of what 
is here stated (vs. 20, 21), it will be a j 
more convenient arrangement to consider 
it after we have ascertained the proper j 
application of the passage relating to the j 
sixth trumpet. What is here stated (vs. 
20, 21) pertains to the state of the world 
after the desolations which would occur 
under this woe-trumpet, and the expla- 
nation of the words may be reserved 
therefore, with propriety, until the in- 
quiry shall have been instituted as to 
the general design of the whole. 

With respect to the fulfilment of this 
symbol — the sixth trumpet — it will be 
necessary to inquire whether there has 
been any event, or class of events, oc- 
curring at such a time, and in such a 
manner, as would be properly denoted 
by such a symbol. The examination of J 
this question will make it necessary to i 
go ov3r the leading points in the sym- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER IX. 



261 



<do1, and to endeavor to apply them. In ' 
doing this, I shall simply state, with 
,such illustrations as may occur, what 
seems to me to have been the design of 
the symbol. It would be an endless 
! task to examine all the explanations 
■which have been proposed, and it would 
ibe useless to do so. 

The reference, then, seems to me to 
be to the Turkish power, extending from 
the time of the first appearance of the 
Turks in the neighborhood of the Eu- 
phrates, to the final conquest of Con- j 
;stantinople in 1453. The general reasons 
•for this opinion are such as the follow- 
ing: — (a) If the previous trumpet re- 
ferred to the Saracens, or to the rise of 
the Mohammedan power among the 
Arabs, then the Turkish dominion, being 
the next in succession, would be that 
which would most naturally be symbol- 
ized, (b) The Turkish power rose on 
the decline of the Arabic, and was the 
next important power in affecting the 
destinies of the world, (c) This power, 
;like the former, had its seat in the East, 
and would be properly classified under 
;the events occurring there as affecting 
!the destiny of the world, (d) The in- 
troduction of this power was necessary, 
in order to complete the survey of the 
downfall of the Roman empire — the 
great object kept in view all along in 
these symbols. In the first four of these 
trumpets, under the seventh seal, we 
found the decline and fall of the western 
empire; in the first of the remaining 
three — the fifth in order — we found the 
ifise of the Saracens, materially affecting 
Ethe condition of the eastern portion of 
I the Roman world; and the notice of the 
i Turks, under whom the empire at last 
fell to rise no more, seemed to be de- 
imanded in order to the completion of the 
•picture. As a leading design of the 
whole vision was to describe the ulti- 
mate destiny of that formidable povrer — 
the Roman — which, in the Mme when 
the Revelation was given to Joan, ruled 
| over the whole world; under which the 
church was then oppressed; and which, 
I either as a civil or ecclesiastical power, 
i was to exert so important an influence 
If on the destiny of the church, it was 
» '.proper that its history should be sketched 
; until it ceased — that is, until the con- 
I quest of the capital of the Eastern em- 
tfioire, by the Turks. Here the termina- 
. lion of the empire, as traced by Mr. 



Gibbon, closes ; and these events it waa 
important to incorporate in this series 
of visions. 

The rise and character of the Turkish 
people may be seen stated in full in 
Gibbon, Dec. and Fall, iii. 101, 102, 103, 
105, 486, iv. 41, 42, 87, 90, 91, 93, 100, 
127, 143, 151, 258, 260, 289, 350. The 
leading facts in regard to the history of 
the Turks, so far as they are necessary 
to be known before we proceed to apply 
the symbols, are the following: (1) The 
Turks, or Turkmans, had their origin in 
the vicinity of the Caspian sea, and were 
divided into two branches, one on the 
East, and the other on the West. The 
latter colony, in the tenth cen tury, could 
muster forty thousand soldiers; the other 
numbered an hundred thousand families. 
Gibbon, iv. 90. By the latter of these, 
Persia was invaded and subdued, and 
soon Bagdad also came into their pos- 
session, and the seat of the caliph was 
occupied by a Turkish prince. The 
various details respecting this, and re- 
specting their conversion to the faith of 
the Koran, may be seen in Gibbon, iv, 
90-93. A mighty Turkish and Moslem 
power was thus concentrated under 
Togrul, who had subdued the caliph, m 
the vicinity of the Tigris and the Eu- 
phrates, extending east over Persia and 
the countries adjacent to the Caspian 
sea, but it had not yet crossed the Eu- 
phrates to carry its conquests to the 
West. The conquest of Bagdad by 
Togrul, the first prince of the Seljuk 
race, was an important event, not only 
in itself, but as it was by this event that 
the Turk was constituted temporal lieu- 
tenant of the Prophet's vicar, and so the 
head of the temporal power of the reli- 
gion of Islam. " The conqueror of the 
East kissed the ground, stood some time 
in a modest posture, and was led toward 
the throne by the vizier and an inter- 
preter. After Togrul had seated himself 
on another throne, his commission was 
publicly read, which declared him the 
temporal lieutenant of the prophet. He 
was successively invested with seven 
robes of honor, and presented with seven 
slaves, the natives of the seven climates 
of the Arabian empire, &c. Their alli- 
ance [of the sultan and the caliph] was 
cemented by the marriage of Togrul's 
sister with the successor of the prophet/' 
&c. Gibbon, iv. 93. The conquest of Per- 
sia, the subjugation of Bagdad, the union 



262 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



of the Turkish power with that of the 
caliph — the successor of Mohammed, and 
the foundation of this powerful kingdom 
in the neighborhood of the Euphrates, is 
all that is necessary to explain the sense 
of the phrase " which were prepared for 
an hour," <fcc. ver. 15. The arrange- 
ments were then made for the important 
series of events which were to occur 
when that formidable- power should be 
summoned from the East, to spread the 
predicted desolation over so large a part 
of the world. A mighty dominion had 
been forming in the East, that had sub- 
dued Persia, and that, by union with 
the Caliphs, by the subjugation of Bag- 
dad, and by embracing the Mohamme- 
dan faith, had become "prepared" to 
play its subsequent important part in 
the affairs of the world. (2) The next 
important event in their history was the 
crossing of the Euphrates, and the inva- 
sion of Asia Minor. The account of this 
invasion can be best given in the words 
of Mr. Gibbon. " Twenty -five years after 
the death of Basil [the Greek emperor] 
his successors were suddenly assaulted 
by an unknown race of barbarians, who 
united the Scythian valor with the fana- 
ticism of new proselytes, and the art and 
riches of a powerful monarchy. The 
myriads of Turkish horse overspread a 
frontier of six hundred miles from Tau- 
rus to Arzeroum, and the blood of one 
hundred and thirty thousand Christians 
was a grateful sacrifice to the Arabian 
prophet. Yet the arms of Togrul did 
not make any deep or lasting impression 
on the Greek empire. The torrent rolled 
away from the open country ; the Sultan 
retired without glory or success from the 
siege of an Armenian city; the obscure 
hostilities were continued or suspended 
with a vicissitude of events ; and the 
bravery of the Macedonian legions re- 
newed the fame of the conquerer of 
Asia. The name of Alp Arslan, the va- 
liant lion, is expressive of the popular 
idea of the perfection of man: and the 
successor of Togrul displayed the fierce- 
ness and generosity of the royal animal. 
[" The heads of the horses were the 
heads of lions."] He passed the Eu- 
phrates at the head of the Turkish 
cavalry, and entered Cesarea, the me- 
tropolis of Cappadocia, to which he had 
been attracted by the fame and the 
wealth of the temple of St. Basil." Vol. 
iv. 93, 94. Comp. also p. 95. (3) The 



next important event was the establish- 
ing of the kingdom of lloum in Asia Mi- 
nor. After a succession of victories and 
defeats ; after being driven once and 
again from Asia Minor, and compelled 
to retire beyond its limits, and after 
subjecting the East to their arms (Gib- 
bon, iv. 95-100)', in the various contests 
for the crown of the eastern empire, the 
aid of the Turks was invoked by one 
party or the other, until they secured 
for themselves a firm foothold in Asia 
Minor, and established themselves there 
in a permanent kingdom — evidently with 
the purpose of seizing upon Cojistanti- 
nople itself when an opportunity should 
be presented. Gibbon, iv. 100, 101. Of 
this kingdom of lioum, Mr. Gibbon (iv. 
101) gives the following description, and 
speaks thus of the effect of its establish- 
ment, on the destiny of the Eastern em- 
pire : — " Since the first conquests of the 
Caliphs, the establishment of the Turks 
in Anatolia or Asia Minor, was the most 
deplorable loss which the church and 
empire had sustained. By the propaga- 
tion of the Moslem faith, Soliman de- 
served the name of Gazi, a holy cham- 
pion ; and his new kingdom of the Ro- 
mans, or of Roum, was added to the 
table of oriental geography. It is de- 
scribed as extending from the Euphrates 
to Constantinople, from the Black sea to 
the confines of Syria; pregnant with 
mines of silver and iron, of alum and 
copper, fruitful in corn and wine, and 
productive of cattle and excellent horses. 
The wealth of Lydia, the arts of the 
Greeks, the splendor of the Augustine 
age existed only in books and ruins, 
which were equally obscure in the eyes 
of the Scythian conquerors. By the 
choice of the Sultan, Nice, the metropo- 
lis of Bithynia, was preferred for his 
palace and fortress, the seat of the Sel- 
jukian dynasty of Roum was planted 
one hundred miles from Constantinople ; 
and the divinity of Christ was denied 
and derided in the same temple in which 
it had been pronounced in the first gene- 
ral synod of the Catholics. The unity 
of God, and the mission of Mahomet, 
were preached in the mosques ; the Ara^ 
bian learning was taught in the schools ; 
the Cadis judged according to the law 
of the Koran ; the Turkish manners and 
language prevailed in the cities; and 
Turkman camps were scattered over the 
plains and mountains of Anatolia," ho. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER IX. 



263 



(4) The next material event in the 
history of the Turkish power, was the 
conquest of Jerusalem. See this de- 
scribed in Gibbon, iv. 102-106. By this, 
the attention of the Turks was turned 
for a time from the conquest of Constan- 
tinople — an event at which the Turkish 
power all along aimed, and in which they 
doubtless expected to be ultimately suc- 
cessful. Had they not been diverted 
from it, by the wars connected with the 
Crusades, Constantinople would have 
fallen long before it did fall, for it was 
too feeble to defend itself if it had been 
attacked. (5) The conquest of Jerusa- 
lem by the Turks, and the oppressions 
which Christians experienced there, gave 
rise to the Crusades, by which the des- 
tiny of Constantinople was still longer 
delayed. The war of the Crusades was 
made on the Turks, and as the crusaders 
mostly passed through Constantinople 
and Anatolia, all the power of the Turks 
in Asia Minor was requisite to defend 
themselves, and they were incapable of 
making an attack on Constantinople, 
until after the final defeat of the cru- 
saders, and restoration of peace. See 
Gibbon, iv. 106-210, (6) The next ma- 
terial event in the history of the Turks 
was the conquest of Constantinople in 
A. D. 1453 — an event which established 
the Turkish power in Europe, and which 
completed the downfall of the Roman 
empire. Gibbon, iv. 333-359. 

After this brief reference to the gene- 
ral history of the Turkish power, we are 
prepared to enquire more particularly 
whether the symbol in the passage be- 
fore us is applicable to this series of 
events. — This may be considered in 
several particulars. 

(1) The time. If the first woe-trum- 
pet referred to the Saracens, then it 
would be natural that the rise and pro- 
gress of the Turkish power should be 
symbolized, as the next great fact in 
history; and as that under which the 
empire fell. As we have seen, the 
Turkish power rose immediately after 
the power of the Saracens had reached 
its height, and identified itself with the 
Mohammedan religion, and was, in fact, 
the next great power that affected the 
Roman empire, the welfare of the 
church, and the history of the world. 
There can be no doubt, therefore, that 
the time is such as is demanded in the 
Droper interpretation of the symbol. 



(2) The place. We have seen (in the 
remarks on ver. 14) that this was on oi 
near the river Euphrates, and that this 
power was long forming and consoli- 
dating itself on the east of that rive? 
before it crossed it in the invasion of 
Asia Minor. It had spread over Persia, 
and had even invaded the region of the 
East as far as the Indies ; it had secured, 
under Togrul, the conquest of Bagdad, 
and had united itself with the Caliphate, 
and was in fact a mighty power "pre- 
pared" for conquest before it moved to 
the west. Thus, Mr. Gibbon (iv. 92), 
says, " The more rustic, perhaps the 
wisest, portion of the Turkmans, con- 
tinued to dwell in the tents of their an- 
cestors; and from the Oxus to the Eu- 
plirates, these military colonies were 
protected and propagated by their na- 
tive princes." So again, speaking of 
Alp Arslan, the son and successor of 
Togrul, he says (iv. 94), "He passed the 
Euphrates at the head of the Turkish 
cavalry, and entered Cesarea, the me- 
tropolis of Cappadocia, to which he was 
attracted by the fame and the wealth of 
the temple of St. Basil." — If it be ad- 
mitted that it was intended by John 
to refer to the Turkish power, it could 
not have been better represented than 
as a power that had been forming in the 
vicinity of that great river, and that was 
prepared to precipitate itself on the 
Eastern empire. — To one contemplating 
it in the time of Togrul or Alp Arslan, it 
would have appeared as a mighty power 
growing up in the neighborhood of the 
Euphrates. 

(3) The four angels : — " Loose the 
four angels which are bound." That is, 
loose the powers which are in the vicinity 
of the Euphrates, as if they were under 
the control of four angels. The most 
natural construction of this would be, 
that under the mighty power that was 
to sweep over the world, there were four 
subordinate powers, or that there were 
such subdivisions that it might be sup- 
posed they were ranged under four 
angelic powers or leaders. The question 
is, whether there was any such division 
or arrangement of the Turkish power, 
that to one looking on it at a distance, 
there would seem to be such a division. 
In the History of the Decline and Fall 
of the Roman Empire (iv. 100), we find 
the following statement : u The great- 
ness and unity of the Persian empira 



264 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



expired in the person of Malek Shah. 
The vacant throne was disputed by his 
brother and his four sons ; and, after a 
series of civil wars, the treaty which 
reconciled the surviving candidates con- 
firmed a lasting separation in the Per- 
sian dynasty, the oldest and principal 
branch of the house of Seljuk. The 
three younger dynasties were those of 
Kerman, of Syria, and of Mourn; the 
first of these commanded an extensive, 
though obscure dominion, on the shores 
of the Indian ocean ; the second expelled 
the Arabian princes of Aleppo and 
Damascus ; and the third [our peculiar 
case], invaded the Roman provinces of 
Asia Minor. The generous policy of 
Malek contributed to their elevation : he 
allowed the princes of his blood, even 
those whom he had vanquished in the 
field, to seek new kingdoms worthy of 
their ambition ; nor was he displeased 
that they should draw away the more 
ardent spirits who might have disturbed 
the tranquillity of his reign. As the 
supreme head of his family and nation, 
the great Sultan of Persia commanded 
the obedience and tribute of his royal 
brethren : the thrones of Kerman and 
Nice, of Aleppo and Damascus; the 
Atabeks and emirs of Syria and Meso- 
potamia, erected their standards under 
the shadow of his sceptre, and the 
hordes of Turkmans overspread the 
p^ins of Western Asia. After the death 
jf Malek, the bands of union and subor- 
dination were gradually relaxed and dis- 
solved ; the indulgence of the house of 
Seljuk invested their slaves with the 
inheritance of kingdoms : and, in the 
Oriental style, a crowd of princes arose 
from the dust of their feet." Here it is 
observable, that, at the period when the 
Turkman hordes were about to precipi- 
tate themselves on Europe, and to ad- 
vance U> the destruction of the Eastern 
empire, we have distinct mention of 
four gi bat departments of the Turkish 
power: —the original power that had 
established itself in Persia, under Malek 
Shah, and the three subordinate powers 
that sprung out of that of Kerman, Syria, 
and Roum. It is observable (a) that this 
occurs at the period when that power 
irould appear in the East as advancing 
In its conquests to the West; (b) that it 
was in the vicinity of the great river 
Euphrates; (c)-that it had never before 
occurred — the Turki ih. power having 



been before united as one ; and (d) that 
it never afterwards occurred — for, in the 
words of Mr. G ibbon, " After the death of 
Malek, the bands of union and subordina- 
tion were relaxed and finally dissolved/' 
It would not be improper, then, to look 
upon this one mighty power as under 
the control of four spirits that were held 
in check in the East, and that were 
" prepared" to pour their energies on the 
Roman empire. 

(4) The preparation : — " Prepared for 
an hour," &c. That is, arranged ; made 
ready — as if by previous discipline — for 
some mighty enterprise. Applied to the 
Turkmans, this would mean that the 
preparation for the ultimate work which 
they executed had been making as that 
power increased and became consoli- 
dated under Togrul, Alp Arslan, and 
Malek Shah. In its successful strides, 
Persia and the East had been subdued ; 
the Caliph at Bagdad had been brought 
under the control of the Sultan ; a union 
had been formed between the Turks and 
the Saracens ; and the Sultanies of Ker- 
man, Syria, and Roum had been esta- 
blished — embracing together all the 
countries of the East, and constituting 
this, by far, the most mighty nation on 
the globe. All this would seem to be a 
work of preparation to do what was 
afterwards done as seen in the visions of 
John. 

(5) The fact that they were bound: — 
"Which are bound in the great river 
Euphrates." That is, they were, as it 
were, restrained and kept back for along 
time in that vicinity. It would have 
been natural to suppose that that vast 
power would at once move on toward the 
West to the conquest of the capital of the 
Eastern empire. Such had been the 
case with the Huns, the Goths, and the 
Vandals. But these Turkish hordes 
had been long restrained in the East. 
They had subdued Persia. They had 
then achieved the conquest of India. 
They had conquered Bagdad, and the 
entire East was under their eontrol. 
Yet for a long time they had now been 
inactive, and it would seem as if they 
had been bound or restrained by some 
mighty power from moving in their 
conquests to the West. 

(6) The material that composed the 
army : — " And the number of the army 
of the horsemen," " And thus I saw the 
horses in the vision. And the heads of 



A. B. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER IX. 



265 



the horses were as the heads of lions." 
From this it appears that this vast host 
was composed mainly of cavalry; and it 
is hardly necessary to say that this 
description would apply better to the 
Turkish hordes than to any other body 
of invaders known in history. Thus Mr. 
Gibbon (iv. 94), says, "The myriads of 
the Turkish horse overspread a frontier of 
six hundred miles from Taurus to Arze- 
rouui/' A. D. 1050. So again, speaking 
of Togrul (iv. 94), " He passed the 
Euphrates at the head of the Turkish 
cavalry." Ibid. So again (iii. 95), " Alp 
Arslan flew to the scene of action at the 
head of forty thousand horse." A.D. 1071. 
So in the attack of the crusaders on Nice, 
the capital of the Turkish kingdom of 
Roum, Mr. Gibbon (iv. 127), says of the 
Sultan Soliman, " Yielding to the first 
impulse of the torrent, he deposited his 
treasure and family in Nice; retired 
to the mountains with fifty thousand 
horse," &c. And so again (ibid.), speak- 
ing of the Turks who rallied to oppose 
the " strange" invasion of " the Western 
barbarians," he says, " The Turkish 
emirs obeyed the call of loyalty or re- 
ligion ; the Turkish hordes encamped 
round his standard; and his whole force 
is loosely stated by the Christians at two 
hundred, or even three hundred thou- 
sand horse." A. D. 1097. Every stu- 
dent of history knows that the Turks, 
or Turkmans, in the early periods of 
their history were remarkable for their 
cavalry. 

(7) Their numbers: — "And the num- 
ber of the army of the horsemen were 
two hundred thousand thousand." That 
is, it was vast, or it was such as to be 
reckoned by myriads, or by tens of 
thousands — hvo nvpidSes nvpid&uv — two 
myriads of myriads. Thus Mr. Gibbon 
(iv. 94), says, " The myriads of Turkish 
horse overspread," &c. It has been sug- 
gested by Daubez that in this there may 
be probably an allusion to the Turkman 
custom of numbering by tomans, or 
myriads. This custom, it is true, has 
existed elsewhere, but there is probably 
none with whom it has been so familiar 
as with the Tartars and Turks. In the 
Seljukian age, the population of Samar- 
cand was rated at seven tomans (myriads), 
because it could send out 70,000 warriors. 
The dignity and rank of Tamerlane's 
father and grandfather was thus describ- 
ed, that " they were the hereditary chiefs 
23 



of a toman, or 10,000 horse" — a myriad 
(Gibbon, iv. 270), so that it is not without 
his usual propriety of language that Mr. 
Gibbon speaks of the myriads of the 
Turkish horse, or of the cavalry of the 
earlier Turks of Mount Altai, "being, 
both men and horses, proudly computed 
by myriads." One thing is clear, that to 
no other invading hosts could the lan- 
guage here used be so well applied, and, 
if it were supposed that John was writing 
after the event, this would be the lan- 
guage which he would be likely to em- 
ploy — for this is nearly the identical 
language employed by the historian 
Gibbon. 

(8) Their personal appearance: — 
"Them that sat on them having breast- 
plates of fire, and jacinth, and brim- 
stone" — as explained above, in a "uni- 
form" of red, and blue, and yellow. This 
might, undoubtedly, be applicable to 
other armies besides the Turkish hordes, 
but the proper question here is, whether 
it would be applicable to them. The 
fact of the application of the symbol to 
the Turks in general must be determined 
from other points in the symbol which 
designate them clearly; the only natural 
enquiry here is, whether this descrip- 
tion would apply to the Turkish hosts, 
for if it would not, that would be fatal to 
the whole interpretation. On the ap- 
plication of this passage to the Tusks, 
Mr. Daubez justly remarks, that "from 
their first appearance the Ottomans have 
affected to wear warlike apparel of 
scarlet, blue, and yellow : a descriptive 
trait the more marked from its contrast 
to the military appearance of the Greeks, 
Franks, or Saracens contemporarily." 
Mr. Elliott adds, " it only needs to have 
seen the Turkish cavalry (as they were 
before the late innovations), whether in 
war itself, or in the djerrid war's 
mimicry, to leave an impression of the 
absolute necessity of some such notice 
of their rich and varied colorings, in 
order to give in description at all a 
just impression of their appearance." 
i, 481. 

(9) The remarkable appearance of the 
cavalry : — " Having breastplates of fire, 
and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the 
heads of the horses were as the heads of 
lions : and out of their mouths issued fire, 
and smoke, and brimstone." It was 
remarked in the exposition sf this pas- 
sage, that this is just such a description 



266 



REVELATION, 



as would be given of an army to which 
the use of gunpowder was known, and 
which made use of it in these wars. 
Looking now upon a body of cavalry in 
the heat of an engagement, it would 



[A. D. 96. 

seem, if the cause were not known, that 
the horses belched form smoke and 
sulphurous flame. The annexed cut 
may serve to show how natural this 
representation would be. The only 



question now is, whether in the warfare 
of the Turks, there was any thing which 
would peculiarly or remarkably justify 
this description. And here it is impos- 
sible not to advert to the historical fact 
that they were among the first to make 
use of gunpowder in their wars, and that 
to the use of this destructive element 
they owed much of their success, and 
their ultimate triumphs. The historical 
truth of this it is necessary now to advert 
to, and this will be done by a reference 
to Mr. Gibbon, and to the account which 
he has given of the final conquest of 
Constantinople by the Turks. It will 
be seen how he puts this new instru- 
mentality of war into the foreground in 
his account; how prominent this seemed 
to him to be in describing the victories 
of the Turks ; and how probable, there- 
fore, it is, that John in describing an 
invasion by them would refer to the 
"fire, and smoke, and brimstone" that 
seemed to be emitted from the mouths 
of their horses. As preparatory to the 
account of the siege and conquest of 
Constantinople by the Turks, Mr. Gib- 
bon gives a description of the invention 
and use of gunpowder. " The chemists 
of China or Europe had found, by casual 
or elaborate experiments, that a mixture 
of saltpetre, sulphur, and charcoal, pro- 
duces, with a spark of fire, a tremendous 
explosion. It was soon observed that 
if the expansive force were compressed 
in a strong tube, a ball of stone or iron 
might be expelled with irresistible and 
destructive velocity. The precise era of 
the invention and application of gun- 
powder is involved in doubtful traditions 



and equivocal language; yet we may 
clearly discern that it was known before 
the middle of the fourteenth century; 
and that before the end of the same, the 
use of artillery in battles and sieges, by 
sea and land, was familiar to the states 
of Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and 
England. The priority of nations is of 
small account; none would derive any ex- 
clusive benefit from their previous or su- 
perior knowledge ; and on the common 
improvement they stand on the same level 
of relative power and military science. 
Nor was it possible to circumscribe the 
secret within the pale of the church ; it 
was disclosed to the Turks by the treach- 
ery of apostates and the selfish policy of 
rivals ; and the sultans had sense to 
adopt, and wealth to reward, the talents 
of a Christian engineer. By the Vene- 
tians, the use of gunpowder was commu- 
nicated without reproach to the sultans 
of Egypt and Persia, their allies against 
the Ottoman power; the secret was soon 
propagated to the extremities of Asia ; 
and the advantage of the European was 
confined to his easy victories over the 
savages of the new world." iv. 291. In 
the description of the conquest of Con- 
stantinople, Mr. Gibbon makes frequent 
mention of their artillery, and of the use 
of gunpowder, and of its important 
agency in securing their final conquests, 
and in the overthrow of the Eastern 
empire. "Among the implements of 
destruction, he [the Turkish sultan] 
studied with peculiar care the recent 
and tremendous discovery of the Latins ; 
and his artillery surpassed whatever had 
yet appeared in the world. A founder 



A. D. 96.] 



C£uiPTEK IX. 



267 



of cannon, a Dane or Hungarian, who 
had almost starved in the Greek service, 
deserted to the Moslems, and was libe- 
rally entertained by the Turkish sultan. 
Mohammed was satisfied with the answer 
to his first question, which he eagerly 
pressed on the artist: 'Am I able to 
cast a cannon capable of throwing a ball 
or stone of sufficient size to batter the 
wails of Constantinople ? I am not ig- 
norant of their strength, but were they 
more solid than those of Babylon, I 
could oppose an engine of superior 
power; the position and management 
of that engine must be left to your en- 
gineers^ On this assurance a foundry 
was established at Adrianople ; the metal 
was prepared ; and at the end of three 
months Urban produced a piece of brass 
ordnance of stupendous and almost in- 
credible magnitude ; a measure of twelve 
palms is assigned to the bore: and the 
stone bullet weighed above six hundred 
pounds. A vacant place before the new 
palace was chosen for the first experi- 
ment; but to prevent the sudden and 
mischievous effects of astonishment and 
fear, a proclamation was issued that the 
cannon would be discharged the ensuing 
day. The explosion was felt or heard 
in a circuit of a hundred furlongs ; the 
ball, by the force of gunpowder, was 
driven about a mile; and on the spot 
where it fell, it buried itself a fathom 
deep in the ground." iv. 339. So in 
speaking of the siege of Constantinople 
by the Turks, Mr. Gibbon says of the 
defence by the Christians (iv. 343), 
"The incessant volleys of lances and 
arrows were accompanied with the smoke, 
the sound, and the fire of their musketry 
and cannon." " The same destructive 
secret," he adds, "had been revealed to 
the Moslems, by whom it was employed 
with the superior energy of zeal, riches, 
and despotism. The great cannon of 
Mohammed has been separately noticed 
— an important and visible object in the 
history of the times : but that enormous 
engine was flanked by two fellows almost 
of equal magnitude; the long order of 
the Turkish artillery was pointed against 
the walls; fourteen batteries thundered 
at once on the most accessible places; 
and of one of these it was ambiguously 
expressed that it was mounted with one 
hundred and thirty guns, and that it 
discharged one hundred and thirty bul- 
lets." iv. 343, 344. 4 gain: "The first! 



random shots were productive of more 
sound than effect; and it was by the 
advice of a Christian that the engineers 
were taught to level their aim against 
the two opposite sides of the salient 
angles of a bastion. However imperfect, 
the weight and repetition of the fire 
made some impression on the walls." 
iv. 344. And again: "A circumstance 
that distinguishes the siege of Constan- 
tinople, is the re-union of the ancient 
and modern artillery. The cannon were 
intermingled with the mechanical en- 
gines for casting stones and darts ; 
the bullet and the battering-ram were 
directed against the same walls ; nor had 
the discovery of gunpowder superseded 
the use of the liquid and inextinguish- 
able fire." iv. 344. So again, in the 
description of the final conflict when 
Constantinople was taken, Mr. Gibbon 
says, "From the lines, the galleys, and 
the bridge, the Ottoman artillery thun- 
dered on all sides ; and the camp and 
city, the Greeks and the Turks, were 
involved in a cloud of smoke which 
could only be dispelled by the final 
deliverance or destruction of the Roman 
empire." iv. 350. Assuredly, if such 
was the fact in the conquests of the 
Turks, it was not unnatural in one who 
was looking on these warriors in vision, 
to describe them as if they seemed to 
belch out 'fire, and smoke, and brim- 
stone/ If Mr. Gibbon had designed to 
describe the conquests of the Turks as a 
fulfilment of the prediction, could he 
have done it in a style more clear and 
graphic than that which he has em- 
ployed ? If this had occurred in a 
Christian writer, would it not have been 
charged on him that he had shaped his 
facts to meet his notions of the meaning 
of the prophecy ? 

(10) The statement that 'their power 
was in their mouth, and in their tails/ 
ver. 19. The former part of this has 
been illustrated. The enquiry now is, 
what is the meaning of the declaration 
that ' their power was in their tails/ In 
ver. 19, their tails are described as re- 
sembling 'serpents, having heads/ and 
it is said that ' with them they do hurt/ 
See Notes on that verse. The allusion 
to the 'serpents' would seem to imply 
that there was something in the horses' 
tails as compared with them, or in 
some use that was made of them, which 
-vould make this language proper; that 



268 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



is, that their appearance would so sug- 
gest the idea of death and destruction, 
that the mind would easily imagine they 
were a bundle of serpents. The follow- 
ing remarks may show how applicable 
this was to the Turks: — (a) In the 
Turkish hordes there was something, 
whatever it was, that naturally suggest- 
ed some resemblance to serpents. Of the 
Turkmans when they began to spread 
their conquests over Asia, in the eleventh 
century, and an effort was made to rouse 
the people against them, Mr. Gibbon 
makes the following remark : — " Mas- 
soud, the son and successor of Mahmoud, 
had too long neglected the advice of his 
wisest Omrahs. 'Your enemies/ [the 
Turkmans] they repeatedly urged, 'were 
in their origin a swarm of ants ,* they 
are now little snakes ; and unless they 
be instantly crushed, they will acquire 
the venom and magnitude of serpents/ " 
Iv. 91. (6) It is a remarkable fact that 
the horse's tail is a well-known Turkish 
gtandard — a symbol of office and autho- 
rity. " The Pashas are distinguished, 
after a Tartar custom, by three horse- 
tails on the side of their tents, and receive 
by courtesy the title of beyler beg, or 
prince of princes. The next in rank are 
ihe pashas of two tails, the beys who are 
honored with one tail." Ed. Ency. 
Art. Turkey. In the times of their early 
warlike career, the principal standard 
was once lost in battle, and the Turk- 
man commander, in default, cut off his 
horse's tail, lifted it on a pole, made it 
the rallying ensign, and so gained the 
victory. So Tournefort in his Travels 
states. The following is Ferrario's ac- 
count of the origin of this ensign: "An 
author acquainted with their customs 
says, that a general of theirs, not know- 
ing how to rally his troops that had lost 
their standards, cut off a horse's tail, and 
fixed it to the end of a spear ; and the 
soldiers rallying at that signal, gained 
the victory." He adds farther, that 
whereas " on his appointment a Pasha 
of three tails used to receive a drum and 
a standard, now for the drum there have 
been substituted three horses' tails, tied 
at the end of a spear, round a gilded 
haft. One of the first officers of the 
palace presents him these three tails as a 
standard." Elliott, i. 485, 486. This 
remarkable standard or ensign is found 
only among the Turks, and, ii +,here was 
an intended reference to them, v ^e sym- 



bol here would be the proper one to be 
adopted. The meaning of the passage 
where it is said that ' their power is in 
their tails,' would seem to be, that their 
tails were the symbol or emblem of their 
authority — as in fact the horse's tail is 
in the appointment of a Pasha. The 
image before the mind of John would 
seem to have been, that he saw the 
horses belching out fire and smoke^ and, 
what was equally strange, he saw that 
their power of spreading desolation was 
connected with the tails of horses. Any 
one looking on a body of cavalry with 
such banners or ensigns, would be struck 
with this unusual and remarkable ap- 
pearance, and would speak of their ban- 
ners as concentrating and directing their 
power. The following cut, representing 
the standard of a Turkish Pasha, will 
illustrate the passage before us. 




(11) The number slain, ver. 18. That 
is said to have been " the third part ot 
men." No one in reading the account? 
of the wars of the Turks, and of the 
ravages which they have committed, 
would be likely to feel that this is an ex- 
aggeration. It is not necessary to sup- 
pose that it is literally accurate, but it is 
such a representation as would strike 
one in looking over the world, and con- 
templating the effect of their invasions 



A. D. %.] 



CHAPT 



EE IX. 



269 



If the other specifications in the symbol 
are correct, there would be no hesitation 
in admitting the propriety of this. 

(12) The time of the continuance of 
this power. This is a material, and a 
more difficult point. It is said (ver. 15) 
to be " an hour, and a day, and a month, 
and a year;" that is, as explained, three 
hundred and ninety- one years, and the 
portion of a year indicated by the ex- 
pression " an hour :" — to wit, an addi- 
tional twelfth or twenty-fourth part of a 
year. The question now is, whether, 
supposing the time to which this reaches 
to be the capture of Constantinople, and 
the consequent downfall of the Roman 
empire — the object in view in this series 
of visions — in reckoning back from that 
period for 391 years, we should reach 
an epoch that would properly denote the 
moving forward of this power towards 
its final conquest; that is, whether there 
was any such marked epoch that if the 
391 years were added to it, it would 
reach the year of the conquest of Con- 
stantinople, A. D. 1453. The period that 
would be indicated by taking the num- 
ber 391 from 1453 would be 1062 — and 
that is the time in which we are to look 
for the event referred to. This is on the 
supposition that the year consisted of 
360 days, or twelve months of thirty 
days each. If, however, instead of this, 
we reckon 365 days, and six hours, then 
the length of time would be found to 
amount to 396 years, and 106 days.* 
This would make the time of the " loosen- 
ing of the angels," or the moving for- 
ward of this power, to be A. D. 1057. In 
the uncertainty on this point, and in the 
unsettled state of ancient chronology, it 
would, perhaps, be vain to hope for mi- 
nute accuracy, and it is not reasonable 
to demand it of an interpreter. On any 
fair principle of interpretation, it would 
be sufficient if at about one of these pe- 



* " As the Julian year equalled 365 days 6 
hours, the Apocalyptic period would, on the 
year-day principle, be in amount as follows : 
A year = 365^ days = 365 years -{- £ of a year. 
A month == 30 days = 30 years. 
A day = = 1 year. 

Years 396. 
£ of a prophetic day or year ") , 
(left out above) * j = 91 ^ da ^' 

An hcur=o-V of a prophetic) ,. j , 

day or year | a ^ s - 
Total = years 396 -f 106 days." 

Elliott, i. p. 493. 

23* 



riods— A. D. 1062, or A. D. 1057— there 
was found such a definite or strongly 
marked event as would indicate a move- 
ment of the hitherto restrained power 
toward the "West. This is the real point, 
then, to be determined. Now, in a com- 
mon work on chronology, I find this re- 
cord: — "A. D. 1055, Turks reduce Bag- 
dad, and overturn the empire of the Ca- 
liphs." In a work still more important 
to our purpose (Gibbon, iv. 92, 93) under 
the date of A. P. 1055, I find a series of 
statements, which will show the pro- 
priety^ referring to that event as the 
one by which this power, so long re 
strained, was "let loose;" that is, was 
placed in such a state that its final con- 
quest of the eastern empire certainly 
followed. The event was the union of 
the Turkish power with the Caliphate in 
such a way that the Sultan was regarded 
as "the temporal lieutenant of the vicar 
of the prophet." Of this event Mr. Gib- 
bon gives the following account. After 
mentioning the conversion of the Turks 
to the Moslem faith, and especially the 
zeal with which the son of Seljuk had 
embraced that faith, he proceeds to state 
the manner in which the Turkish Sul- 
tan, Togrul, came in possession of Bag- 
dad, and was invested with the high 
office of the " temporal lieutenant of the 
vicar of the prophet." There were two 
Caliphs — those of Bagdad and Egypt, 
and "the sublime character of the suc- 
cessor of the prophet" was " disputed" 
by them. iv. 93. Each of them be- 
came " solicitous to prove his title in the 
judgment of the strong though illite- 
rate barbarians." Mr. Gibbon then says, 
"Mahmoud the Gaznevide, had declared 
himself in favor of the line of Abbas; 
and had treated with indignity the robe 
of honor which was presented by the 
Fatimite ambassador. Yet the ungrate- 
ful Hashemite had changed with the 
change of fortune; he applauded the 
victory of Zendecan, and named the 
Seljukian Sultan his temporal vicege- 
rent over the Moslem world. — As Togrul 
executed and enlarged this important 
trust, he was called to the deliverance of 
the Caliph Cavern, and obeyed the holy 
summons, which gave a new kingdom to 
his arms. In the palace of Bagdad, the 
commander of the faithful still slum- 
bered, a venerable phantom. His ser- 
vant or master, the prince of the Bow- 
ides, could no longer protect him from 



270 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



the insolence of meaner tyrants; and 
the Euphrates and the Tigris were op- 
pressed by the revolt of the Turkish and 
Arabian armies. The presence of a con- 
queror was implored as a blessing ; and 
the transient mischiefs of fire and sword 
were excused as the sharp but salutary 
remedies which alone could restore the 
health of the Republic. At the head of 
an irresistible force, the Sultan of Per- 
sia marched from Hamadan ; the proud 
were crushed, the prostrate were spared ; 
the prince of the Bowides disappeared ; 
the heads of the most obstinate rebels 
were at the feet of Togrul; and he in- 
flicted a lesson of obedience on the peo- 
ple of Mosul and Bagdad. After the 
chastisement of the guilty, and the re- 
storation of peace, the royal shepherd 
accepted the reward of his labors ; and a 
solemn amnesty represented the triumph 
of religious prejudice over barbarian 
power. The Turkish sultan embarked 
on the Tigris, landed at the gate of 
Racca, and made his public entry on 
horseback. At the palace gate, he re- 
spectfully dismounted, and walked on 
foot, preceded by his emirs without 
arms. The caliph was seated behind 
his black veil ; the black garment of the 
Abbassides was cast over his shoulders, 
and he held in his hand the staff of the 
Apostle of God. The conqueror of the 
east kissed the ground, stood some time 
in a modest posture, and was led toward 
the throne by the vizier and an inter- 
preter. After Togrul had seated him- 
self on another throne, his commission 
was publicly read, ivhich declared him 
the temporal lieutenant of the vicar of the 
prophet. He was successively invested 
with seven robes of honor, and presented 
with seven slaves, the natives of the 
seven climates of the Arabian empire. 
His mystic veil was perfumed with 
musk; two crowns were placed on his 
head ; two scimetars were girded to his 
side, as the symbols of a double reign 
over the East and West. Their alliance 
was cemented by the marriage of Tog- 
rul's sifter with the successor of the 
prophet." iv. 93, 94. This event, so de- 
scribed, was of sufficient importance, as 
constituting a union of the Turkish 
power with the Moslem faith, as making 
it practicable to move in their con- 
quests toward the west, and as con- 
nected in its ultimate results with the 
downfall of the Eastern empire, to make 



it an epoch in the history of nations. 
In fact it was the point which one would 
have particularly looked at, after de- 
scribing the movements of the Saracens, 
(ch. ix. 1-11), as the next event that 
was to change the condition of the 
world. 

Happily we have also the means of 
fixing the exact date of this event, so 
as to make it accord with singular accu- 
racy with the period supposed to be re- 
ferred to. The general time specified 
by Mr. Gibbon, is A. D. 1055. This, ac- 
cording to the two methods referred to of 
determining the period embraced in the 
" hour, and day, and month, and year," 
would reach, if the period were 391 
years, to A. D. 1446; if the other method 
were referred to, making it 396 years 
and 106 days, to A. D. 1451, with 106 
days added — -within less than two years 
of the actual taking of Constantinople. 
But there is a more accurate calculation 
as to the time than the general one thus 
made. In vol. iv. 93, Mr. Gibbon makes 
this remark : — " Twenty-five years after 
the death of Basil, his successors were 
suddenly attacked by an unknown race 
of barbarians, who united the Scythian 
valor with the fanaticism of new prose- 
lytes, and the art and riches of a power- 
ful monarchy." He then proceeds (pp. 
94, seq.) with an account of the inva- 
sions of the Turks. In vol. iii. 307, we 
have an account of the death of Basil. 
"In the sixty-eighth year of his age, his 
martial spirit urged him to embark in 
person for a holy war against the Sara- 
cens of Sicily; he was prevented by 
death, and Basil, surnamed the slayer 
of the Bulgarians, was dismissed from 
the world, with the blessings of the 
clergy, and the curses of the people." 
This occurred A. D. 1025. " Twenty- 
five years" after this would make A. D. 
1050. To this add the period here re- 
ferred to, and we have respectively, as 
above, the years A. D. 1446, or A. D. 1451, 
and 106 days. Both periods are near the 
time of the taking of Constantinople, and 
the downfall of the Eastern empire (A. D. 
1453), and the latter strikingly so ; and, 
considering the general nature of the 
statement of Mr. Gibbon, and the great 
indefiniteness of the dates in chronology, 
may be considered as remarkable. — But 
we have the means of a still more accu- 
rate calculation. It is by determining 
the exact period of the investiture of 



A.. D. 96.] 



CIIAPT 



ER IX. 



271 



Togrul with the authority of Caliph, or 
as the "temporal lieutenant of the vicar 
of the prophet." The time of this inves- 
titure, or coronation, is mentioned by 
Abulfeda as occurring on the 25th of 
Dzoulcad, in the year of the Hegira 
449 ; and the date of Elinakin's narra- 
tive, who has given an account of this, 
perfectly agrees with this. Of this trans- 
action, Elmakin makes the following 
remark : " There was now none left in 
Irak or Chorasmia who could stand 
before him." The importance of this 
investiture, will be seen from the charge 
which the caliph is reported by Abul- 
feda to have given to Togrul on this 
occasion ; " The caliph commits to your 
care all that part of the world which 
God has committed to his care and do- 
minion ; and entrusts to thee, under 
the name of vice-gerent, the guardian- 
ship of the pious, faithful, and God- 
serving citizens."* The exact time of 
this investiture is stated by Abulfeda, as 
above, to be the 25th of Dzoulcad, A. H. 
449. Now, reckoning this as the time, 
and we have the following result : — The 
twenty-fifth of Dzoulcad, A. H. 449 would 
answer to February 2, A. D. 105S. From 
this to May 29, 1453, the time when Con- 
stantinople was taken, would be three 
hundred and ninety-five years and one 
hundred and sixteen days. The pro- 
phetic period, as above, is 396 years and 
106 days — making a difference only of 
one year and ten days — a result that 
cannot but be considered as remarkable, 
considering the difficulty of fixing an- 
cient dates. Or if, with Mr. Elliott (i. 
495-499), we suppose that the time is to 
be reckoned from the period when the 
Turkman power went forth from Bag- 
dad on a career of conquest, the reckon- 
ing should be from the year of the He- 
gira, 448, the year before the formal 
investiture, then this would make a dif- 
ference of only twenty-four days. The 
date of that event was the tenth of 
Dzoulcad, A. H. 448. That was the day 
on which Togrul with his Turkmans, 
now the representative, and head of the 
power of Islamism, quitted Bagdad to 
enter on a long career of war and con- 
quest. " The part allotted to Togrul 
himself in the fearful drama soon to 



* Mandat Chalifa tua? curse omne id terrarum quod 
Deus ejus curae et imperio commisitj tibique civium 
piorum. fideUum, Deum cole;itiuru, tutelam sublocato- 
th qooiiq: dwaaaadat. 



open against the Greeks was to extend 
and establish the Turkman dominion 
over the frontier countries of Irak and 
Mesopotamia, that so the requisite 
strength might be attained for the attack 
ordained of God's counsels against the 
Greek empire. The first step to this 
was the siege and capture of Moussul ; 
his next of Singara. Nisibis, too, was 
•visited by him ; that frontier fortress 
that had in other days been so long a 
bulwark to the Greeks. Everywhere 
victory attended his banner; a presage 
of what was to follow." Beckoning 
from that time, the coincidence between 
the period that elapsed from that, and 
the conquest of Constantinople, would 
be 396 years and 130 days — a period 
that corresponds, with only a difference 
of 24 days, with that specified in the 
prophecy according to the explanation 
given above. It could not be expected 
that a coincidence more accurate than 
this could be made out on the supposi- 
tion that the prophecy was designed to 
refer to these events ; and if it did 
refer to them, the coincidence could 
have occurred only as a prediction by 
Him who sees with perfect accuracy all 
the future. 

(13) The effect. This is stated, in vs. 
20, 21, to be that those who survived 
these plagues did not repent of their 
wickedness, but that the abominations 
which existed before still remained. In 
endeavoring to determine the meaning 
of this, it will be proper, first, to ascer- 
tain the exact sense of the words used, 
and then to enquire whether a state of 
things existed subsequent to the inva- 
sions of the Turks which corresponded 
with the description here. 

(A) The explanation of the language 
used in vs. 20, 21. % The rest of the 
men. That portion of the world on 
which these plagues did not come. One- 
third of the race, it is said, would fall 
under these calamities, and the writer 
now proceeds to state what would be the 
effect on the remainder. The language 
used — u the rest of the men" — is not such 
as to designate with certainty any par- 
ticular portion of the world, but it is 
implied that the things mentioned were 
of very general prevalence, Which 
were not killed by these plagues. The 
two-thirds of the race which were spared. 
The language here is such as would be 
used on the supposition that the crimes 



272 



KEVEL 



ATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



here referred tc abounded in all those 
regions which came within the range of 
the vision of the apostle, Yet re- 
pented not of the loorks of their hands. 
To wit, of those things which are im- 
mediately specified, That they should 
not worship devils. Implying that they 
practised this before. The word used 
here — Sainovtov — means properly, a god, 
deity; spoken of the heathen gods, 
Acts xvii. 18 ; then, a genius, or tutelary 
demon, e. g. that of Socrates ; and, in 
the New Testament, a demon in the 
sense of an evil spirit. See the word 
fully explained in the Notes on 1 Cor. 
x. 20. The meaning of the passage here, 
as in 1 Cor. x. 20, " they sacrifice to 
devils," is not that they literally wor- 
shipped devils in the usual sense of that 
term (though it is true that such wor- 
ship does exist in the world, as among 
the Yezidis (see Layard, Nineveh and 
its Remains, vol. i. pp. 225-254, and 
Rosenumller, Morgenland, iii. 212-216) ; 
but that they worshipped beings which 
were inferior to the Supreme God ; cre- 
ated spirits of a rank superior to men, 
or the spirits of men that had been 
enrolled among the gods. This last was 
a common form of worship among the 
heathen, for a large portion of the gods 
whom they adored were heroes and 
benefactors who had been enrolled 
among the gods — as Hercules, Bacchus, 
&c. All that is necessarily implied in 
this word is, that there prevailed in the 
time referred to, the worship of spirits 
inferior to God, or the worship of the 
spirits of departed men. This idea would 
be more naturally suggested to the mind 
of a Greek by the use' of the word than 
the worship of evil spirits as such — if 
indeed it would have conveyed that idea 
at all ; and this word would be properly 
employed in the representation if there 
was any homage rendered to departed 
human spirits which came in the place 
of the worship of the true God. Comp. 
a dissertation on the meaning of the 
word used here, in Elliott on the Apoca- 
lypse, Appendix L, vol. ii. f And idols 
of gold, and silver, &c, &c. Idols were 
formerly, as they are now in heathen 
lands, made of all these materials. The 
more costly would, of course, denote a 
higher degree of veneration for the god, 
or greater wealth in the worshipper, and 
all would be employed as symbols or 
representatives of the gods whom they 



adored. The meaning of this passage is, 
that there would prevail, at that time, 
what would be properly called idolatry, 
and that this would be represented by 
the worship paid to these images or 
idols. Tt is not necessary to the proper 
understanding of this, to suppose that 
the images or idols worshipped were ac- 
knowledged heathen idols, or were erected 
in honor of heathen gods as such. All 
that is implied is, that there would be 
such images (hSuXa), and that a degree 
of homage would be paid to them which 
would be in fact idolatry. The word 
here used — hl(jj\av, aowAa — properly 
means an image, spectre, shade ; then an 
idol-image, or that which was a repre- 
sentative of a heathen god ; and then 
the idol-god itself — a heathen deity. So 
far as the word is concerned, it may be 
applied to any kind of image-worship. 
\ Which neither can see, nor hear, nor 
walk. The common representation of 
idol-worship in the Scriptures, to denote 
its folly and stupidity, see Psalm cxv. ; 
comp. Isa. xliv. 13-19. ^ Neither re- 
pented they of their murders. This im- 
plies that, at the time referred to, mur- 
ders would abound ; or that the times 
would be characterized by that which 
deserved to be called murder, f Nor of 
their sorceries. The word rendered sor- 
ceries — (bapiiOLKtia, whence our word phar- 
macy, means properly the preparing and 
giving of medicine, Eng., pharmacy. 
Eoh. Lex. Then, as the art of medicine 
was supposed to have a magical power, 
or as the persons who practised medi- 
cine, in order to give themselves and 
their art greater importance, practised 
various arts of incantation, the word 
came to be connected with the idea of 
magic, sorcery, or enchantment. See 
Schleusner, Lex. In the New Testa- 
ment, the word is never used in a good 
sense as denoting the preparation of 
medicine, but always in this secondary 
sense, as denoting sorcery, magic, &c. 
Thus in Gal. v. 20, "the works of the 
flesh — idolatry, loitchcraft." Rev. ix. 21, 
" Of their sorceries.'* Rev. xviii. 23, 
" For by thy sorceries were all nations 
deceived." Rev. xxi. 8, " Whoremon- 
gers, and sorcerers." The word does 
not elsewhere occur in the New Testa- 
ment, and the meaning of the word would 
be fulfilled in anything that purposed to 
accomplish an object by sorcery, by 
magical arts, by trick, by cunning, bt 



A. U. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EK IX. 



273 



sleight of hand, or by deceiving the senses 
in any loay. Thus it would be applicable 
to all jugglery, and to all pretended 
miracles. ^[ Nor of their fornication. 
Implying that this would be a prevalent 
sin in the times referred to, and that the 
dreadful plagues which are here pre- 
dicted would make no essential change 
in reference to its prevalence. ^[ And of 
their thefts. Implying that this, too, 
would be a common form of iniquity. 
The word used here — K^f^fxa — is the 
common word to denote theft. The true 
idea in the word is that of privately, 
unlawfully, and feloniously taking the 
goods or moveables of another person. 
In a larger, and in the popular sense, 
however, this word might embrace all 
acts of taking the property of another by 
dishonest arts, or on false pretence, or 
without an equivalent. 

(B) The next point, then, is, the en- 
quiry whether there was any such state 
of things as is specified here, existing in 
the time of the rise of the Turkish power, 
and in the time of the calamities which 
that formidable power brought upon the 
world. There are two things implied in 
the statement here: — (1) that these 
things had an existence before the inva- 
sion and destruction of the Eastern em- 
pire by the Turkish power; and (2) that 
they continued to exist after that, or 
were not removed by these fearful cala- 
mities. The supposition all along in- 
this interpretation is, that the eye of the 
prophet was on the Roman world, and 
that the design was to mark the various 
events which would characterize its fu- 
ture history. We look, then, in the ap- 
plication of this, to the state of things 
existing in connexion with the Roman 
power, or that portion of the world 
which was then pervaded by the Roman 
religion. This will make it necessary to 
institute an enquiry whether the things 
here specified prevailed in that part of 
the world before the invasions of the 
Turks, and the conquest of Constanti- 
nople, and whether the judgments in- 
flicted by that formidable Turkish in- 
vasion made any essential change in 
this respect. 

(1) The statement that they wor- 
shipped devils ; that is, as explained, 
demons, or the deified souls of men. 
Homage rendered to the spirits of de- 
parted men, and substituted in the 
place of the worship of the true God, 



would meet all that is properly implied 
here. We may refer, then, to the wor- 
ship of saints in the Romish communion 
as a complete fulfilment of what is hero 
implied in the language used by John. 
The fact cannot be disputed that the 
invocation of saints took the place, in 
the Roman Catholic communion, of the 
worship of sages and heroes in heathen 
Rome, and that the canonization of 
saints took the place of the ancient 
deification of heroes and public bene- 
factors. The same kind of homage was 
rendered to them; their aid was invoked 
in a similar manner, and on similar 
occasions; the effect on the popular 
mind was substantially the same; and 
the one interfered as really as the other 
with the worship of the true God. The 
decrees of the Seventh General Council, 
known as the Second Council of Nice, 
A. D. 787, authorized and established the 
worshipping (7:poaKvvfu) — the same word 
used here — -rrpvaKwijcwai ra Saifiovia) of 
the saints and their images. This oc- 
curred after the exciting scenes, the 
debates, and the disorders produced by 
the Iconoclasts, or image-breakers, and 
after the most careful deliberation on 
the subject. In that celebrated council, 
it was decreed, according to Mr. Gibbon 
(iii. 341), " unanimously," " that the 
worship of images is agreeable to Scrip- 
ture and reason, to the fathers and 
councils of the church ; but they hesi- 
tate whether that worship be relative or 
direct; whether the Godhead and the 
figure of Christ be entitled to the same 
mode of adoration." This worship of 
the "saints," or prayer to the saints, 
asking for their intercession, it is well 
known has from that time every where 
prevailed in the Papal communion. In- 
deed, a large part of the actual prayers 
offered in their services, is addressed to 
the Virgin Mary. Mr. Maitland, " the 
able and learned advocate of the Dark 
Ages," says " The superstition of the 
age supposed the glorified saint to know 
what was going on in the world; and tc 
feel a deep interest, and to possess a 
considerable power, in the church mili- 
tant on earth. I believe that they who 
thought so are altogether mistaken ; an<5 
I lament, abhor, and am amazed at, the 
superstition, blasphemies and idolatries, 
which have grown out of that opinion." 
Elliott, ii. p. 10. As to the question 
whether this continued after the judg* 



274 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



ments brought upon the world by the 
hordes "loosed on the Euphrates," or 
"whether they repented and reformed on 
account of the judgments, we have only 
to look into the Roman Catholic religion 
everywhere. Not only did the old prac- 
tice of " daemonolatry," or the worship 
of departed saints, continue, but new 
" saints" have been added to the number, 
and the list of those who are to receive 
this homage has been continually increas- 
ing. Thus in the year 1460 Catharine of 
Sienna was canonized by Pope Pius II. ; 
in 1482, Bonaventura, the blasphemer,* 
by Sixtus IV. ; in 1494, Anselm by 
Alexander VI. Alexander's Bull, in 
language more heathen than Christian, 
avows it to be the Pope's duty thus to 
choose out, and to hold up the illus- 
trious dead, as their merits claim, for 
adoration and worship.f 

(2) The statement that idolatry was 
practised, and continued to be practised, 
after this invasion : — " Repented not that 
they should not worship idols of gold, 
silver, and brass." On this point, per- 
haps it would be sufficient to refer to 
what has been already noticed in regard 
to the homage paid to the souls of the 
departed; but it may be farther and 
more clearly illustrated by a reference 
to the worship of images in the Romish 
communion. Any one familiar with 
church history will recollect the long 
conflicts which prevailed respecting the 
worship of images ; the establishment of 
images in the churches ; the destruction 
of images by the " Iconoclasts ;" and 
the debates on the subject by the coun- 
cil at Hiera; and the final decision in 
the Second Council of Nice, in which 
the propriety of image-worship was 
affirmed and established. See on this 
subject, Bowers' History of the Popes, 
? -i. 98, seq. 144, seq. ; Gibbon, vol. iii. 
pp. 322-341. The importance of the 
question respecting image -xcorslxip may 
be seen from the remarks of Mr. Gibbon, 
iii. 322. He speaks of it as " a question 
of popular superstition which produced 



* In tbe Hereford Discussion, between the Rev. J. 
Venn and Rev. James Waterworth, it was admitted by 
the latter, an able and learned Romish priest, that 
Bonaventura's Psalter to the Virgin Mary, turning thi 
addresses to God into addresses to the Virgin, wa 
blasphemy. Elliott, ii. 25. 

t Romanas Pontifex viros claros, et qui sanctimonia 
floruerunt, et eorum exigentibus clarissimis meritis 
aliorum sanctorum numero aggregari merentur — inter 
sanctos praedctos debit collocare, et ut sanctosab oin 
nibus Christi fidelibus coli, vtnerari, et ADORARI 
aaandare. 



the revolt of Italy, the temporal power 
of the Popes, and the restoration of the 
Roman empire in the West." A few 
extracts from Mr. Gibbon — who may be 
regarded as an impartial witness on this 
subject — will show what was the popular 
belief, and will confirm what is said in 
the passage before us in reference to the 
prevalence of idolatry. " The first intro- 
duction of a symbolic worship was in 
the veneration of the cross, and of relics. 
The saints and martyrs, when interces- 
sion was implored, were seated on the 
right hand of God ; but the gracious, and 
often supernatural favors, which, in the 
popular belief, were showered round their 
tombs, conveyed an unquestionable sanc- 
tion of the devout pilgrims, who visited, 
and touched, and kissed, these lifeless 
remains, the memorials of their merits 
and suffering. But a memorial, more 
interesting than the skull or the sandals 
of a departed worthy, is a faithful copy 
of his person and features delineated by 
the arts of painting or sculpture. In 
every age, such copies, so congenial to 
human feelings, have been cherished by 
the zeal of private friendship, or public 
jesteem ; the images of the Roman em- 
perors were adorned with civil and 
almost religious honors; a reverence, less 
ostentatious, but more sincere, was ap- 
plied to the statues of sages and patriots ; 
and these profane virtues, these splendid 
sins, disappeared in the presence of the 
holy men, who had died for their celes- 
tial and everlasting country. At first the 
experiment was made with caution and 
scruple, and the venerable pictures were 
discreetly allowed to instruct the igno- 
rant, to awaken the cold, and to gratify 
the prejudices of the heathen proselytes. 
By a slow, though inevitable progres- 
sion, the honors of the original were 
transferred to the copy; the devout 
Christian prayed before the image of a 
saint; and the Pagan rites of genuflexion, 
luminaries, and incense, again stole into 
the Catholic church. The scruples of 
reason or piety were silenced by the 
strong evidence of visions and miracles ; 
and the pictures which speak, and move, 
and bleed, must be endowed with a 
divine energy, and may be considered as 
the proper objects or religious adora- 
tion. The most audacious pencil might 
tremble in the rash attempt of defining, 
by forms and colors, the infinite Spirit, 
the devout Father, who pervades and 



k. D. 96.] 



CH APT 



ER IX 



275 



sustains the universe. But the super- 
ntitious mind was more easily recon- 
ciled to paint and worship the angels, 
and above all, the Son of God, under 
the human shape, which on earth they 
have condescended to assume. The 
second person of the Trinity had been 
clothed with a real and mortal body ; 
but that body had ascended into heaven; 
and had not some similitude been pre- 
sented to the eyes of his disciples, the 
spiritual worship of Christ might have 
been obliterated by the visible relies and 
representatives of the saints. A similar 
indulgence was requisite, and propitious, 
for the Virgin Mary; the place of her 
burial was unknown ; and the assump- 
tion of her soul and body into heaven 
was adopted by the credulity of the 
Greeks and Latins. The use, and even 
the worship of images was firmly esta- 
blished before the end of the sixth cen- 
tury ; they were fondly cherished by the 
warm imagination of the Greeks and 
Asiatics; the Pantheon and the Vatican 
were adorned with the emblems of a new 
superstition ; but this semblance of idola- 
try was more coldly entertained by the 
rude Barbarians, and the Arian clergy 
of the West." vol. iii. p. 323. Again : 
" Before the end of the sixth century, 
these images, made without hands (in 
Greek it is a single word — a^eipo-notTjros), 
were propagated in the camps and cities 
of the Eastern empire ; they were the ob- 
jects of worship, and the instruments of 
miracles ; and in the hour of danger or 
tumult, their venerable presence could 
revive the hope, rekindle the courage, or 
repress the fury of the Roman legions." 
vol. iii. pp. 324, 325. So again (vol. iii. 
pp. 340, seq.): "While the Popes esta- 
blished in Italy their freedom and do- 
minion, the images, the first cause of 
their revolt, were restored in the Eastern 
empire. Under the reign of Constantine 
the Fifth, the union of civil and ecclesi- 
astical power had overthrown the tree, 
without extirpating the root, of supersti- 
tion. The idols, for such they were now 
held, were secretly cherished by the 
order and the sect most prone to devo- 
tion ; and the fond alliance of the monks 
and females obtained a final victory over 
the name and the authority of man." 
Under Irene a council was convened — 
the second council of Nice, or the seventh 
general council, in which, according to 
Mr. Gibbon (iii. 341), it was " unani- 



mously pronounced that the worship of 
images is agreeable to Scripture and 
reason, to the fathers and councils of 
the church." The arguments which were 
urged in favor of the worship of images, 
in the council above referred to, may be 
seen in Bowers' Lives of the Popes, vol. 
ii. pp. 152-158, Dr. Cox's edition. The 
answer of the bishops in the council to 
the question of the empress Irene, whe- 
ther they agreed to the decision which 
had been adopted in the council, was in 
these words : " We all agree to it ; we 
have all freely signed it; this is the 
faith of the apostles, of the fathers, and 
of the Catholic church; we all salute, 
honor, worship, and adore the holy and 
venerable images ; be they accursed who 
do not honor, worship, and adore the 
adorable images." Bowers' Lives of the 
Popes, ii. 159. As a matter of fact, 
therefore, no one can doubt that these 
images were worshipped with the honor 
that was due to God alone — or that the 
sin of idolatry prevailed; and no one 
can doubt that that has been continued, 
and is still, in the Papal communion. 

(3) The next point specified is mur- 
ders (ver. 21): 'Neither repented they 
of their murders.' It can hardly be 
necessary to dwell on this to show that 
this was strictly applicable to the Roman 
power, and extensively prevailed, both 
before and after the Turkish invasion, 
and that that invasion had no tendency 
to produce repentance. Indeed, in no- 
thing has the Papacy been more remark- 
ably characterized than in the number 
of murders perpetrated on the innocent 
in persecution. In reference to the ful- 
filment of this, we may refer to the fol- 
lowing things, (a) Persecution. This 
has been particularly the characteristic 
of the Roman communion, it need not 
be said, in all ages. The persecutions 
of the Waldenses, if there were nothing 
else, show that the spirit here referred 
to prevailed in the Roman communion, 
or that the times preceding the Turkish 
conquest were characterized by what is 
here specified. In the third Lateran 
council, A. D. 1179, an anathema was 
declared against certain dissentients and 
heretics, and then against the Waldenses 
themselves in Papal bulls of the years 
1183, 1207, 1208. Again, in a decree 
of the fourth Lateran council, A. D. 1215, 
a crusade, as it was called, was pro- 
claimed against them, and "plenary 



/ 



276 



REVEL 



ATIOJN, 



[A. D. 96. 



absolution promised to such as should 
perish in the holy war, from the day of 
their birth to the day of their death." 
"And never," says Sismondi, "had the 
cross been taken up with more unani- 
mous consent." It is supposed that in 
this crusade against the Waldenses, a 
million of men perished. (6) That this 
continued to be the characteristic of the 
Papacy after the judgments brought 
upon the Roman world by the Turkish 
invasion, or that those judgments had 
no tendency to produce repentance and 
reformation, is well known, and is mani- 
fest from the following things : (1) The 
continuance of the spirit of persecution. 

(2) The establishment of the Inquisition. 
One hundred and fifty thousand persons 
perished by the Inquisition in thirty 
years ; and from the beginning of the 
order of the Jesuits in 1540 to 1580, it 
is supposed that nine hundred thousand 
persons were destroyed by persecution. 

(3) The same spirit was manifested in 
the attempts to suppress the true religion 
in England, in Bohemia, and in the Low 
Countries. Fifty thousand persons were 
nanged, burned, beheaded, or buried 
alive, for the crime of heresy, in the 
Low Countries, chiefly under the Duke 
of Alva, from the edict of Charles V. 
against the Protestants to the peace of 
Chateau Cambrisis, in 1559. Comp. 
Notes on Dan. vii. 24-28. To these are 
to be added all that fell in France on 
the revocation of the edict of JSTantz ; 
all that perished by persecution in Eng- 
land in the days of Mary ; and all that 
have fallen in the bloody wars that have 
been waged in the propagation of the 
Papal religion. The number is, of 
course, unknown to mortals, though 
efforts have been made by historians to 
form some estimate of the amount. It 
is supposed that fifty millions of persons 
have perished in these persecutions of 
the Waldenses, Albigenses, Bohemian 
Brethren, Wickliffites, and Protestants ; 
that some fifteen millions of Indians 
perished in Cuba, Mexico, and South 
America, in the wars of the Spaniards, 
professedly to propagate the Catholic 
faith ; that three million and a half of 
Moors and Jews perished, by Catholic 
persecution and arms, in Spain ; and 
that thus, probably, no less than sixty- 
eight millions and five hundred thou- 
sand human beings have been put to 

n» fleafch by this one persecuting power, 



See Dr. Berg's Lectures on Ptomanism, 
pp. 6, 7. Assuredly, if this be true, it 
would be proper to characterize the times 
here referred to, both before and after 
the Turkish invasion, as a time when 
murders would prevail. 

(4) The fourth point specified is, sor- 
ceries. It can hardly be necessary to go 
into detail to prove that this also abound- 
ed, and that delusive appeals to the 
senses; false and pretended miracles ; 
arts adapted to deceive through the ima- 
gination ; the supposed virtue and effi- 
cacy of relics; and frauds calculated to 
impose on mankind, have characterized 
those portions of the world where the 
Roman religion has prevailed, and been 
one of the principal means of its ad- 
vancement. No Protestant surely would 
deny this, no intelligent Catholic can 
doubt it himself. All that is necessary 
to be said in regard to this is, that in 
this, as in other respects, the Turkish 
invasion, and the judgments that came 
upon the world, made no change. The 
very recent imposture of the 4 holy coat 
of Treves,' is a full proof that the dispo- 
sition to practise such arts still exists, 
and that the power to impose on a large 
portion of the world in that denomina- 
tion, has not died away. 

(5) The fifth thing specified is forni- 
cation. This has abounded everywhere 
in the world, but the, use of the term in 
this connexion implies that there would 
be something peculiar here, and perhaps 
that it would be associated with the 
other things referred to. It is as unne- 
cessary, as it would be improper, to go 
into any detail on this point. Any one 
who is acquainted with the history of 
the Middle Ages — the period here sup- 
posed to be referred to — must be aware 
of the wide-spread licentiousness which 
then prevailed, especially among the 
clergy. Historians and poets, ballads 
and acts of councils, alike testify to this 
fact.* It is to be remarked also, as 
illustrating the subject, that the disso- 
luteness of the Middle Ages was closely, 
and almost necessarily, connected with 
the worship of the images and the saints 
above referred to. The character of 
many of those who were worshipped as 
saints, like the character of many of the 
gods :f the Pagan Romans, was just 

* If you wish to see the horrors of these ages,' 
(the Middle Ages), says Chateaubriand, Diet, Hist, ton 
iii, 420, "read the Councils," 



A. D. 96.] 



C H APT 



EK IX 



277 



snch as to be an incentive to every spe- 
cies of licentiousness and impurity. On 
this point, Mr. Hallam makes the fol- 
lowing remarks : " That the exclusive 
worship of saints, under the guidance 
of an artful, though illiterate priest- 
hood, degraded the understanding, and 
begat a stupid credulity and fanaticism, 
is sufficiently evident. But it was also 
so managed as to loosen the bonds of re- 
ligion, and pervert the standard of mo- 
rality." Middle Ages, vol. ii. pp. 249, 
250. Edit. Phil. 1824. He then, in a 
Note, refers to the legends of the saints 
as abundantly confirming his statements. 
See particularly the stories in the " Gold- 
en Legend." So, in speaking of the 
Monastic orders, Mr. Hallam (Middle 
Ages, vol. ii. 253), says, " In vain new 
rules of discipline were devised, or the 
old corrected by reforms. Many of their 
worst vices grew so naturally out of 
their mode of life that a stricter disci- 
pline would have no tendency to extir- 
pate them. Their extreme licentious- 
ness was sometimes hardly concealed by 
the cowl of sanctity." In illustration of 
this we may introduce here a remark of 
Mr. Gibbon, made in immediate con- 
nexion with his statement about the de- 
crees respecting the worship of images. 
"I shall only notice," says he, "the 
judgment of the bishops on the compa- 
rative merit of image worship and mo- 
rality. A monk had concluded a truce 
with the demon of fornication, on condi- 
tion of interrupting her daily prayers to 
a picture that hung in his cell. His 
scruples prompted him to consult the 
Abbot. * Rather than abstain from 
adoring Christ and his mother in their 
holy- images, it would be better for you/ 
replied the casuist, 'to enter any brothel, 
and visit every prostitute in the city / " 
iii. 341. So again, Mr. Gibbon, speak- 
ing of the Pope, John XII. says, "His 
open simony might be the consequence 
of distress ; and his blasphemous invo- 
cation of Jupiter and Venus, if it be 
true, could not possibly be serious. But 
we read with some surprise that the 
worthy grandson of Marozia lived in 
public adultery with the matrons of 
Borne ; that the Lateran palace was 
turned into a place of prostitution, and 
that his rapes of virgins and of widows 
had deterred the female pilgrims from 
visiting the tomb of St. Peter, lest, in 
the devout act they should be violated 
24 



by his successor," iii. 353. Again, the 
system of indulgences led directly to 
licentiousness. In the Pontificate of 
John XXII. about A. D. 1320, there was 
invented the celebrated Tax of In- 
digencies, of which more than forty 
editions are extant. According to this, 
incest was to cost, if not detected, Jive 
groschen : if known and flagrant, six. 
A certain price was affixed in a similar 
way to adultery, infanticide, &c. See 
Merle D'Aubigne's Reformation, vol. i. 
p. 41. And farther, the very pilgrim- 
ages to the shrines of the saints, which 
were enjoined as a penance for sin, and 
which were regarded as a ground of 
merit, were occasions of the grossest 
licentiousness. So Hallam, Middle Ages, 
says, "This licensed vagrancy was natu- 
rally productive of dissoluteness, espe- 
cially among the women. Our English 
ladies, in their zeal to obtain the spi- 
ritual treasuries of Rome, are said to 
have relaxed the necessary caution 
about one that was in their own cus- 
tody." Vol. ii. 255. The celibacy of 
the clergy, also, tended to licentious- 
ness, and is known to have been every- 
where productive of the very sin which 
is here mentioned. The state of the 
nunneries in the middle ages is well- 
known. In the 15th century, Gerson, 
the French orator so celebrated at the 
Council of Constance, called them Pros- 
tibula meretricum. Clemangis, a French 
theologian, also contemporary, and a 
man of great eminence, thus speaks of 
them: — Quid aliud sunt hoc tempore 
puellarum monasteria, nisi queedam non 
dico Dei sanctuaria, sed veneris exe- 
cranda prostibula; ut idem sit hodie pu- 
ellam velare, quod et publici ad scor- 
tandnm exponere. Hallam, Middle Ages, 
ii. 253. To this we may add the fact 
that it was a habit, not unfrequent, to 
license the clergy to live in concubinage, 
(Sae the proof in Elliott, i. 447, Note), 
and that the practice of auricular con- 
fession necessarily made "the tainting 
of the female mind an integral part of 
Roman priestcraft, and gave consecra- 
tion to the communings of impurity." 
It hardly needs any proof that these 
practices continued after the invasions 
of the Turkish hordes, or that those in- 
vasions made no changes in the condi- 
tion of the world in this respect. In 
proof of this, we need refer only to Pope 
I Innocent VIII., elected in 1484 to the 



278 • 



REVEL 



A T 1 N, 



[A. D. 96. 



Papacy;-* to Alexander VL, his suc- 
cessor, who at the close of the 15th cen- 
tury stood before the world a monster, 
notorious to all, of impurity and vice; and 
to the general well-known character of 
the Romish clergy. " Most of the eccle- 
siastics," says the historian Infessura, 
" had their mistresses ; and all the con- 
vents of the capital were houses of ill- 
fame ." 

(6) The sixth thing specified (ver. 21), 
is thefts ; that is, as explained, the taking 
of the property of others by dishonest 
arts ; on false pretences, or without any 
proper equivalent. In the enquiry as to 
the applicability of this to the times 
supposed to be here referred to, we may 
notice the following things, as instances 
in which money was extorted from the 
people, (a) The value fraudulently as- 
signed to relics. Mosheim, in his histo- 
rical sketch of the twelfth century, ob- 
serves, " The abbots and monks carried 
about the country the carcases and relics 
of saints, in solemn procession : and per- 
mitted the multitude to behold, touch, 
and embrace the sacred remains, at fixed 
prices." (b) The exaltation of the mi- 
racle-working merit of particular saints, 
and the consecration of neio saints, 
and dedication of new images, when the 
popularity of the former died away. 
Thus Mr. Hallam says, " Every cathe- 
dral or monastery had its tutelar saint, 
and every saint his legend; fabricated 
in order to enrich the churches under 
his protection ; by exaggerating his vir- 
tues and his miracles, and consequently 
his power of serving those who paid 
liberally for his patronage." (c) The in- 
vention and sale of indulgences — well- 
known to have been a vast source of 
revenue to the church. Wickliflfe de- 
clared that indulgences were mere forge- 
ries whereby the priesthood " rob men 
of their money ; a subtle merchandize 
of Antichrist's clerks, whereby they mag- 
nify their own fictitious power, and in- 
stead of causing men to dread sin, en- 
courage men to wallow therein as hogs." 
(d) The prescription of pilgrimages as 
penances, was another prolific source of 
g&in to the church, that deserves to be 
Biassed under the name of thefts. Those 
made such pilgrimage were ex- 
pected and required to make an offering 

* His character is told in the well-known epigram, 
Octo nocens pueros genuit, tolidemque puellas : 
Huac nutMto pohiit dicere Roma patrem. 



at the shrine of the saint ; and as multi- 
tudes went on such pilgrimages, espe- 
cially on the Jubilee at Rome, the in- 
come from this source was enormous. 
An instance of what was offered at the 
shrine of Thomas a Becket will illus- 
trate this. Through his reputation, Can- 
terbury became the Rome of England. 
A Jubilee was celebrated every fiftieth 
year to his honor, with plenary indul- 
gence to all such, as visited his tomb; 
of whom one hundred thousand were 
registered at one time. Two large vol- 
umes were filled with accounts of the 
miracles wrought at his tomb. The fol- 
lowing list of the value of offerings made 
in two successive years to his shrine, the 
Virgin Mary's, and Christ's, in the cathe- 
dral at Canterbury, will illustrate at the 
same time the gain from these sources, 
and the relative respect shown to Becket, 
Mary, and the Saviour. 

First Year. £ *. d. Next Tear. £ *. d. 

Christ's Altar, 3 2 6 Christ's Altar, 

Virgin Mary's, 63 5 6 Virgin Mary's, 4 1 8 

Becket's, . . 832 12 9 Becket's, . . 954 6 3 

Of the Jubilee of A. D. 1300, Muratori 
relates the result as follows : — " Papa 
innumerabilem pecuniam ab iisdem rece- 
pit ; quia die et nocte duo clerici stabant 
ad altare Sancti Pauli, tenentes in eoruni 
manibus rastellos, rastellantes pecuniam 
infinitam." — "The Pope received from 
them a countless amount of mOney; for 
two clerks stood at the altar of St. Paul 
night and day, holding in their hands 
little rakes, collecting an infinite amount 
of money." Hallam. (e) Another source 
of gain of this kind was the numerous 
testamentary bequests with which the 
church was enriched — obtained by the 
arts and influence of the clergy. In 
Wickliffe's time there were in England 
53,215 foeda militum, of which the re- 
ligious had 28,000 — more than one-half. 
Blackstone says that, but for the inter- 
vention of the legislature, and the statute 
of mortmain, the church would have 
appropriated in this manner the whole 
of the land of England, iv. 107. (/) The 
money left by the dying to pay for 
masses, and that paid by survivors for 
masses to release the souls of their 
friends from Purgatory — all of which 
deserves to be classed under the word 
thefts as above explained, was another 
source of vast wealth to the church ; and 
the practice was systematized on a large 
scale, and, with the other things men« 



A. I). 96,] 



chapt 



ER IX. 



279 



tioned, deserves to be noticed as a cha- 
racteristic of the times. It is scarcely 
necessary, to add that the judgments 
which were brought upon the world by 
the Turkish invasions made no essential 
change, and wrought no repentance or 
reformation, and hence, that the lan- 
guage here is strictly applicable to these 
things : — " Neither repented they of their 
murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of 
their fornication, nor of their thefts." 

CHAPTER X. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter contains the record of a 
sublime vision of an angel which, at this 
juncture, John saw descending from 
heaven, disclosing new scenes in what 
was yet to occur. The vision is inter- 
posed between the sounding of the sixth, 
or second woe-trumpet, and the sound- 
ing of the seventh, or third woe-trumpet, 
under which is to be the final consum- 
mation, ch. xi. 15, seq. It occupies an 
important interval between the events 
which were to occur under the sixth 
trumpet, and the last scene — the final 
overthrow of the formidable power which 
had opposed the reign of God on the 
earth, and the reign of righteousness, 
when the kingdoms of the world should 
become the kingdom of God, ch. xi. 15. 
It is, in many respects, an unhappy cir- 
cumstance that this chapter has been 
separated from the following. They con- 
stitute one continued vision, at least to 
ch. xi. 15, where the sounding of the 
seventh and last trumpet occurs. 

The tenth chapter contains the follow- 
ing things : — 

(1) An angel descends from heaven, 
and the attention of the seer is for a time 
turned from the contemplation of what 
was passing in heaven to this new 
vision that appeared on the earth. This 
angel is clothed with a cloud; he is 
encircled by a rainbow ; his face is as 
the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire : — 
all indicating his exalted rank, and all 
such accompaniments as became a hea- 
venly messenger. 

(2) The angel appears with a small 
volume in his hand, ver. 2. This book 
\s not closed and sealed, like the one in 
ch. v., but was "open" — so that it could 
be read. Such a book would indicate 
some new message or revelation from 
heaven ; and the book would be pro- 
perly, a symbol of something that was 



to be accomplished by Euch an open 
volume. 

(3) The angel sets his feet upon the 
sea and the land, ver. 2 : — indicating by 
this, apparently, that what he was to 
communicate appertained alike to the 
ocean and the land — to all the world. 

(4) The angel makes a proclamation— 
the nature of which is not here stated— 
with a loud voice, like the roaring of a 
lion, as if the nations were called to 
hear, ver. 3. 

(5) This cry or roar is responded to 
by heavy thunders, ver. 3. What those 
thunders uttered is not stated, but 
it was evidently so distinct that John 
heard it, for he says (ver. 4), that he 
was about to make a record of what was 
said. 

(6) John, about to make this record, 
is forbidden to do so by a voice from 
heaven, ver. 4. For some reason, not 
here stated, he was commanded not to 
disclose what was said, but so to seal it 
up that it should not be known. The 
reason for this silence is nowhere inti- 
mated in the chapter. 

(7) The angel lifts his hand to heaven 
in a most solemn manner, and swears by 
the Great Creator of all things that the 
time should not be yet — in our common 
version " that there should be time no 
longer," vs. 5-7. It would seem that 
just at this period there would be an 
expectation that the reign of God was to 
begin upon the earth; but the angel, in 
the most solemn manner, declares that 
this was not yet to be, but that it would 
occur when the seventh angel should 
begin to sound. Then the great "mys- 
tery" would be complete, as it had been 
declared to the prophets. 

(8) John is then commanded, by the 
same voice which he heard from heaven, 
to go to the angel and take the little 
book from him which he held in his 
hand, and eat it — with the assurance 
that it would be found to be sweet to the 
taste, but would be bitter afterwards, 
vs. 8-10. 

(9) The chapter concludes with a 
declaration that he must yet prophesy 
before many people and nations (ver. 
11), and then follows (ch. xi.) the com- 
mission to measure the temple; the 
command to separate the pure from the 
profane ; the account of the prophesying, 
the death, and the resurrection to life of 
the two witnesses — all preliminary to the 



280 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



sounding of the seventh trumpet, # and 
the introduction of the universal reign 
of righteousness. 

The question to what does the chapter 
refer, is one which it is proper to notice 
before we proceed to the exposition. It 
is unnecessary to say that, on this ques- 
tion very various opinions have been 
entertained, and that very different ex- 
positions have been given of the chapter. 
Without going into an examination of 
these different opinions — which would be 
a task alike unprofitable and endless— it 
will be better to state what seems to be 
the fair interpretation and application 
of the symbol, in its connexion with what 
precedes. A few remarks here, pre- 
liminary to the exposition and applica- 
tion of the chapter, may help us in 
determining the place which the vision 
is designed to occupy. 

(a) In the previous Apocalyptic reve- 
lations, if the interpretation proposed is 
correct, the history had been brought 
down, in the regular course of events, to 
the capture of Constantinople by the 
Turks, and the complete overthrow of 
the Soman empire by that event, A. D. 
1453. Ch. ix. 13-19. This was an im- 
portant era in the history of the world, 
and, if the exposition which has been 
proposed is correct, then the sketches of 
history pertaining to the Roman empire 
in the book of Revelation have been 
made with surprising accuracy. 

(b) A statement had been made (ch. 
ix. 20, 21.) to the effect, that the same 
state of things continued subsequent to 
the plagues brought on by those inva- 
sions, which had existed before, or that 
the effect had not been to produce any 
general repentance and reformation. 
God had scourged the nations: he had 
cut off multitudes of men ; he had over- 
thrown the mighty empire that had so 
long ruled over the world : but the 
same sins of superstition, idolatry, sor- 
cery, murder, fornication and theft pre- 
vailed afterwards that had prevailed 
before. Instead of working a change in 
the minds of men, the world seemed to be 
confirmed in these abominations more 
and more. In the exposition of that 
passage (ch. ix. 20, 21), it was shown 
that those things prevailed in the Ro- 
man church — which then embraced the 
"whole Christian world — before the inva- 
sion of the Eastern empire by the Turks, 
and that they continued to prevail after- 



wards : — that, in fact, the moral charac- 
ter of the world was not affected by those 
" plagues." 

(c) The next event, in the order of 
time, was the Reformation, and the cir- 
cumstances in the case are such as to 
lead us to suppose that this chapter 
refers to that. For (1) the order of 
time demands this. This was the next 
important event in the history of the 
church and the world after the conquest 
of Constantinople producing the entire 
downfall of the Roman empire j and if, as 
is supposed in the previous exposition, 
it was the design of the Spirit of inspira- 
tion to touch on the great and material 
events in the history of the church and 
the world, then it would be natural to 
suppose that the Reformation would 
come next into view, for no previous 
event had more deeply or permanent- 
ly affected the condition of mankind. 
(2) The state of the world as described 
in ch. ix. 20, 21, was such as to demand 
a reformation, or something that should 
be more effectual in purifying the church 
than the calamities described in the 
previous verse had been. The repre- 
sentation is, that God had brought 
great judgments upon the world, but 
that they had been ineffectual in re- 
forming mankind. The same kind of 
superstition, idolatry, and corruption 
remained after those judgments which 
had existed before, and they were of 
such a nature as to make it every way 
desirable that a new influence should be 
brought to bear upon the world to purify 
it from these abominations. Some such 
work as the Reformation is, therefore, 
what we should naturally look for as the 
next in order; or, at least, such a work 
is one that well fits in with the descrip- 
tion of the previous state of things. 

(d) It will be found, I apprehend, in 
the exposition of the chapter, that the 
symbols are such as accord well with the 
great leading events of the Protestant 
Reformation ; or, in other words, that 
they are such that, on the supposition 
that it was intended to refer to the 
Reformation, these are the symbols which 
would have been appropriately employed. 
Of course, it is not necessary to suppose 
that John understood distinctly all that 
was meant by these symbols, nor is it 
necessary to suppose that those who 
lived before the Reformation would bo 
able to comprehend them perfectly, and 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER X. 



281 



CHAPTEE X. ' bow ■ was upon his head, and his 

AND I saw another mighty an- face b was as it were the sun, and 
gel come down from heaven, ; his feet, as pillars of fire : 
clothed with a cloud ; and a rain- j a Eze. l. 28. b Mat. 17. 2. c. 1. 15, 16. 



to apply them -with accuracy. All that 
is nec€8sary to be supposed in the inter- 
pretation is, (1) that the symbol was de- 
signed to be of such a character as to give 
some general idea of what was to occur; 
and (2) that we should be able, now that 
the event has occurred, to show that it 
is fairly applicable to the event ; that is, 
that on the supposition that this was 
designed to be referred to, the symbols 
are such as would properly be employed. 
This, however, will be seen more clearly 
after the exposition shall have been gone 
through. 

With this general view of what we 
should naturally anticipate in this chap- 
ter, from the course of exposition in the 
preceding chapters, we are prepared for 
a more particular exposition and appli- 
cation of the symbols in this new vision. 
It will be the most convenient course, 
keeping in mind the general views pre- 
sented here, to explain the symbols, and to 
consider their application as we go along. 

1. And I saw. I had a vision of. The 
meaning is, that he saw this subsequently 
to the vision in the previous chapter. 
The attention is now arrested by a new 
vision — as if some new dispensation or 
economy was about to occur in the world. 

Another mighty angel. He had before 
seen the seven angels who were to blow 
the seven trumpets (ch. viii. 2) ; he had 
seen six of them successively blow the 
trumpet; he now sees another angel, 
different from them, and apparently 
having no connection with them, coming 
from heaven to accomplish some im- 
portant purpose before the seventh angel 
should give the final blast. This angel 
is here characterized as a ' mighty* angel 
— loy^vpbv — one of strength and power; 
implying that the work to be accom- 
plished by his mission demanded the 
interpositien of one of the higher orders 
of the heavenly inhabitants. The coming 
of an angel at ail was indicative of some 
divine interposition in human affairs ; 
the fact that he was one of exalted rank, 
or endowed with vast power, indicated 
the nature of the work to be done — that 
it was a work to the execution of which 
great obstacles existed, and where great 
24* 



; power would be needed, *f Clothed with 
i a cloud. Encompassed with a cloud, or 
! enveloped in a cloud. This was a sym- 
bol of majesty and glory, and is often 
| represented as accompanying the divine 
j presence. Ex. xvi. 9, 10, xxiv. 16, 
j xxxiv. 5; Num. xi. 25 ; 1 Kings viii. 10; 

Ps. xcvii. 2. The Saviour also ascended 
I in a cloud, Acts i. 9, and he will again 
i descend in clouds to judge the vtorld, 
I Matt. xxiv. 30, xxvi. 64 ; Mark xiii. 26 ; 
j Rev. i. 7. Nothing can be argued here 
j as to the -purpose for which the angel 
j appeared, from his being encompassed 
[ with a cloud; nor can any thing be ar- 
I gued from it in respect to the question 
who this angel was. The fair interpre- 
I tation is, that this was one of the angels 
i now represented as sent forth on an 
errand of mercy to man, and coming 
j with appropriate majesty, as the mes- 
senger of God. And a rainbow was 
upon his head. In ch. iv. 3, the throne 
in heaven is represented as encircled 
by a rainbow. See Notes on that verse. 
The rainbow is properly an emblem of 
peace. Here the symbol would mean 
that the angel came not for wrath, but 
for purposes of peace ; that he looked 
with a benign aspect on men, and that 
the effect of his coming would be like 
that of sunshine after a storm. ^ Ana 
his face was, as it were, the sun. Bright 
like the sun (Notes, ch. i. 16) ; that is, 
he looked upon men with (a) an intelli- 
gent aspect — as the sun is the source of 
light; and (h) with benignity — not cov- 
ered with clouds, or darkened by wrath. 
The brightness is probably the main idea, 
but the appearance of the angel would, 
j as here represented, naturally suggest 
the ideas just referred to. As an emblem 
I or symbol, we should regard his appear- 
i ing as that which was to be followed by 
j knowledge and by prosperity. *[ And 
i his feet as pillars of fire. See Notes on 
| ch. i. 15. In this symbol, then, we have 
I the following things : (a) An angel — as 
| the messenger of God, indicating that 
| some new communication was to be 
| brought to mankind, or that there would 
j be some interposition in human affairs 
i which might be well represented by the 



2L2 



REVELATION. 



2 A nd he had in his hand a little 
book open: and he set his right 

coming of an angel; (b) the fact that he 
was * mighty' — indicating that the work 
to ba done required power beyond hu- 
man strength ; (c) the fact that he came 
in a cloud — on an embassage so grand 
and magnificent as to make this symbol 
of majesty proper; (d) the fact that he 
was encircled by a rainbow — that the 
visitation was to be one of peace to man- 
kind: aad (e) the fact that his coming 
was like the sun—or would diffuse light 
and peace. 

Now, in regard to the application of 
this, without adverting to any other 
theory, no one can fail to see that, on 
the supposition that it was designed to 
refer to the Reformation, this would be 
the most striking and appropriate sym- 
bol that could have been chosen. For 
(a) as we have seen above, this is the 
place whicli the vision naturally occu- 
pies in the series of historical represent- 
ations, (b) It was at a period of the 
world, and the world was in such a 
state, that aa intervention of this kind 
would be properly represented by the 
coming of an angel from heaven. God 
had visited the nations with terrible 
judgments, but the effect had not been 
to produce reformation, for the same 
forms of wickedness continued to prevail 
which had existed before. Notes ch. 
ix. 20, 21. In this state of things, any 
new interposition of God for reforming 
the world, would be properly represented 
by the coming of an angel from heaven 
as a messenger of light and peace, 
(c) The great and leading events of the 
Reformation were well represented by 
the power of this angel. It was not 
indeed physical power; but the work to 
be done in the Reformation was a great 
work, and was such as would be well 
symbolized by the intervention of a 
mighty angel from heaven. The task 
of reforming the church, and of correct- 
ing the abuses which had prevailed, was 
wholly beyond any ability which man 
possessed, and was well represented, 
therefore, by the descent of this messen- 
ger from the skies, (d) The same thing 
may be said of the rainbow that was 
upx>n his^head. Nc thing would better 
symbolize the general aspect of the 
Reformation, as fitted to produce peace, 
tranquillity, and joy uj.cn the earth. 



[A. D. 9& 

foot upon the sea, and Ms left foot J 
on the earth, 

And (e) the same thing was indicated 
by the splendor — the light and glory — 
that attended the angel. The symbol \ 
would denote that the new order of 
things would be attended with light; 
with knowledge ; with that which would 
be benign in its influence on human 
affairs. And it need not be said, to any 
one acquainted with the history of those 
times, that the Reformation was pre- 
ceded and accompanied with a great 
increase of light ; that at just about that ! 
period of the world, the study of the 
Greek language began to be common in 
Europe; that the sciences had made 
remarkable progress; that schools and 
colleges had begun to flourish ; and that, 
to a degree which had not existed for 
ages before, the public mind had become 
awake to the importance of truth and 
knowledge. For a full illustration of 
this, from the close of the eleventh cen- 
tury and onward, see Hallam's Middle 
Ages, vol. ii. pp. 265-392, ch. ix. Part II. 
To go into any satisfactory detail on this 
point, would be wholly beyond the pro- 
per limits of these Notes, and the reader 
must be referred to the histories of those 
times, and especially to Hallam, who 
has recorded all that is necessary to be 
known on the subject. Suffice it to say 
that, on the supposition that it was the 
intention to symbolize those times, no 
more appropriate emblem could have 
been found than that of an angel whose 
face shone like the sun, and who was 
covered with light and splendor. These 
remarks will show that, if it be supposed 
it was intended to symbolize the Re- 
formation, no more appropriate emblem 
could have been selected than that of 
such an angel coming down from heaven. 
If, after the events have occurred, we 
should desire to represent the same 
things by a striking and expressive 
symbol, we could find none that would 
better represent those times. 

2. And he had in his hand a little 
book open. This is the first thing that 
indicated the purpose of his appearing, 
or that would give any distinct indica- 
tion of the design of his coming from 
heaven. The general aspect of the 
angels, indeed, as represented in the 
former verse, was that of benignity, and 
his purpose, as there indicated, was light 



A. I). 95.j 



CHAPTEK X. 



283 



and peace. But still, there was nothing 
which would denote the particular de- 
sign for which he came, or which would 
designate the particular means which 
he would employ. Here we have, how- 
ever, an emblem which will furnish an 
indication of what was to occur as the 
result of his appearing. To be able to 
apply this, it will be necessary, as in all 
similar cases, to explain the natural sig- 
nificancy of the emblem. (1) The little 
book. The word used here — (lipXapiSiov 
—occurs nowhere else in the New Tes- 
tament except in vs. 2, 8, 9, 10, of this 
chapter. The word (3ij3\iov — booh — oc- 
curs frequently, Matt. xix. 7 ; Mark x. 4, 
i — applied to a bill of divorcement ; Luke 
iv. 17, 20 ; John xx. 30, xxi. 25 ; Gal. 
iii. 10, 11 j 2 Tim. iv. 13 ; Heb. ix. 19 ; 
x. 7. In the Apocalypse this word is of 
common occurrence — i. 11 ; v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 
5, 7, 8, 9 ; vi. 14, rendered scroll, xvii. 
8; xx. 12; xxi. 27 ; xxii. 7, 9,10,18,19. 
The word was evidently chosen here to 
denote something that was peculiar in 
the size or form of the book, or to dis- 
tinguish it from that which would be 
designated by the ordinary word em- 
ployed to denote a book. The word 
properly denotes a small roll or volume ; 
a little scroll. Rob. Lex. Pollux. Ono- 
mast. 7, 210. It is evident that something 
was intended by the diminutive size of 
the book, or that it was designed to make 
a distinction between this and that which 
is indicated by the use of the word book 
in the other parts of the Apocalypse. It 
was, at least, indicated by this that it 
was something different from what was 
seen in the hand of him that sat on the 
throne in ch. v. 1. That was clearly a 
large volume ; this was so small that it 
could be taken in the hand, and could 
be represented as eaten, vs. 9, 10. But, 
of what is a book an emblem ? To this 
question there can be little difficulty in 
furnishing an answer. A book seen in a 
dream, according to Artemidorus, signi- 
fies the life, or the acts of him that sees 
it. Wemyss. According to the Indian 
interpreters, a book is the symbol of 
power and dignity. The Jewish kings, 
when they were crowned, had the book 
of the law of God put into their hands 
(2 Kings xi. 12 ; 2 Chron. xxiii. 11), de- 
noting that they were to observe the law, 
and that their administration was to be 
one of intelligence and uprightness. 
The gift of a Bible now to a monarch 



when he is crowned, or to the officer of 
a corporation or society, denotes the 
same thing. A book, as such, thus 
borne in the hand of an angel coming 
down to the world, would be an indica- 
tion that something of importance was 
to be communicated to men, or that 
something was to be accomplished by 
the agency of a book. It was not, as in 
ch. vi. 2, a bow — emblem of conquest," 
or ver. 4, a sicord — emblem of battle; or 
ver. 5, a pair of scales — emblem of the 
exactness with which things were to be 
determined, but it was a book — a speech 
less, silent thing, yet mighty; not de- 
signed to carry desolation through the 
earth, but to diffuse light and truth. 
The natural interpretation, then, would 
be, that something was to be accom- 
plished by the agency of a book, or that 
a book was to be the prominent charac- 
teristic of the times — as the bow, the 
sword, and the balances had been of the 
previous periods. As to the size of the 
book, perhaps all that can be inferred is, 
that this was to be brought about, not 
by extended tomes, but by a compara- 
tively small volume — so that it could be 
taken in the hand; so that it could, 
without impropriety, be represented as 
eaten by an individual. (2) The f act- 
that it was open : — " a little book open" — 
avwypivov. The word here used mean?, 
properly, to open or unclose in respect 
to that which was before fastened or 
sealed, as that which is covered by a 
door, Matt. ii. 11; tombs, which were 
closed by large stones, Matt, xxvii. 60, 
66; a gate, Acts v. 23 ; xii. 10; the 
abyss, (Rev. ix. 2), "since in the East 
pits or wells are closed with large stones, 
comp. Gen. xxix. 2." Rob. Lex. The 
meaning of this word, as applied to a 
book, would be, that it was now opened 
so that its contents could be read. The 
word would not necessarily imply that it 
had been sealed or closed, though that 
would be the most natural impression 
from the use of the word. Comp. for the 
use of the word rendered open, Rev. iii. 
8, 20 ; iv. 1 ; v. 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 ; vi. 1, 3, 5, 
7, 9, 12 ; viii. 1 ; ix. 2 ; x. 8 ; xi. 19 ; xx, 
12. This would find a fulfilment if 
some such facts as the following should 
occur : («) if there had been any custom 
or arrangement by which knowledge was 
kept from men, or access was forbidden 
to books or to some one book in particu- 
lar; and (b) if something should occur 



284 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



by -which that which had before been 
kept hidden or concealed, or that to 
which access had been denied, should 
be made accessible. In other words, 
this is the proper symbol of a diffusion 
of knowledge, or of the influence of A 
book on mankind. (3) The fact that it 
was in the hand of the angel. All that 
seems to be implied in this, is, that it 
was now offered, or was ready to be put 
in possession of John — or of the church 
— or of mankind. It was open, and was 
held out, as it were, for perusal. 

In regard to the application of this, it 
i^ plain that, if it be admitted that it was 
the design of the author of the vision to 
refer to the Reformation, no more ap- 
propriate emblem could have been cho- 
sen. If we were now to endeavor to 
devise an emblem of the Reformation 
that would be striking and expressive, 
we could not well select one which would 
better represent the great work than 
that which is here presented. This will 
appear plain from a few considerations : 
(1) The great agent in the Reformation ; 
the moving cause of it- ; its suggestor 
and supporter, was a book — the Bible. 
Wiclif had translated the New Testa- 
ment into the English language, and 
though this was suppressed, yet it had 
done much to prepare the people for the 
Reformation; and all that Luther did 
can be traced to the discovery of the 
Bible, and to the use which was made 
of it. Luther had grown up into man- 
hood; had passed from the schools to 
the University of Erfurt, and there, 
having during the usual four years' 
course of study displayed intellectual 
powers and an extent of learning that 
excited the admiration of the Univer- 
sity, and that seemed to open to his 
attainment both the honor and emolu- 
ment of the world, he appeared to have 
been prepared to play an important part 
on the great drama of human affairs. 
Suddenly, however, to the astonishment 
and dismay of his friends, he betook him- 
self to the solitude and gloom of an Augus- 
tinian monastery. There he had found 
a Bible — a copy of the Vulgate, hid in 
the shelves of the University Library. 
Till then he had supposed that there 
existed no other gospels or epistles than 
what were given in the Breviary, or 
quoted by the Preachers.- To the study 



* For the proof of this, see Elliott, ii. 92. 



of that book he now gave himself with un- 
tiring diligence and steady prayer; and 
the effect was to show to him the way 
of salvation by faith, and ultimately to 
produce the Reformation. No one ao» 
quainted with the history of the Re- 
formation can doubt that it is to be 
traced to the influence of the Bible; 
that the moving cause, the spring of ail 
that occurred in the Reformation, was 
the impulse given to the mind of Luther 
and his fellow-laborers by the study of 
that one book. It is this well-known 
fact that gives so much truth to the 
celebrated declaration of Chillingworth, 
that, " the Bible is the religion of Pro- 
testants." If a symbol of this had been 
designed before it occurred, or if one 
should be sought for now that would 
designate the actual nature and in- 
fluence of the Reformation, nothing 
better could be selected than that of 
an angel descending from heaven, with 
benignant aspect, with a rainbow around 
his head, and with light beaming all 
around him, holding forth to mankind 
a book. (2) This book had before been 
hidden, or closed; that is, it could not 
till then be regarded as an open volume 
(a) It was in fact known by few even 
of the clergy, and it was not in the 
hands of the mass of the people at all. 
There is every reason to believe that the 
great body of the Romish clergy in the 
time that preceded the Reformation, 
were even more ignorant of the Bible 
than Luther himself was. Many of 
them were unable to read; few had 
access to the Bible ; and those who had, 
drew their doctrines rather from the 
Fathers of the church than from tba 
word of God. Hallam [31iddle Ages, d. 
241), says, " Of this prevailing igr.o- 
ranee [in the tenth century and onward] 
it is easy to produce abundant testi- 
mony. In almost every council the 
ignorance of the clergy forms a subject 
for reproach. It is asserted by one held 
in 992, that scarcely a single person 
could be found in Rome itself who 
knew the first elements of letters. Not 
one priest of a thousand in Spain, about 
the age of Charlemagne, could address a 
letter of common salutation to another. 
In England Alfred declares that he 
could not recollect a single priest south 
of the Thames (the best part of Eng- 
land), at the time of his accession, who 
understood the ordinary prayers, or 



A D. 96.] 



CHAPTER X. 



285 



who could translate the Latin into the 
another tongue." There were few books 
of any kind in circulation, and, even if 
there had been an ability to read, the 
jost of books was so great as to exclude 
the great mass of the people from all 
access to the sacred Scriptures. " Many 
of the clergy," says Dr. Robertson, (Hist, 
of Charles V., p. 14. Harper's Ed.), "did 
iiot understand the Breviary which they 
were obliged daily to recite; some of them 
could scarcely read it." " Persons of 
the highest rank, and in the most emi- 
nent stations, could neither read nor 
write." One of the questions appointed 
by the canons to be put to persons who 
were candidates for orders was this, 
" Whether they could read the gospels 
and epistles, and explain the sense of 
them at least literally?" For the causes 
of this ignorance, see Robertson's Hist, 
of Charles V., p. 515. One of those causes 
was the cost of books. " Private persons 
seldom possessed any books whatever. 
Even monasteries of considerable- note 
had only one Missal. The price of 
books became so high that persons of a 
moderate fortune could not afford to 
purchase them. The Countess of Anjou 
paid for a copy of the Homilies of Hai- 
mon, bishop of Alberstadt, two hundred 
sheep, five quarters of wheat, and the 
same quantity of rye and millet," &c. 
Such was the cost of books that few 
persons could afford to own a copy of 
the Sacred Scriptures, and the conse- 
quence was, there were almost none in 
the hands of the people. The few copies 
that were in existence were, mostly, in the 
libraries of monasteries and universities, 
or in the hands of some of the higher 
clergy, (b) But there was another rea- 
son that was still more efficacious, per- 
haps, in keeping the people at large 
from the knowledge of the Scriptures. 
It was found in the prevailing views in 
the Roman Catholic communion respect- 
ing the private use and interpretation of 
the sacred volume. Whatever theory 
may now be advocated in the Roman 
Catholic communion on this point, as a 
matter of fact, the influence of that 
denomination has been to withhold the 
Eible from a free circulation among the 
common people. No one can deny that, 
in the times just preceding the Reforma- 
tion, the whole influence of the Papal 
denomination was opposed to a free cir- 
lulation of the Bible, and that one of 



the great and characteristic features of 
the Reformation was the fact that tho 
doctrine was promulgated that the Bible 
was to be freely distributed, and that 
the people everywhere were to have 
access to it, and were to form their own 
! opinions of the doctrines which it re- 
veals. (3) The Bible became at the Re- 
formation, in fact an " open" book. It 
j was made accessible. It became the 
! popular book of the world; the book 
i that did more than all other things to 
| change the aspect of affairs, and to give 
; character to subsequent times. This 
I occurred because (a) The art of print- 
ing was discovered, just before the Re- 
formation, as if, in the Providence of 
God, it was designed then to give this 
precious volume to the world, and the 
Bible was, in fact, the first book printed, 
and has been since printed more fre- 
quently than any other book whatever ; 
and will continue to he to the end of the 
world. It would be difficult to imagine 
now a more striking symbol of the art 
of printing, or to suggest a better device 
for it, than to represent an angel giving 
an open volume to mankind, (b) The 
leading doctrine of the Reformers was, 
that the Bible is the source of all au- 
thority in matters of religion, and, con- 
sequently, is to be accessible to all the 
people. And (c) the Bible was the au- 
thority appealed to by the Reformers. 
It became the subject of profound study; 
was diffused abroad; and gave form to 
all the doctrines that sprang out of the 
times of the Reformation. These re- 
marks, which might be greatly expand- 
ed, will show with what propriety, on the 
supposition that the chapter here refers 
to the Reformation, the symbol of a 
book was selected. Obviously, no other 
symbol would have been so appropriate; 
nothing else would have given so just a 
view of the leading characteristics of 
that period of the world. 

^ And he set his right foot upon the sea, 
and his left foot upon the earth. This is 
the third characteristic in the symbol. 
As a mere description, this is eminently 
sublime. I was once (at Cape May, 
1849,) impressively reminded of this 
passage. My window was in such a 
position that it commanded a fine view 
at the same time of the ocean and the 
land. A storm arose such as I had never 
witnessed — the clouds from the different 
points of the compass seeming to corn* 



286 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 c 



3 And cried with a loud voice, 
as when a lion roareth : and when 



together over the place, and producing 
incessant lightning and thunder. As 
the storm cleared away, the most mag- 
nificent rainbow that I ever saw ap- 
peared, arching the heavens, one foot of 
it far off in the sea, and the other on the 
land — an emblem of peace to both — and 
most strikingly suggesting to me the 
angel in the Apocalypse. The natural 
meaning of such a symbol as that repre- 
sented here would be, that something 
was to occur which would pertain to the 
whole world, as the earth is made up of 
land and water. 

It is hardly necessary to say, that, on 
the supposition that this refers to the 
Reformation, there is no difficulty in 
finding an ample fulfilment of the sym- 
bol. That great work was designed 
manifestly by Providence to affect all 
the world — the sea and the land— -the 
dwellers in the islands and in the conti- 
nents — those who " go down to the sea 
in ships, and do business in the great 
waters," and those who have a perma- 
nent dwelling on shore. It may be 
admitted, indeed, that, in itself, this one 
thing — the angel standing on the sea and 
the land, if it occurred alone, could not 
suggest the Reformation, and, if there 
were nothing else, such an application 
might seem fanciful and unnatural ; but 
taken in connexion with the other things 
in the symbol, and assuming that the 
whole vision was designed to symbolize 
the Reformation, it will not be regarded 
as unnatural that there should be some 
symbol which would intimate that the 
blessings of a reformed religion — a pure 
gospel — would be ultimately spread over 
land and ocean — over the continents and 
islands of the globe; in all the fixed 
habitations of men, and in their float- 
ing habitations on the deep. The sym- 
bol of a rainbow, bending over the sea 
and land, would have expressed this : — 
the same thing would be expressed by 
an angel whose head was encircled by a 
rainbow, and whose face beamed with 
light, with one foot on the ocean and the 
other on the land. 

3. And cried with a loud voice, as when 
a lion roareth. The lion is the monarch 
of the woods, and his roar is an image 



he had cried, seven thunders * ut« 
tered their voices. 

a c. 8. 5. 14. 2. 

of terror. The point of the comparison 
here seems to be the loudness with which 
the angel cried, and the power of what 
he said to awe the world — as the roar 
of the lion keeps the dwellers in tho 
forest in awe. What he said, is not 
stated ; nor did John attempt to record 
it. Prof. Stuart supposes that it was 
"a loud note of woe, some interjection 
uttered which would serve to call atten- 
tion, and at the same time be indicative 
of the judgments which were to follow." 
Rut it is not necessary to suppose that 
this particular thing was intended. Any 
loud utterance — any solemn command — 
any prediction of judgment — any decla- 
ration of truth that would arrest the 
attention of mankind, would be in ac- 
cordance with all that is said here. As 
there is no ajiplication of what is said, 
and no explanation made by John, it is 
impossible to determine with any cer- 
tainty what is referred to. But, sup- 
posing that the whole refers to the 
Reformation, would not the loud and 
commanding voice of the angel properly 
represent the proclamation of the gospel 
as it began to be preached in such a 
manner as to command the attention of 
the world, and the reproof of the pre- 
vailing sins in such a manner as to keep 
the world in awe? The voice that 
sounded forth at the Reformation among 
the nations of Europe, breaking the 
slumbers of the Christian world, awaking 
the church to the evil of the existing 
corruptions and abominations, and sum- 
moning princes to the defence of the 
truth, might well be symbolized by the 
voice of an angel that was heard afar. 
In regard to the effect of the ' theses' of 
Luther, in which he attacked the main 
doctrines of the Papacy, a contemporary 
writer says, "In the space of a fortnight 
they spread over Germany, and within 
a month they had run through all Christ- 
endom, as if angels themselves had been 
the bearers of them to all men." To John 
it might not be known beforehand — as 
it probably would not be — what this 
symbolized ; but could we now find a more 
appropriate symbol to denote the Re- 
formation than the appearance of such 
an angel ; or better describe the impret 



4. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER X. 



287 



rion made by the first announcement of 
the great doctrines of the Reformation, 
than by the loud voice of such an angel? 
^[ And when he had cried, seven thunders 
uttered their voices. Prof. Stuart renders 
this, " the seven thunders uttered their 
voices," and insists that the article 
should be retained, which it has not been 
in our common version. So Elliott, 
Bishop Middleton, and others. Bishop 
Middleton says, "Why the article is 
inserted here I am unable to discover. 
It is somewhat remarkable that a few 
manuscripts and editions omit it in both 
places [vs. 3, 4]. Were the seven thun- 
ders any thing well known and pre- 
eminent? If not, the omission must be 
right in the former instance, but wrong 
in the latter : if they were pre-eminent, 
then is it wrong in both. Bengel omits 
the article in ver. 3, but has it in ver. 4." 
He regards the insertion of the article 
as the true reading in both places, and 
supposes that there may have been a 
reference to some Jewish opinion, but 
says that he had not been able to find a 
vestige of it in Lig^tfoot, Schoettgen, or 
Meuschen. Storr supposes that we are 
not to seek here for any Jewish notion, 
and that nothing is to be inferred from 
the article. Middleton, on the Gr. Arti- 
cle, p. 358. The best editions of the 
New Testament retain the article in both 
places, and indeed there is no authority 
for omitting it. The use of the article here 
naturally implies either that these seven 
thunders were something which had been 
before referred to, either expressly or 
impliedly; or that there was something 
about them which was so well known 
that it would be at once understood what 
was referred to ; or that there was some- 
thing in the connexion which would 
determine the meaning. Comp. Notes 
on ch. viii. 2. It is plain, however, that 
there had been no mention of ' seven 
thunders' before, nor had any thing been 
referred to which would at once suggest 
them. The reason for the insertion of 
the article here must, therefore, be found 
in some pre-eminence which these seven 
thunders had ; in some well-known facts 
about them ; in something which would 
at once suggest them when they were 
mentioned — as when we mentioH the 
sun, the moon, the stars, though they 
might not have been distinctly re- 
ferred to before. The number ' seven* 
is used here either (a) as a general or 



perfect number, as it is frequently in 
this book, where we have it so often 
repeated — seven spirits; seven angels; 
seven seals; seven trumpets; or (b) with 
some specific reference to the matter in 
hand — the case actually in view of the 
writer. It cannot be doubted that it 
might be used in the former sense here, 
and that no law of language would be 
violated if it were so understood, as de- 
noting many thunders ; but still it is 
equally true that it may be used in a 
specific sense as denoting something 
that would be well understood by ap- 
plying the number seven to it. Now 
let it be supposed, in regard to the appli- 
cation of this symbol, that the reference 
is to Rome, the seven-hilled city, and to 
the thunders of excommunication, ana- 
thema, and wrath that were uttered from 
that city against the Reformers; and 
would there not be all that is fairly im- 
plied in this language, and is not this 
such a symbol as would be appropriately 
used on such a supposition ? The fol- 
lowing circumstances may be referred to 
as worthy of notice on this point: — 
(a) The place which this occupies in the 
series of symbols — being just after the 
angel had uttered his voice as symbolical 
of the proclamation of the great truths 
of the gospel in the Reformation, if the 
interpretation above given is correct. 
The next event, in the order of nature 
and of fact, was the voice of excommu- 
nication uttered at Rome, (b) The word 
thunder would appropriately denote the 
bulls of excommunication uttered at 
Rome, for the name most frequently 
given to the decrees of the Papacy, when 
condemnatory, was that of Papal thun- 
ders. So Le Bas, in his Life of Wiclif, 
p. 198, says, " The thunders which shook 
the world when they issued from the 
seven hills, sent forth an uncertain sound, 
comparatively faint and powerless, when 
launched from a region of less devoted 
sanctity." (c) The number seven would, 
on such a supposition, be used here with 
equal propriety. Rome was built on 
seven hills ; was known as the ' seven- 
hilled' city, and the thunders from that 
city would seem to echo and re-echo 
from those hills. Comp. ch. xvii. 9. 
(d) This supposition, also, will accord 
with the use of the article here, as if 
those thunders were something well* 
known — * the seven thunders ;' that i* 
the thunders which the nations wew 



288 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



4 And when the seven thunders 
had uttered their voices, I was 
about to write : and I heard a 
voice from heaven saying unto 



accustomed to hear, (e) This will also 
accord with the passage before us, inas- 
much as the thunders would seem to 
have been of the nature of a response to 
what the angel said, or to have been sent 
forth because he had uttered his loud 
cry. In like manner, the anathemas 
were hurled from Rome because the na- 
tions had been aroused by the loud cry 
for Reformation, as if an angel had 
uttered that cry. For these reasons, 
there is a propriety in applying this lan- 
guage to the thunders which issued from 
Rome condemning the doctrines of the 
Bi-formation, and in defence of the an- 
cient faith, and excommunicating those 
v/ho embraced the doctrines of the Re- 
formers. If we were now to attempt to 
devise a symbol which would be appro- 
priate to express what actually occurred 
in the Reformation, we could not think 
of one which would be better fitted to that 
purpose than to speak of seven thunders 
bellowing forth from the seven-hilled 
city. 

4. And ichen the seven thunders had 
uttered their voices. After he had list- 
ened to those thunders ; or when they 
had passed by. *jf / was about to ivrite. 
That is, he was about to record what was 
uttered, supposing that that was the de- 
sign for which he had been made to hear 
them. From this it would seem that it 
was not mere thunder — brutum fulmen 
— but that the utterance had a distinct 
and intelligible enunciation, or that 
ivords were employed that could be re- 
corded. It may be observed, by the 
way, as Prof. Stuart has remarked, that 
this proves that John wrote down what 
he saw and heard as soon as practicable, 
and in the place where he was, and that 
the supposition of many modern critics 
that the Apocalyptic visions were written 
at Ephesus a considerable time after 
the visions took place, has no good 
^foundation. And I heard, a voice from 
heaven saying unto me. Evidently the 
voice of God ; at all events it came with 
the clear force of command, Seal up 
those things. On the word seal, see 
Notes on ch. v. 1. The meaning here is, 
that he was zot to record those things, 



me, Seal a up those things which 
the seven thunders uttered, and 
write them not. 

a Da. 8. 26 ; 12. 4, 9. 



but what he heard he was to keep to 
himself as if it was placed under a seal 
which was not to be broken, % And 
write them not. Make no record of them. 
No reason is mentioned ichy this was not 
to be done, and none can now be given 
that can be proved to be the true reason. 
Vitringa, who regards the seven thunders 
as referring to the Crusades, supposes 
the reason to have been that a more full 
statement would have diverted the mind 
from the course of the prophetic narra- 
tive, and from more important events 
which pertained to the church, and that 
nothing occurred in the Crusades which 
was worthy to be recorded at length*: — 
Nec dignaa erant quse prolixius expone- 
rentur — "for," he adds, "these expe« 
ditions were undertaken with a foolish 
purpose, and resulted in real detriment to 
the church," pp. 431, 432. Prof. Stuart, 
vol. ii. pp. 204-206, supposes that these 
" thunders" refer to the destruction of 
the city and temple of God, and that 
they were a sublime introduction to the 
last catastrophe, and that the meaning 
is not that he should keep " entire 
silence," but only that he should state 
the circumstances in a general manner 
without going into detail. Mede sup- 
poses that John was commanded to keep 
silence because it was designed that the 
meaning should not then be known, but 
should be disclosed in future times ; 
Forerius, because it was the design that 
the wise should be able to understand 
them, but that they were not to be dis- 
closed to the wicked and profane. With- 
out attempting to examine these and 
other solutions which have been pro- 
posed, the question which, from the 
course of the exposition, is properly 
before us, is, whether, on the sup- 
position that the voice of the seven 
thunders referred to the Papal anathe- 
mas, a rational and satisfactory solution 
of the reasons of this silence can be 
given. Without pretending to know 
the reasons which existed, the follow- 
ing may be referred to as not im- 
probable, and as those which would 
meet the case: — (1) In these Papal 
anathemas there was nothing that wai 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER X. 



289 



worthy of record; there was nothing 
that was important as history ; there 
was nothing that communicated truth ; 
there was nothing that really indicated 
progress in human affairs. In them- 
selves there was nothing more that 
deserved record than the acts and doings 
of wicked men at any time ; nothing that 
fell in with the main design of this book. 
(2) Such a record would have retarded 
the progress of the main statements of 
what wai to occur, and would have 
turned off the attention from these to 
less important matters. (3) All that 
was necessary in the case was simply to 
state that such thunders were heard : — 
that is, on the supposition that this 
refers to the Reformation, that that great 
change in human affairs would not be 
permitted to occur without opposition 
and noise — as if the thunders of wrath 
should follow those who were engaged 
in it. (4) Jchn evidently mistook this 
for a real revelation, or for something 
that was to be recorded as connected 
with the divine will in reference to the 
progress of human affairs. He was 
naturally about to record this as he did 
what was uttered by the other voices 
which he heard, and if he had made the 
record, it would have been with this mis- 
taken view. There was nothing in the 
voices, or in what was uttered, that 
would manifestly mark it as distinct 
from what had been uttered as coming 
from God, and he was about to record 
it under this impression. If this was a 
mistake, and if the record would do any 
thing, as it clearly would, to perpetuate 
the error, it is easy to see a sufficient rea- 
son why the record should not be made. 
(5) It is remarkable that there was an 
entire correspondence with this in what 
occurred in the Reformation ; in the fact 
that Luther and his fellow-laborers were, 
at first, and for a long time — such was 
the force of education, and of the habits 
of reverence for the Papal authority in 
which they had been reared — disposed 
to receive the announcements of the 
Papacy as the oracles of God, and to 
show to them the deference which was 
due to divine communications. The 
language of Luther himself, if the general 
view here taken is correct, will be the 
best commentatory on the expressions 
hero used. " When I began the affairs 
of the Indulgencies," says he, " I was 
a. monk and a most mad Papist- So 

: 25 



intoxicated was I, and drenched in 
Papal dogmas, that I would have been 
most ready to murder, or assist others in 
murdering, any person who should have 
uttered a syllable against the duty of 
obedience to the Pope." And again: 
" Certainly at that time I adored him in 
earnest." He adds, "How distressed 
my heart was in that year 1517, how 
submissive to the hierarchy, not feign- 
edly but really — those little know who 
at this day insult the majesty of ths 
Pope with so much pride and arrogance. 
I was ignorant of many things which 
now, by the grace of God, I understand. 
I disputed ; I was open to conviction ; not 
finding satisfaction in the works-of theo- 
logians, I wished to consult the living 
members of the church itself. There 
were some godly souls that entirely ap- 
proved my propositions. But I did not 
consider their authority of weight with 
me in spiritual concerns. The popes, 
bishops, cardinals, monks, priests, were 
the objects of my confidence. Aftei 
being enabled to answer every objection 
that could be brought against me from 
sacred Scripture, one difficulty alone 
remained, that the Church ought to be 
obeyed. If I had then braved the Pope 
as I now do, I should have expected 
every hour that the earth would have 
opened to swallow me up alive, like 
Korah and Abiram." It was in this 
frame of mind that, in the summer of 
1518, a few months after the affair with 
Tetzel, he wrote that memorable letter 
to the Pope, the tenor of which can be 
judged of by the following sentences : — 
and what could more admirably illus- 
trate the passage before us, on the inter- 
pretation suggested, than this language? 
" Most blessed Father ! Prostrate at the 
feet of thy blessedness, I offer myself to 
thee, with all that I am, and that I have. 
Kill me, or make me live ; call, or recall; 
approve, or reprove, as shall please thee. 
I will acknowledge thy voice as the voice 
of Christ presiding and speaking in thee." 
See the authorities for these quotations, 
in Elliott, ii. pp. 116, 117. (6) The com- 
mand not to record what the seven 
thunders uttered was of the nature of a 
caution not to regard what was said in 
this manner; that is, not to be deceived 
by these utterances as if they were the 
voice of God. Thus understood, if thia 
is the proper explanation and applica- 
tion of the passage, it should b© r«- 



290 



REVEL 



AT ION, 



[A. D. 96. 



5 And the angel which I saw 
stand upon the sea and upon the 
earth a lifted up his hand to heaven, 

6 And sware by him b that liveth 
for ever and ever, who created hea- 

a Ex. 6. 8 ; De. 32. 40. 6 Ne. 9. 6 ; c. 14. 7. 



garded as an injunction not to regard 
the decrees and decisions of the Papacy 
as containing any intimation of the 
divine will, or as of authority in the 
church. That this is to be so regarded, 
is the opinion of all Protestants ; and if 
this is so, it is not a forced supposition 
that this might have been intimated by 
such a symbol as that before us. 

5. And the angel which I saw stand, 
Ac. ver. 2. That is, John saw him stand*- 
ing in this posture when he made the 
oath which he proceeds to record. 

Lifted up his hand to heaven. The 
usual attitude in taking an oath, as if 
one called heaven to witness. See Gen. 
xiv. 22 ; Deut. xxxii. 40 ; Ezek. xx. 5, 6. 
Comp. Notes on Daniel xii. 7. 

6. And sware by him that liveth for- 
ever and ever. By the ever-living God : — 
a form of an oath in extensive use now. 
The essential idea in such an oath is an 
appeal to God; a solemn reference to 
Him as a witness; an utterance in the 
presence of Him who is acquainted with 
the truth or falsehood of what is said, 
and who will punish him who appeals to 
Him falsely. It is usual, in such an 
oath, in order to give to it greater so- 
lemnity, to refer to some attribute of 
God, or something in the divine charac- 
ter in which the mind would rest at the 
time, as tending to make it more im- 
pressive. Thus, in the passage before 
us, the reference is to God as "ever- 
living;" that is, he is now a witness, and 
he ever will be ; he has now the power 
to detect and punish, and he ever will 
have the same power, Who created 
heaven, and the things that therein are, 
&c. Who is the Maker of all things in 
heaven, on the earth, and in the sea; 
that is, throughout the universe. The 
design of referring to these things here 
is that which is just specified — to give 
increased solemnity to the oath by a 
particular reference to some one of the 
attributes of God. With this view no- 
thing could be more appropriate than to 
refer to him as the Creator of the universe 



ven, and the things that therein 
are, and the earth, and the things 
that therein are, and the sea, and 
the things which are therein, c That 
there should be time no longer : 

c Da. 12. 7. 



— denoting his infinite power, his right 
to rule and control* all things, f That 
there should be time no longer. This is a 
very important expression, as it is the 
substance of what the angel affirmed in 
so solemn a manner; and as the inter- 
pretation of the whole passage depends 
on it. It seems now to be generally 
agreed among critics that our transla- 
tion does not give the true sense, inas- 
much (a) as that was not the close of 
human affairs, and (b) as he proceeds to 
state what would occur after that. Ac~ 
cordingly, different versions of the pas- 
sage have been proposed. Prof. Stuart 
renders it, "that delay shall be no 
longer." Mr. Elliott, "that the time 
shall not yet be; but in the days of the 
voice of the seventh angel, whensover 
he may be about to sound, then the 
mystery of God shall be finished." Mr. 
Lord, " that the time shall not be yet, 
but in the days of the voice of the 
seventh angel," <fec. Andrew Fuller 
(Works, vol. vi. 113), "there should be 
no delay." So Br. Gill. Mr. Daubuz, 
" the time shall not be yet." Vitringa 
(p. 432), tempus non fore amplius, "time 
shall be no more." He explains it (p. 
433), as meaning, "not that this is to be 
taken absolutely, as if at the sounding of 
the seventh trumpet all things were 
then to terminate, and the glorious 
epiph any — £TTt<paveia — (or manifestation 
of Jesus Christ) was then to occur who 
would put an end to all the afflictions of 
his church; but in a limited sense — re- 
stricte — as meaning that there would be 
no delay between the sounding of the 
seventh trumpet, and the fulfilment of 
the prophecies." The sense of this pass- 
age is to be determined by the meaning 
of the words and the connexion, (a) The 
word time — %p6vo$ — is the common 
Greek word to denote time, and may be 
applied to time in general, or to any 
specified time or period. See Robinson, 
Lex. s. voce (a, b). In the word itself 
there is nothing to determine its particu- 
lar signification here. It might refer 



A. 1>. 96. | 



CHAPTER X. 



29 \ 



either to time in general, or to the time 
under consideration, and which was the 
subject of the prophecy. Which of these 
is the true idea is to be ascertained by 
the other circumstances referred to. It 
should be added, however, that the word 
does not of itself denote delay, and is 
never used to denote that directly. It 
can only denote that because delay occu- 
pies or consumes time, but this sense of 
the noun is not found in the New Testa- 
ment. It is found, however, in the verb 
Xpovigw, to linger, to delay, to be long 
in coming, Matt. xxv. 5; Luke i. 21. 
(b) The absence of the article — "time," 
not " the time/' would naturally give it 
a general signification, unless there was 
something in the connexion to limit it 
to some well-known period under con- 
sideration. See Notes on ch. viii. 2 ; x. 3. 
In this latter view, if the time referred 
to would be sufficiently definite without 
the article, the article need not be in- 
serted. This is such a*case, and comes 
under the rule for the omission of the 
article as laid down by Bishop Middle- 
ton, Parti, ch. iii. The principle is, that 
when the copula, or verb connecting the 
subject and predicate is the verb sub- 
stantive, then the article is omitted. 
*' To affirm the existence," says he, "of 
that of which the existence is already 
assumed, would be superfluous ; to deny 
it, would be contradictory and absurd." 
As applicable to the case before us, the 
meaning of this rule would be, that the 
nature of the time here referred to is 
implied in the use of the substantive 
verb (earai), and that consequently it is 
not necessary to specify it. All that 
needs to be said on this point is, that, 
on the supposition that John referred to 
a specified time, instead of time in gene- 
ral, it would not be necessary, under this 
rule, to insert the article. The reference 
would be understood without it, and the 
insertion would be unnecessary. This 
is, substantially, the reasoning of Mr. 
Elliott, (ii. 123), and it is submitted for 
what it is worth. My own knowledge 
of the usages of the Greek article is too 
limited to justify me in pronouncing an 
opinion on the subject, but the authori- 
ties are such as to authorize the assertion 
that, on the supposition that a particu- 
lar well-known period were here referred 
to, the insertion of the article vould not 
be necessary, (c) The particle render- 
ed "longer" — Irt — '''time shall be no 



longer" — means propeily, according to 
Robinson (Lex.) yet, still; implying (i) 
duration — as spoken of the present time; 
of the present in allusion to the pa3t, 
and, with a negative, no more, no 
longer, (2) implying accession, addition, 
yet, more, farther, besides. According to 
Buttmann, Gram. £149, i. p. 430, it means, 
when alone, " yet, still, yet farther ; and 
with a negative, no more, no farther." 
The particle occurs often in the New Tes 
tament, as may be seen in the Concord- 
ance. It is more frequently rendered 
'yetf than by any other word (comp. 
Matt. xii. 46, xvii. 5, xix. 20, xxvi. 47, 
xxvii. 63; Mark v. 35, viii. 17, xii. 6, 
xiv. 43, — and so in the other Gospels, 
the Acts, and the Epistles) ; in all fifty 
times. In the Book of Revelation it is 
only once rendered 'yet,' ch. vi. 11, but 
is rendered 'more' in ch. iii. 12, vii. 16, 
ix. 12, xii. 8, xviii. 21, 22, three times, 
23, twice, xx. 3, xxi. 1, 4, twice ; ' longer 
in ch. x. 6; 'still' in ch. xxii. 11, four 
times. The usage, therefore, will justify 
the rendering of the word by 'yet,' and 
in connexion with the negative, 'not 
yet' — meaning that the thing referred to 
would not occur immediately, but would 
be hereafter. In regard to the general 
meaning, then, of this passage in its 
connexion, we may remark (a) that it 
cannot mean, literally, that there would 
be time no longer, or that the world 
would then come to an end absolutely, 
for the speaker proceeds to disclose events 
that would occur after that, extending 
far into the future, ch. x. 11, and the 
detail that follows (ch. xi.) before the 
sounding of the seventh trumpet is such 
as to occupy a considerable period, and 
the seventh trumpet is also yet to sound. 
No fair construction of the language, 
therefore, would require us to understand 
this as meaning that the affairs of the 
world were then to terminate, (b) The 
connexion, then, apart from the question 
of grammatical usage, will require some 
such construction as that above suggest- 
ed — 'that the time/ to wit, some certain, 
known, or designated time, ' would not 
be yet,' but would be in some future 
period; that is, as specified ver. 7, 'in 
the days of the voice of the seventh an- 
gel, when he shall begin to sound/ TJien 
' the mystery of God would be finished, 
and the affairs of the world would be 
put on their permanent footing, (c) This 
would imply that, at the time when the 



292 



REVELATION, 



| A. D. 96. 



angel appeared, or in the time to which 
he refers, there would be some expecta- 
tion or general belief that the ' mystery 
was then to be finished/ and that the 
affairs of the world were to come to an 
end. The proper interpretation would 
lead us to suppose that there would be 
so general an expectation of this, as to 
make the solemn affirmation of the angel 
proper to correct a prevailing opinion, 
and to show that the right interpretation 
was not put on what seemed to be the 
tendency of things, (d) As a matter of 
fact, we find that this expectation did 
actually exist at the time of the Reform- 
ation ; that such an interpretation was 
put on the prophecies, and on the events 
that occurred and that the impression 
that the Messiah was about to come, and 
the reign of saints about to commence, 
was so strong as to justify some inter- 
ference, like the solemn oath of the 
angel, to correct the misapprehension. 
It is true that this impression had exist- 
ed in former times, and even in the early 
ages of the church ; but, as a matter of 
fact, it was true, and eminently true, in 
the time of the Reformation, and there 
was, on many accounts, a strong ten- 
dency to that form of belief. The Re- 
formers, in interpreting the prophecies, 
learned to connect the downfall of the Pa- 
pacy with the coming of Christ, and with 
his universal reign upon the earth ; and 
as they saw the evidences of the approach 
of the former, they naturally anticipated 
the latter as about to occur. Comp. Dan. 
xii. 11; 2 Thess. ii. 3; Dan. ii. 34; 2 
Thess. ii. 8. The anticipation that the 
Lord Jesus was about to come ; that the 
affairs of the world, in the present form, 
were to be wound up ; that the reign of 
the saints would soon commence; and 
that the permanent kingdom of righte- 
ousness would be established, became 
almost the current belief of the Reform- 
ers, and was frequently expressed in 
their writings. Thus Luther, in the 
year 1520, in his answer to the Pope's 
bull of excommunication, expresses his 
anticipations: "Our Lord Jesus Christ 
yet liveth and reigneth; who, I firmly 
trust, will shortly come, and slay with 
the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with 
the brightness of his coming, that man 
of sin." Merle D'Aubig. ii. 166. After 
being summoned before the Diet at 
Worms, and after condemnation had 
been pronounced on him by the Empe- 



ror, he fell back for comfort on the same 
joyous expectation: "For this once/' 
he said, " the Jews, as on the crucifixion- 
day, may sing their Paean ; but Easter 
will come for us, and then we shall sing 
Hallelujah." D'Aubig. ii. 275. The 
next year, writing to Staupitz, he made 
a solemn appeal against his abandon- 
ing the Reformation, by reference to 
the sure and advancing fulfilment of 
Daniel's prophecy : " My father," said 
he, "the abominations of the pope, with 
his whole kingdom, must be destroyed; 
and the Lord does this without hand, by 
the icord alone. The subject exceeds all 
human comprehension. I cherish the 
best hopes." Milner, p. 692. In 1523 he 
thus, in a similar strain, expresses his 
hopes: "The kingdom of Antichrist, 
according to the prophet Daniel, must 
be broken without hand ; that is, the 
Scriptures will be understood by and 
by ; and every one will preach against 
Papal tyranny, from the word of God, 
until the Man of Sin is deserted of all, 
and dies of himself." Milner, p. 796. The 
same sentiments respecting the approach 
of the end of the world were entertained 
by Melancthon. In commenting on the 
passage in Daniel relating to the ' little 
horn,' he thus refers to an argument 
which has been prevalent: "The words 
of the prophet Elias should be marked 
by every one, and inscribed upon our 
walls, and on the entrances of our houses. 
Six thousand years shall the world 
stand, and after that be destroyed ; two 
thousand years without the law; two 
thousand years under the law of Moses ; 
two thousand years under the Messiah: 
and if any of these years are not ful- 
filled, they will be shortened (a shorten- 
ing intimated by Christ also, on account 
of our sins)." The following manuscript 
addition to this argument has been found 
in Melancthon's hand, in Luther's own 
copy of the German Bible: — "Written 
A. D. 1557, and from the creation of the 
world, 5519 ; from which number we 
may see that this aged world is not far 
from its end." So also the British Re- 
formers believed. Thus Bishop Latimer : 
"Let us cry to God day and night, 
Most Merciful Father, let thy kingdom 
come ! St. Paul saith, The Lord will 
not come till the swerving from the 
faith cometh, 2 Thess. ii. 3, which thing 
is already done and past. Antichrist is 
already known throughout all the woricL 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER X. 



293 



7 But in the days of the voice of 
the seventh angel, when he shall 
begin to sound, the mystery a of 

a Ro. 11. 25 ; Ep. 3. 5-9. 



Wherefore the day is not far off." Then, 
reverting to the consideration of the age 
of the world, as Melancthon had done, 
he says, " The world was ordained to 
endure, as all learned ones affirm, 6000 
years. Now of that number there be 
past 5552 years, so that there is no more 
left but 448 years. Furthermore, those 
days shall be shortened for the elect's 
sake. Therefore, all those excellent and 
learned men, whom without doubt God 
hath sent into the world in these last 
days to give the world warning, do 
gather out of sacred Scripture that the 
last day cannot be far off." So again, 
in a sermon on the nearness of the 
Second Advent, he says, " So that per- 
adventure it may come in my days, old 
as I am, or in my children's days." 
Indeed, it is well known that this was a 
prevalent opinion among the Reformers, 
and this fact will show with what pro- 
priety, if the passage before us was 
designed to refer to the Reformation, 
this solemn declaration of the angel was 
made, that the 'time would not be yet' 
— that those anticipations which would 
spring up from the nature of the case, 
and from the interpretations which would 
be put on what seemed to be the obvious 
sense of the prophecies, were unfounded, 
and that a considerable time must yet 
intervene before the events would be 
consummated, (e) The proper sense 
i of this passage, then, according to the 
above interpretation, would be, — ' And 
the angel lifted up his hand to heaven, 
and sware by him that liveth for ever 
and ever, That the time should not yet 
be; but, in the days of the voice of the 
seventh angel, when he shall begin to 
sound, the mystery of God shall be fin- 
ished.' Appearances, indeed, would 
then indicate that the affairs* of the 
world were to be wound up, and that 
the prophecies respecting the end of the 
world were about to be fulfilled; but the 
angel solemnly swears ' by him who lives 
for ever and ever,' and whose reign 
therefore extends through all the changes 
on the earth; 'by him who is the Cre- 
ator of all things/ and whose purpose 
alone can determine when the end shall 
I 25 * 



God should be finished, as he 
hath declared to his servants the 
prophets. 



be, that the time would not be yet. 
Those cherished expectations would not 
yet be realized, but there was a series 
of important events to intervene before 
the end would come. Then — at the 
time when the seventh angel should 
sound — would be the consummation of 
all things. 

7. But in the days of the voice of the 
seventh angel. The days in the period 
of time embraced by the sounding of 
the seventh trumpet. That is, the affairs 
of this world would not be consum- 
mated in that period embraced in the 
sounding of the sixth trumpet, but in 
that embraced in the sounding of tho 
seventh and last of the trumpets. Comp. 
ch. xi. 15-19. *[ When he shall begin to 
sound. That is, the events referred to 
will commence at the period when the 
angel shall begin to sound. It will not 
be merely during or in that period, but 
the sounding of the trumpet, and the 
beginning of those events, will be con- 
temporaneous. In other words, then 
would commence the reign of righteous- 
ness — the kingdom of the Messiah — the 
dominion of the saints on the earth. 
^[ The mystery of God should be finished. 
On the meaning of the word mystery, see 
Notes on Eph. i. 9. It means here, as 
elsewhere in the New Testament, the 
purpose or truth of God which had been 
concealed, and which had not before 
been communicated to man. Here, the 
particular reference is to the divine pur- 
pose which had been long concealed 
respecting the destiny of the world, or 
respecting the setting up of his kingdom, 
but which had been progressively un- 
folded by the prophets. That purpose 
would be " finished," or consummated, 
in the time when the seventh angel 
should begin to sound. Then all the 
" mystery" would be revealed; the plan 
would be unfolded; the divine purpose, 
so long concealed, would be manifested, 
and the kingdom of the Messiah and of 
the saints would be set up on the earth. 
Under that period, the affairs of the 
world would be ultimately wound up, 
and the whole work of redemption com- 
pleted. ^.A8 he hath declared to hi* 



204 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



8 And the voice a which I heard 
frcafc heaven spake unto me again, 
and said, Go, and take the little 

a ver. 4. 



seivunts the prophets. As he has from 
timei to time disclosed his purposes to 
maniind through the prophets. The 
reference here is, doubtless, to the pro- 
phet of the Old Testament, though the 
language would include all who at any 
tim» had uttered any predictions re- 
specting the final condition of the world. 
These prophecies had been scattered 
along through many ages ; but the angel 
saya that at that time all that had been 
said respecting the setting up of the 
kingdom of God, the reign of the saints, 
and the dominion of the Redeemer on 
the earth, would be accomplished. See 
Notes on ch. xi. 15. From the passage 
thus explained, if the interpretation is 
jorrect, it will follow that the sounding 
of the seventh trumpet (ch. xi. 15-18) is 
properly the conclusion of this series of 
visions, and denotes a " catastrophe" in 
the action, and that what follows is the 
commencement of a new series of visions. 
This is clear, because (a) the whole 
seven seals, comprising the seven trum- 
pets of the seventh seal, must embrace 
one view of all coming events — since this 
embraced all that there was in the 
volume seen in the hand of him that sat 
on the throne; (b) this is properly im- 
plied in the word here rendered " should 
be finished" — TcXEcrSrj, — the fair meaning 
of which is, that the "mystery" here 
referred to — the hitherto unrevealed pur- 
pose or plan of God — would, under that 
trumpet, be consummated or complete 
(see the conclusive reasoning of Prof. 
Stuart on the meaning of the word, vol. 
ii. p. 210, foot-note) j and (c) it will be 
found in the course of the exposition 
that, at ch. xi. 19, there commences a 
new series of visions, embracing a view 
of the world in its religious aspect, or 
ecclesiastical characteristics, reaching 
down to the same consummation, and 
stating at the close of that (ch. xx.) 
more fully what is here (ch. xi. 15-18) 
designated in a more summary way — the 
final triumph of religion, and the esta- 
blishment of the kingdom of the saints. 
The present seriej of visions (chs. v.- 
xi. 1-18), relates rather to the outward 
>r secular changes which would occur 



book which is open in the hand of 
the angel which standeth upcn the 
sea and upon the earth. 



on the earth, which were to affect the 
welfare of the church, to the final con- 
summation ; the next series (ch. xi. 19, 
xii.-xx.) relates to the church internally, 
the rise of Antichrist, and the effect of 
the rise of that formidable power on the 
internal history of the church, to the 
time of the overthrow of that power, and 
the triumphant establishment of the 
kingdom of God. See the Analysis of 
the work, Intro. $ 5. In other words, 
this series of visions terminating at 
ch. xi. 18, refers, as the leading thing, 
to what would occur in relation to the 
Roman empire considered as a secular 
power, in which the church would be 
interested; that which follows (ch. xi. 
19. xii.-xx.) to the Roman power con- 
sidered as a great apostasy, and setting 
up a mighty and most oppressive 
domination over the true church, mani- 
fested in deep corruption and bloody 
persecutions, running on in its disas- 
trous influence on the world, until that 
power should be destroyed — Babylon 
fall — and the reign of the saints be 
introduced. 

8. And the voice which I heard from 
heaven. Ver. 4. This is not the voice 
of the angel, but a direct divine com- 
mand. ^[ Said, Go and take the little 
booh that is open, <fcc. That is, take it 
out of his hand, and do with it as you 
shall be commanded. There is a very 
strong resemblance between this passage 
and the account contained in Ezekiel, 
ch. ii. 9, 10, iii. 1-3. Ezekiel was di- 
rected to go to the house of Israel and 
deliver a divine message, whether they 
would hear or forbear, and in order that 
he might understand what message to 
deliver, there was shown to him a roll 
of a book, written within and without. 
That roll he was commanded to eat, 
and he found it to be 'in his mouth as 
honey for sweetness.' John has added 
to this the circumstance that, though 
' sweet in the mouth/ it made i the belly 
bitter/ The additional command (ver. 
11), that he must yet * prophesy before 
many people/ leads us to suppose that 
he had the narrative in Ezekiel in his 
eye, for, as the result of his eating the 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER X. 



295 



9 And I went unto the angel, 
and said unto him, Give me the 
little book. And he said unto me, 
Take it, a and eat it up ; and it 



roll, lie was commanded to go and 
prophesy to the people of Israel. The 
passage here (ver. 8), introduces a new 
symbol, that of ' eating the book/ and 
evidently refers to something that was 
to occur before the ' mystery should 
be finished that is, before the seventh 
trumpet should sound, ^ Which is open 
in the handy &c. On the symbolical 
meaning of the word ' open/ as applied 
to the book, see Notes on ver. 2. 

9. And I went unto the angel. This is 
symbolic action, and is not to be under- 
stood literally. As it is not necessary 
to suppose that an angel literally de- 
scended, and stood upon the sea and 
the land, so it is not necessary to sup- 
pose that there was a literal act of going 
to him, and taking the book from his 
hand, and eating it. Give me the little 
book. In accordance with the command 
in ver. 8. We may suppose, in regard 
to this, (a) that the symbol was designed 
to represent that the book was to be 
used in the purpose here referred to, or 
was to be an important agent or instru- 
mentality in accomplishing the purpose. 
The book is held forth in the hand of 
the angel as a striking emblem. There 
is a command to go and take it from his 
hand for some purpose not yet disclosed. 
All this seems to imply that the book — 
or that which is represented by it — 
would be an important instrument in 
accomplishing the purpose here referred 
to. (b) The application for the book 
might intimate that, on the part of him 
who made it, there would be some strong 
desire to possess it. He goes, indeed, 
in obedience to the command; but, at 
the same time, there would naturally be 
a desire to be in possession of the vol- 
ume, or to know the contents (comp. ch. 
v. 4), and his approach to the angel for 
the book would be most naturally inter- 
preted as expressive of such a wish. 
^ And he said unto me, Take it. As if 
he had expected this application ; or had 
come down to furnish him with this 
little volume, and had anticipated that 
the request would be made. There was 
no reluctance in giving it up ; there was 
no attempt to withhold it; there was no 



shall make thy belly bitter, but it 
shall be in thy mouth sweet as 
honey. 

a Eze. 3. 1-3, 14. 



prohibition of its use. The angel had 
no commission, and no desire, to retain 
it for himself, and no hesitation in 
placing it in the hands of the seer on 
the first application. Would not the 
readiness with which God gives his 
Bible into the hands of men, in contra- 
distinction from all human efforts to 
restrain its use, and to prevent its free 
circulation, be well symbolized by this 
act? ^ And eat it up. There is a simi- 
lar command in Ezekiel, hi. 1. Of course, 
this is to be understood figuratively, for 
no one would interpret literally a com- 
mand to eat a manuscript or volume. We 
have in common use a somewhat similar 
phrase, when we speak of devouring a 
book, which may illustrate this, and 
which is not liable to be misunderstood. 
In Jer. xv. 16, we have similar lan- 
guage : " Thy words were found, and I 
did eat them ; and thy word was unto 
me the joy and rejoicing of my heart." 
Thus in Latin, the words propinare, 
imbibere, devorare, deglutire, <fec, are 
used to denote the greediness with which 
knowledge is acquired. Comp. in the 
Apocrypha, 2 Esdras xiv. 38-40. The 
meaning here, then, is plain. He was 
to possess himself of the contents of the 
book; to receive it into his mind; to 
apply it, as we do food, for spiritual 
nourishment — truth having, in this re- 
spect, the same relation to the mind 
which food has to the body. If the 
little book was a symbol of the Bible, 
it would refer to the fact that the truths 
of that book became the nourisher and 
supporter of the public mind. ^ And it 
shall make thy belly bitter. This is a 
circumstance which does not occur in 
the corresponding place in Ezekiel (iii, 
1-3). The expression here must refer 
to something that would occur after the 
symbolical action of bating* the little 
book, or to some consequence of eating 
it — for the act of eating it is represented 
as pleasant : * in my mouth sweet as 
honey/ The meaning here is, that the 
effect which followed from eating the 
book was painful or disagreeable — as 
food would be that was pleasant to 
the taste, but that produced bitter pain 



296 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 9t>. 



10 And I took the little book 
out of the angel's hand, and ate 
it up; and it was in my mouth 



when eaten. The fulfilment of this would 
be found in one of two things, (a) It 
might mean that the message to be de- 
livered in consequence of devouring the 
book, or the message which it contained, 
would be of a painful or distressing cha- 
racter : — that with whatever pleasure the 
book might be received and devoured, it 
would be found to contain a communi- 
cation that would be indicative of woe or 
sorrow. This .was the cr.se with the 
little book that Ezekiel was commanded 
to eat up. Thus, in speaking of this 
book, it is said, "And it was written 
within and without; and there was writ- 
ten therein lamentations, and mourning, 
and woe." Ezek. ii. 10. Comp. ch. iii. 
4-9, where the contents of the book, and 
the effect of proclaiming the message 
which it contained, are more fully 
stated. So here, the meaning may be, 
that, however gladly John may have 
taken the book, and with whatever 
pleasure he may have devoured its eon- 
tents, yet that it would be found to be 
charged with the threatening of wrath, 
and with denunciations of a judgment 
to come, the delivery of which would be 
well represented by the " bitterness" 
which is said to have followed from 
"eating" the volume. Or (b) it may 
mean, that the consequence of devour- 
ing the book ; — that is, of embracing its 
doctrines, would be persecutions and 
trouble — well represented by the "bit- 
terness" that followed the " eating" of 
the volume. Either of these ideas would 
be a fulfilment of the proper meaning of 
the symbol ; for, on the supposition that 
either of these occurred in fact, it would 
properly be symbolized by the eating of 
a volume that was sweet to the taste, 
but that made the belly bitter, But 
it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. 
So in Ezekiel iii. 3. The proper fulfil- 
ment of this, it is not difficult to under- 
stand. It would well represent the plea- 
sure derived from divine truth — the 
sweetness of the word of God — the 
relish with which it is embraced by 
those that love it. On the supposition 
that the "little book" here refers to the 
Bible, and to the use which would be 
made of it in the times referred to, it 



sweet as honey: and as soon as 
I had eaten it, my belly was 
bitter. 



would properly denote the relish which 
would exist for the sacred volume, and 
the happiness which would be found in 
its perusal : — for this very image is fre- 
quently employed to denote this. Thus 
in Ps. xix. 10: — "More to be desired 
are they than gold, yea, than much fine 
gold ; sweeter also than honey, and the 
honey-comb." Ps. cxix. 103 : — " How 
sweet are thy words unto my taste ; yea 
sweeter than honey to my mouth." We 
are then to look for the fulfilment of this 
in some prevailing delight or satisfac- 
tion, in the times referred to, in the 
word of the Lord, or in the truths of 
revelation. 

10. And as soon as I had eaten it, my 
belly was made bitter. The effect imme- 
diately followed : — that is, as soon as he 
was made acquainted with the contents 
of the book, either, as above explained, 
requiring him to deliver some message 
of woe and wrath which it would be 
painful to deliver; or, that the conse- 
quence of receiving it was to bring on 
bitter persecutions and trials. 

11. And he said unto me. The angel 
then said, Thou must prophesy. The 
word "prophesy" here is evidently used 
in the large sense of making known 
divine truth in general; not in the com- 
paratively narrow and limited sen?e in 
which it is commonly used, as referring 
merely to the foretelling of future events. 
See the word explained, in the Notes on 
Rorn. xii. 6; 1 Cor. xiv. 1. The mean- 
ing is, that, &z a consequence of be- 
coming possessed of the little volume 
and its contents, he would be called to 
proclaim divine truth, or to make the 
message of God known to mankind. 
The direct address is to John himself; 
but it is evidently not to be understood 
of him personally. He is represented as 
seeing the angel ; as hearkening to his 
voice; as listening to the solemn oath 
which he took; as receiving and eating 
the volume; and then as prophesying 
to many people: but the reference is un- 
doubtedly to the far-distant future. If the 
allusion is to the times of the Reforma- 
tion, the meaning is, that the end of the 
world was not, as would be expected,about 

I to occur, but that there was to be an inter- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER X. 



297 



11 And he said unto me, Thou 
must prophesy again before many 



val long enough to permit the gospel to 
be proclaimed before " nations, and 
tongues, and kings j" that in conse- 
quence of coming into possession of the 
"little book/' the word of God, the 
truth was yet to be proclaimed far and 
wide on the earth. ^ Again — ndXiv. 
This had been done before. That is, 
supposing this to refer to the time of the 
Preformation, it could be said («) that 
this had been done before — that the 
gospel had been in former times proclaim- 
ed in its purity before " many peoples, 
and nations, and tongues, and kings/' 
and (b) that it would be done " again :" — 
that is, though the word of God had 
been hidden, and a mass of corrupt tra- 
ditions had taken its place, yet the time 
would come when those pure truths 
would be made known again to all lands. 
This will explain the word " again" in 
this place — not meaning that John 
would do this personally, but that this 
would be in fact the result of the restora- 
tion of the Bible to the church, ^ Be- 
fore many peoples. This word denotes 
people considered as masses, or as group- 
ed together in masses, without reference 
to the manner in which it is done. It is 
used when we look on a mass of men, 
without taking into account the ques- 
tion whether they are of the same na- 
tion, or language, or rank. See Notes 
on ch. vii. 9. The plural is used here — 
"peoples" — perhaps to denote that those 
to whom the truth would be made 
known would be very numerous. They 
would not only be numerous in regard 
to the individuals to whom it would be 
communicated, but numerous considered 
as communities or nations, And na- 
tions. The word nations here denotes 
people considered as separated by na- 
tional boundaries, constitutions, laws, 
customs. See Notes on ch. vii. 9. ^ And 
tongues. People considered as divided 
by languages : — a division not always, 
or necessarily, the same as that denoted 
by the word " people" or "nations" as 
used in this passage. And kings. 
Rulers of the people. The meaning is, 
that the gospel would not only be borne 
before the masses of mahkind, but in a 
special manner before kings and rulers. 
The effect of thus possessing the " little 



peoples, and nations, and tongues 
and kings. 



volume" — or of the " open book" of re 
vealed truth would ultimately be that 
the message of life would be carried 
with power before princes and rulers, 
and would influence them as well as the 
common people. 

In enquiring now for the proper ap- 
plication of this symbol as thus ex- 
plained, we naturally turn to the Re- 
formation, and ask whether there was 
any thing in that of which this would 
be the proper emblem. The following 
things, then, are found in fact as occur 
ring at that time, of which the symbol 
before us may be regarded as the proper 
representation. 

(1) The reception of the Bible as from 
the hand of an angel — or its recovery 
from obscurity and forge tfuln ess, as if 
it were now restored to the church by a 
heavenly interposition. The influence 
of the Bible on the Reformation; the 
fact that it was now recovered from its 
obscurity, and that it was made the 
grand instrument in the Reformation, 
has already been illustrated. See Notes 
on ver. 2. The symbolical action of 
taking it from the hand of an angel, was 
not an improper representation of its 
reception again by the church, and of 
its restoration to its true place in the 
church. It became, as it is proper that 
it should always be, the grand means of 
the defence of the faith, and of the pro- 
pagation of truth in the world. 

(2) The statement that the little 
book when eaten was "in the mouth 
sweet as honey," is a striking and proper 
representation of the relish felt for the 
sacred Scriptures by those who love the 
truth (comp. Notes on ver. 9), and is 
especially appropriate to describe the 
interest which was felt in the volume of 
revealed truth at the time of the Reforma- 
tion. For the Bible was to the reformers 
emphatically a new book. It had been 
driven from common use to make way for 
the legends of the saints, and the tra- 
ditions of the church. It had, therefore, 
when translated Into the vernacular 
tongue, and when circulated and read, 
the freshness of novelty — the interest 
which a volume of revealed truth would 
have if just given from heaf en. Accord- 
ingly it is well known with what avidity 



298 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



and relish the sacred volume was studied 
by Luther and his fellow-laborers in the 
Reformation; how they devoured its 
doctrines; how they looked to it for 
comfort in their times of trial; how 
sweet and sustaining were its promises 
in the troubles that came upon them, 
and in the labors which they were called 
to perform. 

(3) The representation that, after it 
was eaten, it was " bitter," would not 
improperly describe the effect, in some 
respects, of thus receiving the Bible, and 
making it the groundwork of faith. It 
brought the Reformers at once into con- 
flict with all the power of the Papacy 
and the priesthood; exposed them to 
persecution ; aroused against them a host 
of enemies among the princes and rulers 
of the earth ; and was the cause for which 
many of them were put to death. Such 
effects followed substantially when Wic- 
lif translated the Bible; when John 
Huss and Jerome of Prague published 
the pure doctrines of the New Testa- 
ment; and when Luther gave to the 
people the word of God in their own 
language. To a great extent this is 
always so — that, however sweet and 
precious the truths of the Bible may be 
to the preacher himself, one of the effects 
of his attempting to preach those truths 
may be such opposition on the part of 
men, such cold indifference, or such 
fierce persecution, that it would be well 
illustrated by what is said here, " it 
shall make thy belly bitter." 

(4) The representation that, as a con- 
sequence of receiving, that book, he 
would prophesy again before many peo- 
ple, is a fit representation of the effect 
of the reception of the Bible again by 
the church, and of allowing it its proper 
place there. For (a) it led to preaching, 
or, in the language of this passage, 
" prophesying" — a thing comparatively 
little known before for many ages. The 
grand business in the Papal communion 
Was not, and is not, preaching, but the 
performance of rites and ceremonies. 
Genuflexions, crossings, burning of in- 
cense, processions, music, constitute 
the characteristic features of all Papal 
churches; the grand thing that dis- 
tinguishes the Protestant churches all 
over the world, just in proportion as 
they are Protestant, is preaching. The 
Protestant religion — the pure form of 
religion as it is revealed in the New 



Testament — has few ceremonies; its 
rites are simple ; it depends for success 
on the promulgation and defence of the 
truth, with the attending influence of the 
Holy Ghost; and for this view of the 
nature and degree of religion, the world 
is indebted to the fact that the Bible 
was again restored to its true place in 
the chuch. (b) The Bible is the basis of 
all genuine preaching. Preaching will 
not be kept up in its purity, except in 
the places where the Bible is freely 
circulated, and where it is studied ; and 
where it is studied, there will be, in the 
proper sense of the term, preachers. 
Just in proportion as the Bible is studied 
in the world, we may expect that preach- 
ing will be better understood, and that 
the number of preachers will be in- 
creased, (c) The study of the Bible is 
the foundation of all the efforts to spread 
the knowledge of the truth to " peoples, 
and nations, and tongues, and kings," in 
our own times. All these efforts have 
been originated by the restoration of the 
Bible to its proper place in the church, 
and to its more profound and accurate 
study in this age ; for these efforts are 
but carrying out the injunction of the 
Saviour as recorded in this book — to " go 
into all the world and preach the gospel 
to every creature." (d) The same thing 
will be true to the end of the world : — 
or, in the language of the portion of the 
book of Revelation before us, till " the 
kingdoms of this world become the 
kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, 
and he shall reign for ever and ever," 
ch. xi. 15. The fact of the restoration 
of the Bible to its proper place in the 
church, will, therefore, ultimately be the 
means of the conversion of the whole 
world to God; and this fact, so mo- 
mentous in its nature and its conse- 
quences, was worthy to be symbolized 
by the appearance of the " angel descend- 
ing from heaven clothed with a cloud ;" 
was properly represented by the man- 
ner in which he appeared — 'his face 
radiant as the sun, and his feet pillars of 
fire/ was worthy to be expressed by 
the position which he assumed, as 
"standing on the sea and the earth" — 
as if all the world were interested in the 
purpose of his mission ; and was worthy 
of the loud proclamation which he made 
— as if a new order of things were to 
commence. Beautiful and sublime, then, 
as this chapter is, and always has been 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER XI. 



299 



esteemed, as a composition, it becomes 
still more beautiful and sublime if it be 
regarded as a symbol of the Reforma- 
tion — an event the most glorious, and 
the most important in its issues, of any 
that has occurred since the Saviour ap- 
peared on the earth. 

CHAPTER XL 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter, which is very impro- 
perly separated from the preceding, and 
improperly ended — for it shonld have 
been closed at ver. 18, — consists (ex- 
cluding the last verse, which properly 
belongs to the succeeding chapter,) es- 
sentially of three parts : 

I. The measuring of the temple, vs. 
1, 2. A reed, or measuring stick, is 
given to John, and he is directed to 
arise and measure the temple. This 
direction embraces two parts : (a) he was 
to measure, that is, to take an exact 
estimate of the temple, of the altar, and 
of the true worshippers ; (b) he was care- 
fully to separate this, in his estimate, 
from the outward court, which was to 
be left out and to be given to the Gen- 
tiles, to be trodden under foot forty-two 
months ; that is, three years and a half, 
or twelve hundred and sixty days — a 
period celebrated in the book of Daniel 
as weir as in this book. 

II. The two witnesses, vs. 3-13. This 
is, in some respects, the most difficult 
portion of the book of Revelation, and 
its meaning can be stated only after a 
careful examination of the signification 
of the words and phrases used. The 
general statement in regard to these 
witnesses is, that they should have 
power, and should prophesy for twelve 
hundred and sixty days ; that if any one 
should attempt to injure them, they had 
power, by fire that proceeded out of 
their mouths, to devour and kill their 
enemies; that they had power to shut 
heaven so that it should not rain, and 
power to turn the waters of the earth 
into blood, and power to smite the earth 
with plagues as often as they chose ; that 
when they had completed their testi- 
mony, the beast that ascends out of the 
bottomless pit would make war with 
them, and overcome them, and kill them ; 
that their dead bodies would lie un- 
buried in that great city where the Lord 
Was crucified three days and a half; that 



they that dwelt upon the earth would 
exult in their death, and send gifts to 
one another in token of their joy; that 
after the three days and a half the spirit 
of life from God would enter into them 
again, and they would stand up on their 
feet; that they would then be taken up 
into heaven, in the sight of their ene- 
mies; and that, at the time of their 
ascension, there would be a great earth- 
quake, and a tenth part of the city 
would fall, and many (seven thousand) 
would be killed, and that the remainder 
would be affrighted, and would give 
glory to the God of heaven. 

III. The sounding of the seventh 
trumpet, vs. 14-18. This is the grand 
consummation of the whole ; the end of 
this series of visions ; the end of the 
world. A rapid glance only is given of 
it here, for under another series of 
visions a more detailed account of the 
state of the world is given under the final 
triumph of truth. Here, as a proper close 
of the first series of visions, the result is 
merely glanced at or adverted to — that 
then the period would have arrived 
when the kingdoms of the world were 
to become the kingdoms of the Lord and 
of his Christ, and when he should com- 
mence that reign which was to continue 
for ever. Then universal peace and 
happiness would reign, and the long- 
promised and expected kingdom of God 
on the earth would be established. The 
"nations" had been " angry," but the 
time had now come when a judgment 
was to be pronounced on the dead, and 
when the due reward was to be given to 
the servants of God — the prophets, and 
the saints, and those who feared his 
name, small and great, in the establish- 
ment of a permanent kingdom, and the 
complete triumph of the true religion in 
the world. 

I regard this chapter, therefore, to 
ver. 18, as extending down to the con- 
summation of all things, and as dis- 
closing the last of the visions seen in 
the scroll or volume " sealed with the 
seven seals," ch. v. 11 For a reason 
above suggested, and which will appear 
more fully hereafter, the detail is here 
much less minute than in the earlier 
portions of the historic visions, but still 
it embraces the whole period, and states 
in few words what will be the condition 
of things in the end. This was all that 
was necessary; this was, in fact, tie 



300 



REVELATION, 



(A. D. C<5 



CHAPTER XI. 

AND there was given me a reed a 
like unto a rod : and the angel 

a Zee. 2. 1. c. 21. 15. 

leading design of the whole book. The 
end towards which all tended — that 
which John needed most to know — and 
which the church needed most to know, 
was that religion would ultimately tri- 
umph, and that the period would arrive 
when it could be announced that the 
kingdoms of this world had become the 
kingdoms of God and of his Christ. 
That is here announced; and that is 
properly the close of one of the divisions 
of the whole book. 

1. And there was given me. He does 
not say by whom, but the connexion 
would seem to imply that it was by the 
angel. All this is of course to be regard- 
ed as symbolical. The representation 
undoubtedly pertains to a future age, but 
the language is such as would be pro- 
perly addressed to one who had been a 
Jew, and the imagery employed is such 
as he would be more likely to understand 
than any other. The language and the 
imagery are, therefore, taken from the 
temple, but there is no reason to suppose 
that it had any literal reference to the 
temple, or even that John would so un- 
derstand it. Nor does the language 
here used prove that the temple was 
standing at the time when the book was 
written ; for as it is symbolical, it is what 
would be employed whether the temple 
were standing or not, and would be as 
likely to be used in the one case as in 
the other. It is such language as John, 
educated as a Jew, and familiar with the 
temple worship, would be likely to em- 
ploy if he designed to make a represent- 
ation pertaining to the church. ^ A 
reed. — KaXaytog. This word properly de- 
notes a plant with a jointed hollow stalk, 
growing in wet grounds. Then it refers 
to the stalk as cut for use, as a mea- 
suring-stick, as in this place ; or a mock 
sceptre, Matt, xxvii. 29, 30 ;*or a pen for 
writing, 3 John 13. Here it means 
merely a stick that could be used for 
measuring, Like unto a rod. This 
word — pdflSos — moans properly a rod, 
wand, staff, used either for scourging, 
1 Cor. iv. 21, or for leaning upon in 
walking, Matt. x. 10, or for a sceptre, 
Heb. i. 8. Here the meaning is, that 



stood, saying, Rise, and measure 
the temple of God, and the altar, 
and them that worship therein. 

b Eze. 40. 48. 



the reed that was put into his hands was 
like such a rod or staff in respect to size, 
and was therefore convenient for han- 
dling. The word rod also is used to 
denote a measuring pole, Ps. lxxiv. 2, 
Jer. x. 16, li. 19. f And the angel stood, 
saying. The phrase "the angel stood,' 1 
is wanting in many Mss. and editions of 
the New Testament, and is rejected by 
Prof. Stuart as spurious. It is also 
rejected in the critical editions of Gries- 
bach and Hahn, and marked as doubtful 
by Tittmann. The best critical authority 
is against it, and it appears to have been 
introduced from Zech. iii. 5. The con- 
nexion does not demand it, and we may, 
therefore, regard the meaning to be, that 
the one who gave him the reed, whoever 
he was, at the same time addressed him, 
and commanded him to take a measure 
of the temple and the altar, Rise, and 
measure the temple of God. That is, as- 
certain its true dimensions with the reed 
in your hand. Of course, this could not 
be understood of the literal temple — 
whether standing or not — for the exact 
measure of that was sufficiently well- 
known. The word, then, must be used 
of something which the temple would 
denote or represent, and this would 
properly be the church, considered as 
the abode of God on the earth. Un- 
der the Old dispensation, the temple at 
Jerusalem was that abode; under the 
New, that peculiar residence was trans- 
ferred to the church, and God is repre- 
sented as dwelling in it. See Notes on 
1 Cor. iii. 16. Thus the word is undoubt- 
edly used here, and the simple meaning 
is, that he who is thus addressed is 
directed to take an accurate estimate of 
the true church of God; as accurate as 
if he were to apply a measuring-reed to 
ascertain the dimensions of the temple 
at Jerusalem. In doing that, if the di- 
rection had been literally to measure the 
temple at Jerusalem, he would ascertain 
its length, and breadth, and height; he 
would measure its rooms, its doorways, 
its porticoes ; he would take such a 
measurement of it that, in a description 
or drawing, it could be distinguished 
from other edifices, or that one could b« 



A. B. 96.J 



CHAPTER XI. 



301 



2 But the court • which is with- 

a Eze. 40. 17-20. 

constructed like it, or that a just idea 
could be obtained of it if it should be 
destroyed. If the direction be under- 
stood figuratively, as applicable to the 
Christian church, the work to be done 
would be to obtain an exact estimate or 
measurement of what the true church 
was — as distinguished from all other 
bodies of men, and as constituted, and 
appointed, by the direction of God; 
such a measurement that its character- 
istics could be made known ; that a 
church could be organized according to 
this, and that the accurate description 
could be transmitted to future times. 
John has not, indeed, preserved the 
measurement ; for the main idea here is 
not that he was to preserve such a 
model, but that, in the circumstances, 
and at the time referred to, the proper 
business would be to engage in such a 
measurement of the church that its true 
dimensions or character might be known. 
There would be, therefore, a fulfilment 
of this, if at the time here referred to 
there should be occasion, from any cause, 
to inquire what constituted the true 
church; if it was necessary to separate 
and distinguish it from all other bodies ; 
and if there should be any such prevail- 
ing uncertainty as to make an accurate 
investigation necessary, And the al- 
tar. On the form, situation, and uses 
of the altar, see Notes on Matt. v. 23, 24, 
xxi. 12. The altar here referred to was, 
undoubtedly, the altar situated in front 
of the temple, where the daily sacrifice 
was offered. To measure that literally, 
would be to take its dimensions of 
length, breadth, and height; but it is 
plain that that cannot be intended here, 
for there was no such altar where John 
was, and, if the reference were to the 
altar at Jerusalem, its dimensions were 
sufficiently known. This language, then, 
like the former, must be understood 
metaphorically, and then it must mean — 
as the altar was the place of sacrifice — to 
take an estimate of the church consi- 
dered with reference to its notions of 
sacrifice, or of the prevailing views 
respecting the sacrifice to be made for 
Bin, and the method of reconciliation 
with God. It is by sacrifice that a 
method is provided for reconciliation 
with God; by sacrifice that sin is par- 
26 



out the 



temple h leave 

b cast out. 



out, and 



doned ; by sacrifice that man is justified; 
and the direction here is equivalent, 
therefore, to a command to make an 
investigation on these subjects, and 
all that is implied would be fulfilled if a 
state of things should exist where it 
would be necessary to institute an ex- 
amination into the prevailing views in 
the church on the subject of the atone- 
ment, and the true method of justifica- 
tion before God. And them that wor- 
ship therein. In the temple; or, as the 
temple is the representation here of the 
church, of those who are in the church 
as professed worshippers of God. There 
is some apparent incongruity in direct- 
ing him to "measure" those who were 
engaged in worship; but the obvious 
meaning is, that he was to take a correct 
estimate of their character ; of what they 
professed ; of the reality of their piety : 
of their lives, and of the general state 
of the church considered as professedly 
worshipping God. This would receive 
its fulfilment, if a state of things should 
arise in the church which would make 
it necessary to go into a close and search- 
ing examination on all these points, in 
order to ascertain what was the true 
church, and what was necessary to con- 
stitute true membership in it. There 
were, therefore, three things, as indi- 
cated by this verse, which -John was 
directed to do, so far as the use of the 
measuring-rod was concerned: (a) to 
take a just estimate of what constitutes 
the true church, as distinguished from 
all other associations of men ; (b) to in- 
stitute a careful examination into the 
opinions in the church on the subject 
of sacrifice or atonement — involving the 
whole question about the method of 
justification before God ; and (c) to take 
a correct estimate of what constitutes 
true membership in the church; or to 
investigate with care the prevailing 
opinions about the qualifications for 
membership. 

2. But the court ivhich is without the 
temple. Which is outside of the temple 
proper, and, therefore, which does not 
strictly appertain to it. There is un- 
doubtedly reference here to the "court 
of the Gentiles/' as it was called among 
the Jews — the outer court of the temple 
to which the Gentiles had access, and 



302 



.REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



measure it not; for a it is given 
unto the Gentiles: and the holy 

a Lu. 21. 24. 

within which they were not permitted to 
go. For a description of this, see Notes 
on Matt. xxi. 12. To an observer this 
would seem to be a part of the temple, 
and the persons there assembled a por- 
tion of the true worshippers of God ; but 
it was necessarily neither the one nor the 
other. In forming an estimate of those 
who, according to the Hebrew notions, 
were true worshippers of God, only those 
would be regarded as such who had the 
privilege of access to the inner court, 
and to the altar. In making such an 
estimate, therefore, those who had no 
nearer access than that court, would be 
omitted ; that is, they would not be 
reckoned as necessarily any part of those 
who were regarded as the people of 
God. *H Leave out and measure it not. 
Marg., cast out. So the Greek. The 
meaning is, that he was not to reckon it 
as appertaining to the true temple of 
worshippers. There is, indeed, a degree 
of force in the words rendered "leave 
out," or, in the margin, " cast out" — 
eK^aWt f|w — which implies more than 
a mere passing by, or omission. The 
word (i/cjSa'AAci)) usually has the idea of 
force or impulse (Matt. xv. 17; Acts 
xxvii. 38 ; Matt. viii. 12, xxv. 30 ; Mark 
xvi. 9, et al.), and the word here would 
denote some decisive or positive act by 
which it would be indicated that this 
was 7io* any part of the true temple, but 
was to be regarded as appertaining to 
something else. He was not merely not 
to mention it, or not to include it in the 
measurement, but he was to do this by 
some act which would indicate that it 
was the result of design in the case, and 
not by accidentally passing it by. For 
it is given unto the Gentiles. It properly 
appertains to them as their own. Though 
near the temple, and included in the 
general range of building, yet it does 
not pertain to those who worship there, 
but to those who are regarded as 
heathen and strangers. It is not said 
that it was then given to the Gentiles ; 
nor is it said that it was given to them 
to be overrun and trodden down by 
them, but that it appertained to them, 
and was to be regarded as belonging to 
them. They occupied it, not as the 



city shall they tread under D foot 
forty and two months. 

b Da. 7. 25. 



people of God, but as those who were 
without the true church, and who did 
not appertain to its real communion. 
This would find a fulfilment if there 
should arise a state of things in the 
church in which it would be necessary 
to draw a line between those who pro- 
perly constituted the church and those 
who did not ; if there should be such a 
condition of things that any consider- 
able portion of those who professedly 
appertained to the church ought to be 
divided off as not belonging to it, or 
would have such characteristic marks 
that it could be seen that they were 
strangers and aliens. The interpretation 
would demand that they should sustain 
some relation to the church, or that they 
would seem to belong to it — as the court 
did to the temple ; but still that this was 
in appearance only, and that in esti- 
mating the true church it was necessary 
to leave them out altogether. Of course 
this would not imply that there might 
not be some sincere worshippers among 
them as individuals — as there would be 
found usually, in the court of the Gen- 
tiles in the literal temple, some who were 
proselytes and devout worshippers, but 
what is here said relates to them as a 
mass or body — that they did not belong 
to the true church but to the Gentiles, 
f And the holy city. The whole holy 
city — not merely the outer court of the 
Gentiles which it is said was given to 
them, nor the temple as such, but the 
entire holy city. There is no doubt that 
the words "the holy city" literally 
refer to Jerusalem — a city so called 
because it was the peculiar place of the 
worship of God. See Notes on Matt 
iv. 5 ; comp. Neh. xi. 1, 18 ; Isa. lii. 1 ; 
Dan. ix. 24 ; Matt, xxvii. 53. But it is 
not necessary to suppose that this is its 
meaning here. The "holy city" Jeru- 
salem was regarded-as sacred to God; as 
his dwelling-place on earth, and as the 
abode of his people, and nothing was 
more natural than to use the term as 
representing the Church. Comp. Notes 
on Gal. iv. 26; Heb. xii. 22. In this 
sense it is undoubtedly used here, as the 
whole representation is emblematical. 
John, if he were about to speak of any 



A.. D. 96.J 



CHAPT 



EK XI. 



303 



thing that was to occur to the church, 
would, as a native Jew, be likely to 

j employ such language as this to denote 
it. Shall they tread under foot. That 
is, the Gentiles above referred to ; or 
those who, in the measurement of the 
city, were set off as Gentiles, and re- 
garded as not belonging to the p.eople 
of God. This is not spoken of the 
Gentiles in general, but only of that 

| portion of the multitudes that seemed to 
constitute the worshippers of God, who, 
a measuring the temple, were set off 
*t separated as not properly belong- 
•£g to the true church. The phrase 
* shall tread under foot," is derived 
rom warriors and conquerors who tread 
lown their enemies, or trample on the 
lelds of grain. It is rendered in this 
mssage by Dr. Robinson (Lex.) 'to 
profane and lay waste/ As applied lite- 
rally to a city, this would be the true 
'dea : as applied to the church, it 
vould mean that they would have it 
inder their control or in subjection for 
_he specified time, and that the practical 
vffect of that would be to corrupt and 
prostrate it. Forty and two months. 
(literally this would be three years and 
t half; but if the time here is prophetic 
ime — a day for a year — then the period 
vould bo twelve hundred and sixty 
/ears — reckoning the year at 360 days, 
^or a full illustration of this usage, and 
or the reasons for supposing that this is 
wophetic time, see Notes on Dan. vii. 
15. In addition to what is there said, 
'% may be remarked in reference to this 

j Passage, fchat it is impossible to show, 
tfith any degree of probability, that the 
ity of Jerusalem was " trampled under 
1)ot" by the Romans for the exact space 
if three years and a half. Prof. Stuart, 
jdio adopts the opinion that it refers to 

I the conquest of Jerusalem by the Ro- 
mans, says, indeed, " It is certain that 
the invasion of the Romans lasted just 
about the length of the period named, 
until Jerusalem was taken. And al- 

: though the city itself was not besieged 
so long, yet the metropolis in this case, 
as in innumerable others in both Testa- 
ments, appears to stand for the country 
of Judea." But, it is to be remembered 
that the affirmation here is that " the 

f l Italy city" was thus to be trodden under 

J| foot; and even taking the former suppo- 
sition, in what sense is it true that 
the " whf le country" was " trodden 



under foot" by .the Romans only three 
years and a half? Even the wars of the 
Romans were not of that exact duration, 
and, besides, the fact was that Judea 
was held in subjection, and trodden down 
by the Romans, for centuries, and never, 
in fact, regained its independence. If 
this is to be literally applied to Jerusa- 
lem, it has been " trodden down by the 
Gentiles," with brief intervals, since the 
conquest by the Romans, to the present 
time. There has been no precise period 
of three years and a half, in respect to 
which the language here used would be 
applicable to the literal city of Jeru- 
salem. 

In regard then to the proper applies 
Hon of the language which has thua 
been explained (vs. 1, 2), it may be 
remarked, in general, that, for the rea- 
sons just stated, it is not to be taken 
literally. John could not have been 
directed literally to measure the temple 
at Jerusalem, and the altar, and the 
worshippers; nor could he have been 
requested literally to leave out, or ' cast 
out' the court that was without; nor 
could it be meant that the holy city 
literally was to be trodden under foot for 
three years and a half. The language 
clearly is symbolical, and the reference 
must have been to something pertaining 
to the church. And, if the preceding 
exposition of the tenth chapter is correct, 
then it may be presumed that this would 
refer to something that was to occur at 
about the period there referred to. Re- 
garding it, then, as applicable to the 
time of the Reformation, and as being 
a continuation of the vision in chapter 
tenth, we shall find, in the events of that 
period, what would be properly symbol- 
ized by the language here used. This 
will appear by reviewing the particulars 
which have been explained in these 
verses : — 

(1) The command to " measure the 
temple of God," ver. 1. This, we have 
seen, was a direction to take an estimate 
of what constituted the true church; 
the very work which it was necessary to 
do in the Reformation, for this was the 
first point which was to be settled, whe- 
ther the Papacy was the true church or 
was the Antichrist. This involved, of 
course, the whole inquiry as to what 
constitutes the church, alike in reference 
to its organization, its ministry, its sa- 
craments, and its membership. It waa 



304 



REVELATION, 



[A. 1). 96. 



long before the Reformer^ made up their 
minds that the Papacy was not the true 
church; for the veneration which they 
had been taught to cherish for that 
lingered long in their bosoms. And even 
when they were constrained to admit 
that that corrupt communion was the 
predicted form of the great apostasy — 
Antichrist — and had acquired boldness 
enough to break away from it for ever, 
it was long before they settled down in 
a uniform belief as to what was essential 
to the true church. Indeed, the differ- 
ences of opinion which prevailed ; the 
warm discussions which ensued, and the 
diversities of sect which sprang up in 
the Protestant world, showed with what 
intense interest the mind was fixed on 
this question, and how important it was 
to take an exact measurement of the real 
church of God. 

(2) The direction to ' measure the 
altar.' This, as we have seen, would 
relate to the prevailing opinions on the 
subject of sacrifice and atonement; on 
the true method of a sinner's acceptance 
with God; and, consequently, on the 
whole subject of justification. As a mat- 
ter of fact, it need not be said that this 
was one of the first questions which 
came before the Reformers, and was one 
which it was indispensable to settle, in 
order to a just notion of the church and 
of the way of salvation. The Papacy 
had exalted the Lord's Supper into a 
real sacrifice; had made it a grand and 
essential point that the bread and wine 
were changed into the real body and 
blood of the Lord, and that a real offer- 
ing of that sacrifice was made every time 
that ordinance was celebrated ; had 
changed the office of the ministers of the 
New Testament from preachers to that 
of priests ; had become familiar with the 
terms altar, and sacrifice, and priesthood, 
as founded on the notion that a real 
sacrifice was made in the 'mass;' and 
had fundamentally changed the whole 
doctrine respecting the justification of a 
sinner before God. The altar in the 
Romish communion had almost displaced 
the pulpit; and the doctrine of justifica- 
tion by the merits of the great sacrifice 
made by the death of our Lord, had been 
superseded by the doctrine of justifica- 
tion by good works, and by the merits 
of the saints. It became necessary, 
therefore, to restore the true doctrine 
respecting sacrifice for sin, and the way 



of justification before God ; and this 
would be appropriately represented by 
a direction to ' measure the altar/ 

(3) The direction to take an estimate 
of those ( who worshipped in the temple.'" 
This, as we have seen, would properly 
mean that there was to be a true esti- 
mate .taken of what constituted member- 
ship in the church, or of the qualifications 
of those who should be regarded as true 
worshippers of God. This, also, was one 
of the first works necessary to be done 
in the Reformation. Before that, for 
ages, the doctrine of baptismal regene- 
ration had been the established doctrine 
of the church ; the opinion that all that 
was necessary to membership was bap- 
tism and confirmation, was the common 
opinion ; the necessity of regeneration 
by the influences of the Holy Spirit, as 
a condition of church membership, was 
little understood, if not almost wholly 
unknown ; and the grand requisition in 
membership was not holy living, but the 
observance of the rites and ceremonies 
of the church. One of the first things 
necessary in the Reformation, was to 
restore to its true place the doctrine 
laid down by the Saviour, that a change 
of heart — that regeneration by the Holy 
Ghost — was necessary to membership in 
the church, and that the true church 
was composed of those who had been 
thus renewed in the spirit of their mincl. 
This great work would be appropriately 
symbolized by a direction to take an 
estimate of those who ' worshipped in 
the temple of God ;' that is, to settle the 
question who should be regarded as true 
worshippers of God, and what should 
be required of those who professed to be 
such worshippers. No more important 
point was settled in the Preformation 
| than this. 

! (4) The direction to leave out, or to 
j ' cast out' the court without the temple, 
j This, as we have seen, would properly 
mean that a separation was to be made 
between that which was the true church, 
and that which was not, though it might 
seem to belong to it. The one was to 
be measured or estimated; the other was 
to be left out, as not appertaining to 
that, or as belonging to the Gentiles, or 
to heathenism. The idea would be, that 
though it professedly appertained to the 
true church, and to the worship of God, 
yet that it deserved to be characterized 
as heathenism. Now this will apply 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAP T 



EE XI. 



305 



with great propriety, according to all 
Protestant notions, to the manner in 
which the Papacy was regarded by the 
Reformers, and should be regarded at 
all times. It claimed to be the true* 
church, and to the eye. of an observer 
would seem to belong to it, as much as 
the outer court seemed to pertain to the 
temple. But it had the essential char- 
acteristics of heathenism, and was, there- 
fore, properly to be left out, or cast out, 
as not pertaining to the true church. 
Can any one doubt the truth of this 
representation as applicable to the Pa- 
pacy ? Almost every thing that was 
peculiar in the ancient heathen systems 
of religion, had been introduced into the 
Roman communion, and a stranger at 
Rome would see more that would lead 
him to feel that he was in a heathen 
land, than he would that he was in a 
land where the pure doctrines of Chris- 
tianity prevailed, and where the worship 
was celebrated which the Redeemer had 
designed to set up on the earth. This 
was true not only in the pomp and 
splendor of worship, and in the proces- 
sions and imposing ceremonials; but in 
the worship of images, in the homage ren- 
dered to the dead, in the number of fes- 
tival-days, in the fact that the statues 
reared in heathen Rome to the honor of 
the gods had been re-consecrated in the 
services of Christian devotion to the 
apostles, saints, and martyrs ; and in the 
robes of the Christian priesthood, derived 
from those in use in the ancient heathen 
worship. The direction was, that, in 
estimating the true church, this was to 
be * left out' or i cast out ;' and, if this 
interpretation is correct, the meaning is, 
that the Roman Catholic communion, 
as an organized body, is to be regarded 
as no part of the true church : a conclu- 
sion which is inevitable, if the passages 
of Scripture which are commonly sup- 
posed by Protestants to apply to it, are 
j correctly applied. To determine this, 
and to separate the true church from it, 
was no small part of the work of the 
Reformation. 

(5) The statement that the holy city 
was to be trodden under foot, ver. 2. 
This, as we have seen, must mean that 
the true church would thus be trodden 
I down by those who are described as 
ij 'Gentiles/ So far as pure religion was 
j concerned ; so far as appertained to the 
real condition of the church and the 
26* 



pure worship of God, it would be as if 
the whole holy city where God was wor- 
shipped were given into the hands of the 
Gentiles, and they should tread it down, 
and desecrate all that was sacred for the 
time here referred to. Every thing in 
Rome at the time of the Reformation, 
would sustain this description. "It is 
incredible," says Luther, on his visit to 
Rome, "what sins and atrocities are 
committed in Rome; they must be seen 
and heard to be believed. So that it is 
usual to say, 'If there be a hell, Rome 
is built above it; it is an abyss from 
which all sins proceed/ " So again ho 
says : " It is commonly observed that 
he who goes to Rome for the first time, 
goes to seek a knave there ; the second 
time he finds him; and the third time 
he brings him away with him under his 
cloak. But now, people are become so 
clever, that they make the three journeys 
in one." So Machiavelli, one of the 
most profound geniuses in Italy, and 
himself a Roman Catholic, said, " The 
greatest symptom of the approaching 
ruin of Christianity is, that the nearer 
we approach the capital of Christendom, 
the less do we find of the Christian spirit 
of the people. The scandalous example 
and crimes of the court of Rome, have 
caused Italy to lose every principle of 
piety and every religious sentiment. We 
Italians are principally indebted to the 
church and to the priests for having be- 
come impious and profane." See D'Au- 
bigne's History of the Reformation, p. 54 
Ed. Phila. 1843. In full illustration of 
the sentiment that the church seemed 
to be trodden down and polluted by hea- 
thenism, or by abominations and prac- 
tices that came out of heathenism, we 
may refer to the general history of the 
Romish communion from the rise of the 
Papacy to the Reformation. For a suf- 
ficient illustration to justify the applica- 
tion of the passage before us which I 
am now making, the reader may bo 
referred to the Notes on ch. ix. 20, 21. 
Nothing would better describe the con- 
dition of Rome previous to, and" at the 
time of the Reformation — and the re- 
mark may be applied to subsequent 
periods also — than to say that it was a 
city which once seemed to be a Christian 
city, and was not improperly regarded 
as the centre of the Christian world 
and tte seat of the church, and that 
it had teen, as it were, overrun and 



J06 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



3 And I will ° give power unto 

a Or, give unto my two witnesses that they 
may prophesy. 

Sodden down by heathen rites, and 
customs, and ceremonies, so that, to a 
stranger looking on it, it would seem to 
be in the possession of the * Gentiles' or 
the heathens. 

(6) The time during which this was to 
continue — i forty -two months ;' that is, 
according to the explanation above given, 
twelve hundred and sixty years. This 
would embrace the whole period of the 
ascendency and prevalence of the Pa- 
pacy ,• or the whole time of the continu- 
ance of that corrupt domination in which 
Christendom was to be trodden down 
and corrupted fey it. The prophet of 
Patmos saw it in vision thus extending 
its dreary and corrupting reign, and 
during that time the proper influence 
of Christianity was trampled down, and 
the domination of practical heathenism 
was set up where the church should have 
reigned in its purity. Thus regarded, 
this would properly express the time of 
the ascendency of the Papal power, and 
the end of the ' forty-two months/ or 
twelve hundred and sixty years, would 
denote the time when the influence of 
that power would cease. If, therefore, 
the time of the rise of the Papacy can 
be determined, it will not be difficult to 
determine the time when it will come to 
an end. But for a full consideration of 
these points, the reader is referred to 
the extended discussion on Daniel vii. 
25. As the point is there fully exam- 
ined, it is unnecessary to go into an 
investigation of it here. 

The general remark, therefore, in 
regard to this passage (vs. 1, 2), is, that 
it refers to what would be necessary to 
be done at the Reformation in order to 
determine what is the true church, and 
what are the doctrines on which it is 
based ; and to the fact that the Romish 
communion to which the church had 
been given over for a definite time, was 
to be set aside as not being the true 
church of Christ. 

3. And I will give power unto my two 
witnesses. In respect to this important 
passage (vs. 3-13), I propose to pursue 
the same method which I have pursued 
all along in this exposition ; first, to ex- 
amine the meaning of the words and 
phrases in the symbol with a purpose to 



my b two witnesses, c and they shall 

b Matt. 18. 16. c c. 20. 4. 



"ascertain the fair signification of the 
symbols; and, second, to enquire into 
the application; that is, to enquire 
whether any events have occurred 
which, in respect to their character and 
to the time of their occurrence, can be i 
shown to be a fair fulfilment of the 
language. 

And I will give power. The word j 
" power" is not in the original. The i 
Greek is simply, " I will give ;" that is, 
I will grant to my two witnesses the right, 
or the power, of prophesying, during the 
time specified, correctly expressed in the 
margin, 'give unto my two witnesses , 
that they may prophesy/ The meaning i 
is not that he would send two witnesses 
to prophesy, but rather that these were 
in fact such "witnesses," and that he 
would during that time permit them to \ 
exercise their prophetic gifts, or give 
them the privilege and the strength to j 
enunciate the truth which they were 
commissioned to communicate as his 
"witnesses" to mankind. Some word, ' 
then, like power, privilege, opportunity, 
or boldness, it is necessary to supply in 
order to complete the sense, Unto my 
two witnesses. The word " two" evi- I 
dently denotes that the number would 
be small; and yet it is not necessary to , 
confine it literally to two persons, or to I 
two societies or communities. Perhaps 
the meaning is, that as, under the law, 
two witnesses were required, and were 
enough, to establish any fact (Notes on 
John viii. 17), such a number would, 
during those times, be preserved from 
apostasy, as would be sufficient to keep 
up the evidence of truth; to testify 
against the prevailing abominations, 
errors, and corruptions ; to show what 
was the real church, and to bear a faith- 
ful witness against the wickedness of the 
world. The law of Moses required that 
there should be two witnesses on a trial, 
and this, under that law, was deemed a 
competent number. See Deut. xvii. 6, 
xix. 15 ; Num. xxxv. 30 ; Matt, xviii. 16 ; 
John v. 30-33. The essential meaning 
of this passage, then, is, that there would 
be a competent number of witnesses in 
the case ; that is, as many as would be 
regarded as sufficient to establish the 
points concerning which they would 



A. D. 96.] 



CH APT 



EE XI. 



307 



prophesy a thousand two hundred 
and three score days, clothed in 
sackcloth. 41 

a Is. 22. 12. 



testify, with perhaps the additional idea 
that the number would be small. There 
is no reason for limiting it strictly to two 
persons, or for supposing that they 
would appear in pairs, two and two ; nor" 
is it necessary to suppose that it refers 
particularly to two people or nations. 
The word rendered witnesses — (idprvs — is 
that from which we have derived the 
word martyr. It means properly one 
who bears testimony, either in a judicial 
sense, Matt, xviii. 16, xxvi. 65, or one 
who can in any way testify to the truth 
of what he has seen and known, 1 Thess. 
ii. 10 j 1 Tim. vi. 12 ; Rom. i. 9 j Phil, 
i. 8; Luke xxiv. 48. Then it came 
to be employed in the sense in which 
the word martyr is now — to denote 
one who, amidst gre^ sufferings, or by 
his death, bears witnffs to the truth ; that 
is, one who is so confident of the truth, 
and so upright, that he will rather lay 
down his life than deny the truth of what 
he has seen and known. Acts xxii. 20 ; 
Rev. ii. 13. In a similar sense it comes 
to denote one who is so thoroughly con- 
vinced on a subject that is not susceptible 
of being seen and heard, or who is so 
attached to one, that he is willing to lay 
down his life as the evidence of his con- 
viction and attachment. The word, as 
used here, refers to those who, during 
this period of " forty and two months," 
would thus be witnesses for Christ in the 
world : that is, who would bear their 
testimony to the truth of his religion ; to 
the doctrines which he had revealed; 
and to what was required of man — who 
would do this amidst surrounding error 
and corruption, and when exposed to 
persecutions and trials on account of 
their belief. It is not uncommon in the 
Scriptures to represent the righteous as 
witnesses for God. See Notes on Isa. 
xliii. 10, 12, xliv. 8. f And they shall 
prophesy. The word prophesy does not 
necessarily mean that they would pre- 
dict future events ; but the sense is, that 
they would give utterance to the truth 
God had revealed it. See Notes on 
3b- y, 11. The sense here is, that they 
would in some public manner, hold up 
g£ /maintain the truth before the world. 



4 These are the two b olive-trees, 
and the two candlesticks c standing 
before the God of the earth. 

b Je. 11. 16; Zee. 4. 3, 11, 14. c c. 1. 20. 



*H A thousand two hundred and three 
score days. The same period as the 
forty and two months (ver. 2), though 
expressed in a different form. Reckon- 
ing a day for a year, this period would 
be twelve hundred and sixty years, or 
the same as the u time, and times, and 
dividing of time" in Daniel vii. 25. See 
Notes on that place. The meaning of 
this would be, therefore, that during that 
long period in which it is said that " the 
holy city would be trodden under foot," 
there would be those who might be pro- 
perly called " witnesses" for God, and 
who would be engaged in holding up 
his truth before the world ; that is, there 
would be no part of that period in which 
there would not be found some to whom 
this appellation could with propriety be 
given. Though the "holy city" — the 
church — would seem to be wholly trodden 
down, yet there would be a few at least 
who would assert the great doctrines 
of true godliness, Clothed in sack- 
cloth. Sackcloth — gcikkos — was properly 
a coarse black cloth commonly made of 
hair, used for sacks, for straining, and 
for mourni.-g garments. See Notes on 
Rev. vi. 12; on Isa. iii. 24; and on 
Matt. xi. 21. Here it is an emblem of 
mourning; and the idea is, that they 
would prophesy in the midst of grief. 
This would indicate that the time would 
be one of calamity, or that, in doing 
this, there would be occasion for their 
appearing in the emblems of grief, rather 
than in robes expressive of joy. The 
most natural interpretation of this is, 
that there would be but few who could 
be regarded as true witnesses for God in 
the world, and that they would be ex- 
posed to persecution. 

4. These are the two olive-trees. These 
are represented by the two olive-trees, 
or these are what are symbolized by the 
two olive-trees. There can be little 
doubt that there is an allusion here to 
Zech. iv. 3, 11, 14, though the imagery 
is in some respects changed. The pro- 
phet (Zech. iv. 2, 3) saw in vision "a 
candlestick all of gold, and a bowl upon 
the top of it, and his seven lamps 
thereon, and seven pipes to the seven 



S08 



EEVEL 



ATION, 



[A, D. 96 



5 And if any man will hurt 
them, a fire proceedeth out of their 
mouth, and devoureth their ene- 

a Ps, 18. 8. 



lamps, which were upon the top thereof; 
and two olive-trees by it; one upon the 
right side of the bowl, and the other 
upon the left side thereof." These two 
" olive-branches" were subsequently de- 
clared (ver. 14) to be "the two anointed 
ones, that stand by the Lord of the 
whole earth." The olive-trees, or olive- 
branches (ver. 12), appear in the vision 
of the prophet to have been connected 
with the ever-burning lamp, by golden 
pipes, and as the olive-tree produced 
the oil used by the ancients in their 
lamps, these trees are represented as 
furnishing a constant supply of oil 
through the golden pipes to the candle- 
stick, and thus they become emblematic 
of the supply of grace to the church. 
John uses this emblem, not in the sense 
exactly in which it was employed by the 
prophet, but to denote that these two 
"witnesses," which might be compared 
with the two olive-trees, would be the 
means of supplying grace to the church. 
As the olive-tree furnished oil for the 
lamps, the two trees here would seem 
properly to denote ministers of religion ; 
and as there can be no doubt that 
the candlesticks, or lamp-bearers, denote 
churches, the sense would appear to be 
that it was through the pastors of the 
churches that the oil of grace which 
maintained the brightness of those mys- 
tic candlesticks, or the churches, was 
conveyed. The image is a beautiful one, 
and expresses a truth of great im- 
portance to the world: — for God has 
designecUthat the lamp of piety shall be 
kept burning in the churches by truth 
supplied through ministers and pastors. 
^ And the two candlesticks. The pro- 
phet Zechariah saw but one such can- 
dlestick or lamp-bearer ; John here saw 
two — as there are two "witnesses" re- 
ferred to. In the vision described in 
ch. i. 12, he saw seven — representing the 
seven churches of Asia. For an expla- 
nation of the meaning of the symbol, 
see Notes on that verse, Standing 
before the God of the earth. So Zech. iv. 
14, " These be the two anointed ones, 
that stand by the Lord of the whole 
earth." The meaning is, that they stood, 



mies : and if any man will hurt 
them, he must in this manner be 
killed. b 

b Nu. 16. 35. Hos. 6. 5. 

as it were, in the very presence of God — 
as in the tabernacle and temple, the 
golden candlestick stood "before" the 
ark on which was the symbol of the 
divine presence, though separated from 
it by a veil. Comp. Notes on ch. ix. 13„ 
This representation that the ministers 
of religion " stand before the Lord," is 
one that is not uncommon in the Bible. 
Thus it is said of the priests and Levitea 
(Deut. x. 8), " The Lord separated the 
tribes of Levi, to stand before the Lord, 
to minister unto him, and to bless his 
name." Comp. Deut. xviii. 7. The 
same thing is said of the prophets, as in 
the cases of Elijah and Elisha: " As 
the Lord liveth, before lohom I stand." 
1 Kings xvii. 1, xviii. 15 ; 2 Kings iii. 
14, v. 16; comp. Jer. xv. 19. The re- 
presentation is, that' they ministered, as 
it were, constantly in his presence, and 
under his eye. 

5. And if any man will hurt them. 
This implies that there would be those 
who would be disposed to injure or 
wrong them; that is, that they would 
be liable to persecution. The word 
'will' is here more than the mere sign 
of the future; it denotes intention, pur- 
pose, design — $£\n — 'if any man wills 
or purposes to injure them/ See a simi- 
lar use of the word in 1 Tim. vi. 9. The 
word hurt here means to do injury or 
injustice — adiK?}<rai — and may refer to 
wrong in any form — whether in respect 
to their character, opinions, persons, or 
property. The general sense is, that 
there would be those who would be dis- 
posed to do them harm, and we should 
naturally look for the fulfilment of this 
in some form of persecution. ]\ Fire 
proceedeth out of their mouth. It is, of 
course, not necessary that this should 
be taken literally. The meaning is, 
that they would have the power of de- 
stroying their enemies as if fire should 
proceed out of their mouth ; that is, 
their words would be like burning coals 
or flames. There may possibly be an 
allusion here to 2 Kings i. 10-14, where 
it is said that Elijah commanded the fire 
to descend from heaven to consume 
those who were sent to take him (comp. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EE XI. 



309 



G These a have power to shut 
heaven, that it rain not in the days 
of their prophecy : and have power 

a 1 Ki. 17. 1. 



Luke ix. 54) ; but in that case Elijah 
commanded the fire to come 'from hea- 
ven/ here it proceeded ' out of the 
mouth/ The allusion here, therefore, 
is to the denunciations which they would 
utter, or the doctrines which they would 
preach, and which would have the same 
effect on their enemies as if they breathed 
forth fire and flame. So Jeremiah v. 14, 
"Because ye speak this word, behold I 
will make my words in thy mouth fire, 
and this people wood, and it shall de- 
vour them." ^[ And devoureth their ene- 
mies. The word devour is often used 
with reference to fire, which seems to 
eat up or consume what is in its way, or 
to feed on that which it destroys. This 
is the sense of the word here — KartaSiu 
— 'to eat down, to swallow down, to 
devour/ Comp. ch. xx. 9. Sept. Isa. 
xxix. 6 ; Joel ii. 5 ; Lev. x. 2. As there 
is no reason to believe that there would 
be literal fire, so it is not necessary to 
suppose that their enemies would be 
literally devoured or consumed. The 
meaning is fulfilled if their words should 
in any way produce an effect on their 
enemies similar to what is produced by 
fire : that is, if it should destroy their 
influence; if it should overcome and 
subdue them; if it should annihilate 
their . domination ia the world. ^[ And 
if any man will hurt them. This is re- 
peated in order to make the declaration 
more intensive, and also to add another 
thought about the effect of persecuting 
and injuring them. ^[ lie must in this 
manner be killed. That is, in the man- 
ner specified — by fire. It does not mean 
that he would be killed in the same 
manner in which the 'witnesses' were 
killed, but in the method specified be- 
fore — by the fire that should proceed 
out of their mouth. The meaning is, 
undoubtedly, that they would have 
power to bring down on them divine 
vengeance or punishment, so that there 
would be a just retaliation for the wrongs 
done them. 

6. These have power to shut heaven. 
That is, so far as rain is concerned — for 
this is immediately specified. There is 
probably reference here to an ancient 



over waters h to turn them to blood, 
and to smite the earth with all 
plagues, as often as they will. 
h Ex. 7. 19. 



opinion that the rain was kept in the 
clouds of heaven as in reservoirs or bot- 
tles, and that when they were opened it 
rained; when they were closed it ceased 
to rain. So Job xxvi. 8, "He bindeth 
up the waters in the thick clouds, and 
the cloud is not rent under them." 
xxxvi. 28, "Which the clouds do drop 
and distil upon man abundantly." 
xxxviii. 37, " Who can number the 
clouds in wisdom, or who can stay the 
bottles of heaven ?" Comp. Gen. i. 7, 
vii. 2, viii. 2 ; 2 Kings vii. 2. To shut 
or close vp the heavens, therefore, is to 
restrain the rain from descending, or to 
produce a drought. Comp. Notes on 
James v. 17. That it rain not in the 
days of their prophecy. In the time 
when they prophesy. Probably the al- 
lusion here is to what is said of Elijah, 
1 Kings xvii. 1. This would properly 
refer to some miraculous power; but 
still it may be used to denote merely 
that they would be clothed with the 
power of causing blessings to be withheld 
from men, as if rain were withheld; 
that is, that in consequence of the cala- 
mities that would be brought upon them, 
and the persecutions which they would 
endure, God would bring judgments 
upon men as if they were clothed with 
this power. The language, therefore, it 
seems to me, does not necessarily imply 
that they would have the power of work- 
ing miracles, And have power over 
icaters to turn them to blood. The allu« 
sion here is doubtless to what occurred 
in Egypt, Ex. vii. 17. Comp. Notes on 
ch. viii. 8. This, too, would literally 
denote the power of working a miracle; 
but still it is not absolutely necessary to 
suppose that this is intended. Any thing 
that would be represented by turning 
waters into blood, would correspond with 
all that is necessarily implied in the lan- 
guage. If any great calamity should 
occur in consequence of what was done 
to then that would be properly repre- 
sented by turning the waters into blood 
so that they could not be used, and that 
was so connected with the treatment 
which they received as to appear to be 
a judgment of heaven on that account, 



310 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



7 And when they shall have 



or that would appear to have come upon 
the world in consequence of their impre- 
cations, it would be all that is necessa- 
rily implied in this language, And to 
smite the earth with all plagues. All 
kinds of plague or calamity; disease, 
pestilence, famine, flood, &g. The word 
plague — i:\r\yri — which means, properly, 
stroke, stripe, blow, would include any 
or all of these. The meaning here is, 
that great calamities would follow the 
manner in which they were treated, as 
if the power were lodged in their hands. 

As often as they will. So that it 
would seem that they could exercise 
this power as they pleased. 

7. And when they shall have finished 
their testimony. Prof. Stuart renders 
this, " And whenever they shall have 
finished their testimony." The reference 
is undoubtedly to a period when they 
should have faithfully borne the testi- 
mony which they were appointed to 
bear. The word here rendered " shall 
have finished" — rzXhiaai, from rekm — 
means properly to end, to finish, to com- 
plete, to accomplish. It is used, in this 
respect, in two senses — either in regard 
to time, or in regard to the end or object 
in view, in the sense of perfecting it, or 
accomplishing it. In the former sense 
it is employed in such passages as the 
following :— Rev. xx. 3, " Till the thou- 
sand years should be fulfilled Matt, 
x. 23, " Ye shall not have gone over the 
cities of Israel [Gr., ye shall not have 
finished the cities of Israel] till the Son 
of man be come;" that is, ye shall not 
have finished passing through them ; 
Matt. xi. 1, " When Jesus had made an 
end [Gr., finished] of commanding his 
twelve disciples;" 2 Tim. iv. 7, "I have 
finished my course,*" In these passages 
it clearly refers to time. In the other 
sense it is used in such places as the 
following : — Rom. ii. 27, " And shall not 
the uncircumcision which is by nature, 
if it fulfil the law ;" that is, if it accom- 
plish, or come up to the demands of the 
law ; James ii. 8, " If ye fulfil the royal 
law, according to the Scriptures." The 
word, then, may here refer not to time, 
meaning that these events would occur 
at the end of the ? thousand two hundred 
and threescore days/ but to the fact that 
what is here stated would occur when 



finished their testimony, the beast fl 



a c. 17. 18. 



they had completed their testimony in 
the sense of having testified all that 
they were appointed to testify ; that is, 
when they had borne full witness for 
God, and fully uttered his truth. Thus 
understood, the meaning here may be 
that the event here referred to would 
take place, not at the end of the 1260 
years, but at that period during the 
1260 years when it could be said with 
propriety that they had accomplished 
their testimony in the world, or that 
they had borne full and ample witness 
on the points entrusted to them. ^ The 
beast. This is the first time in the book 
of Revelation in which what is here called 
'the beast* is mentioned, and which 
has so important an agency in the events 
which it is said would occur. It is re- 
peatedly mentioned in the course of the 
book, and always with similar charac- 
teristics, and as referring to the same 
object. Here it is mentioned as ' ascend- 
ing out of the bottomless pit;' in ch. 
xiii. 1, as ( rising up out of the sea f m 
ch. xiii. 11, as i coming out of the earth/ 
It is also mentioned with characteristics 
appropriate to such an origin, in ch. 
xiii. 2, 3, 4 (twice), 11, 12 (twice), 14 
(twice), 15 (twice), 17, 18; xiv. 9, 11; 
xv. 2 ; xvi. 2, 10, 13 ; xvii. 3, 7, 8 (twice), 
11, 12, 13, 16, 17 ; xix. 19, 20 (twice) ; 
xx. 4, 10. The word here used — fypiov 
means properly a beast, a wild beast. 
Mark i. 13 ; Acts x. 12, xi. 6, xxviiL 4, 
5 ; Heb. xii. 20 ; James iii. 7; Rev. vi. 8. 
It is once used tropically of brutal or 
savage men, Titus i. 12. Elsewhere, in 
the passages above referred to in the 
Apocalypse, it is used symbolically. As 
employed in the book of Revelation, the 
characteristics of the { beast' are strongly 
marked, (a) It has its origin from be- 
neath — in the bottomless pit; the sea; 
the earth, ch. xi. 7, xiii. 1, 11. (b) It 
has great power, ch. xiii. 4, 12, xvii. 12, 
13. (c) It claims and receives worship, 
ch. xiii. 3, 12, 14, 15, xiv. 9, 11, (d) It 
has a certain ( seat* or throne from 
whence its power proceeds, ch. xvi. 10. 
(e) It is of scarlet color, ch. xvii. 3. 
(/) It receives power conferred upon it 
by the kings of the earth, ch. xvii. 13. 
(g) It has a mark by which it is known, 
ch. xiii. 17, xix. 20. (h) It has a cei 
tain *nu?nber;' that is, there are certain 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEK XI. 



311 



that ascendeth out of the bottom- 
less pit shall make ° war against 

a Da. 7. 21 ; Zee. 14. 2, &c. 



mystical letters or figures which so ex- 
press its name that it may be known, 
ch. xii. 17, 18. These things serve to 
characterize the ' beast' as distinguished 
from all other things, and they are so 
numerous and definite, that it would 
seem to have been intended to make it 
easy to understand what was meant 
when the power referred to should ap- 
pear. In regard to the origin of the 
imagery here, there can be no reason- 
able doubt that it is to be traced to 
Daniel, and that the writer here means 
to describe the same i beast' which 
Daniel refers to in ch. vii. 7. The evi- 
dence of this must be clear to any one 
who will compare the description in 
Daniel (ch. vii.), with the minute de- 
tails in the book of Revelation. No one, 
I think, can doubt that John means to 
carry forward tne description in Daniel, 
and to apply it to new manifestations of 
the same great and terrific power — the 
power of the fourth monarchy — on the 
earth. For full evidence that the repre- 
sentation in Daniel refers to the Roman 
power prolonged and perpetuated in the 
Papal dominion, I must refer the reader 
to the Notes on ch. vii. 25, of Daniel. It 
may be assumed here that the opinion 
there defended is correct, and conse- 
quently it may be assumed that the 
' beast' of this book refers to the Papal 
power. \ That ascendeth out of the bot- 
tomless pit. See Notes on ch. ix. 1. 
This would properly mean fnat its origin 
is the nether world; or that it will 
have characteristics which will show 
that it was from beneath. The meaning 
clearly is, that which was symbolized by 
the beast would have such characteristics 
as to show that it was not of divine 
origin, but had its source in the world 
of darkness, sin, and death. This of 
course could not represent the true 
church, or any civil government that is 
founded on principles which God ap- 
proves. But if it represent a community 
pretending to be a church, it is an apos- 
tate church ; if a civil community, it is 
a community the characteristics of which 
are that it is controlled by the Spirit 
that rules over the world beneath. Tor 
reasons which we shall see in abundance 



them, and shall overcome them, 
and kill them. 

8 And their dead bodies shall lie 



in applying the descriptions which ocour 
of the 4 beast/ I regard this as referring 
to that great apostate power which occu- 
pies so much of the prophetic descrip- 
tions — the Papacy, Shall make tear 
against them. Will endeavor to exter- 
minate them by force. This clearly is 
not intended to be a general statement 
that they would be persecuted, but to 
refer to the particular manner in which 
the opposition would be conducted. It 
would be in the form of ' war / that is, 
there would be an effort to destroy them 
by arms, *jj And shall overcome them. 
Shall gain the victory over them ; con- 
quer them — vatrjcu avrovg. That is, 
there will be some signal victory in 
which those represented by the two 
witnesses will be subdued, *fi And kill 
them. That is, an effect would be pro- 
duced as if they were put to death. 
They would be overcome; would be 
silenced; would be apparently dead. 
Any event that would cause them to 
cease to bear testimony, as if they were 
dead, would be properly represented by 
this. It would not be necessary to sup- 
pose that there would be literally death 
in the case, but that there would be some 
event which would be well- represented 
by death — such as an entire suspension 
of their prophesying in consequence of 
force. 

8. And their dead bodies shall lie in 
the street. Prof. Stuart, " shall be in the 
street." The words 'shall lie' are sup- 
plied by the translators, but not impro- 
perly. The literal rendering would be, 
'and their corpses upon the street of the 
great city ;' and the meaning is, that 
there would be a state of things in re- 
gard to them which would be well 
represented by supposing them to lie 
unburied. To leave a body unburied is 
to treat it with contempt, and among 
the ancients nothing was regarded as 
more dishonorable than such treatment. 
See the Ajax of Sophocles. Among the 
Jews also it was regarded as a special 
indignity to leave the dead unburied, 
and hence they are always represented 
as deeply solicitous to secure the inter- 
ment of their dead. See Gen. xxiii. 4> 
Comp. 2 Sam. xxi. 9-13; Eccl. vL S; 



312 REVELATION, f A. B. 96. 

in the street a of the great city, and Egypt, * where also our Lord 
which spiritually is called Sodom b was crucified. 

a He. 13. 12. b Is. 1. 10, c Ex. 20. 2. 



Isa. xiv. 18-20, xxii. 16, liii. 9. The 
meaning here is, that, for the time spe- 
cified, those who are here referred to 
would be treated with indignity and 
contempt. In the fulfilment of this, we 
are not, of course, to look for any literal 
accomplishment of what is here said, but 
for some treatment of the ' witnesses' 
Tfhieh would be well represented by this ; 
that is, which would show that they were 
treated, after they were silenced, like 
unburied corpses putrefying in the sun. 
% Of the great city. Where these trans- 
actions would occur. As a great city 
would be the agent in putting them to 
death, so the result would be as if they 
were publicly exposed in its streets. 
The word ' great' here supposes that the 
city referred to would be distinguished 
for its size — a circumstance of some im- 
portance in determining the place re- 
ferred to. Which spiritually is called 
— irvevfiariKios. This word occurs only 
in one other place in the New Testa- 
ment (1 Cor. ii. 14), "because they are 
spiritually discerned," where it means, 
'in accordance with the Holy Spirit,' or 
through the aid of the Holy Spirit.' 
Here it seems to be used in the sense of 
metaphorically , or allegorically, in con- 
tradistinction from the literal and real 
name. There may possibly be an inti- 
mation here that the city is so called by 
the Holy Spirit to designate its real 
character, but still the essential meaning 
is, that that was not its literal name. 
For some reason, the real name is not 
given to it, but such descriptions are 
applied as are designed to leave no doubt 
as to what is intended, Sodom. So- 
dom was distinguished for its wicked- 
ness, and especially lor that vice to 
which its abominations have given name. 
For the character of Sodom, see Gen. 
xvjii., xix. Comp. 2 Pet. ii. 6. In en- 
quiring what ' city' is here referred to, 
it would be necessary to find in it such 
abominations as characterized Sodom, 
or so much wickedness that it would be 
proper to call it Sodom. If it shall be 
/ound that this was designed to refer to 
Papal Rome, no one can doubt that the 
abominations which prevailed there, 
would justify such an appellation. 



Comp. Notes cn ch. ix. 20, 21. And 
Egypt. That is, it would have such a 
character that the name Egypt might be 
properly given to it. Egypt is known, 
in the Scriptures, as the land of oppres- 
sion — the land where the Israelites, the 
people of Gt)d, were held in cruel bond- 
age. Comp. Ex. i.-xv. See also Ezek. 
xxiii. 8. The particular idea, then, 
which seems to be conveyed here is, 
that the 'city' referred to would be cha- 
racterized by acts of oppression and 
wrong towards the people of God. So 
far as the language is concerned, it 
might apply either to Jerusalem or to 
Rome — for both were eminently charac- 
terized by such acts of oppression toward 
the true children of God as to make it 
proper to compare their cruelties with 
those which were inflicted on the Israel- 
ites by the Egyptians. Of whichever 
of these places the course of the exposi- 
tion may require us to understand this, 
it will be seen at once that the language 
is such as is strictly applicable to either; 
though, as the reference is rather to 
Christians than to the ancient people of 
God, it must be admitted that it would 
be most natural to refer it to Rome. 
More acts authorizing persecution, and 
designed to crush the true people of 
God, have gone forth from Rome than 
from any other city on the face of the 
earth ; and taking the history of the 
church together, there is no place that 
would be so properly designated by the 
term here employed, f Where also our 
Lord was crucified. If this refers to 
Jerusalem, it is to be taken literally; 
if to another city, it is to be understood 
as meaning that he was practically cru- 
cified there ; that is, that the treatment 
of his friends — his church — was such 
that it might be said that he was 4 cru- 
cified afresh' there ; for what is done to 
his church may be said to be done to 
him. Either of these interpretations 
would be justified by the use of the lan- 
guage. Thus in Heb. vi. 6, it is said of 
apostates from the true faith (comp. 
Notes on the passage), that ' they crucify 
to themselves the Son of God afresh/ 
If the passage before us is to be taken 
figuratively, the meaning is, that aotg 



A. D. 96.1 CHAPTEE XI. 



9 And they of the people, and 
kindreds, and tongues, and nations, 
shall see their dead bodies three 
days and an half, and shall not 



would be performed which might pro- 
perly be represented as crucifying the 
Son of God ; that, as he lives in his 
church, the acts of perverting his doc- 
trines, and persecuting his people, would 
be in facl- an act of crucifying the Lord 
again. Thus understood, the language 
is strictly applicable to Rome; that 
is, if it is admitted that John meant 
to characterize that city, he has em- 
ployed such language as a Jewish Chris- 
tian would naturally use. While, there- 
fore, it must be admitted that the language 
is such as could be literally applied only 
to Jerusalem, it is still true that it is 
such language as might be figuratively 
applied to any other city strongly resem- 
bling that, and that in this sense it 
would characterize Rome above all other 
cities of the world. The common read- 
ing of the text here is ' our Lord' — rjpwv : 
the text now regarded as correct, how- 
ever (Griesbach, Tittmann, Hahn), is 
'their Lord' — alrfiv. This makes no 
essential difference in the sense, except 
that it directs the attention more parti- 
cularly to the fact that they were treated 
like their own Master. 

9. And they of the people. Some of 
the people ; a part of the people. — sk tG>v 
Aawv. The language is such as would 
be employed to describe a scene where 
a considerable portion of a company of 
people should be referred to, without 
intending to include all. The essential 
idea is, that there would be an assem- 
blage of different classes of people to 
whom their carcases woulii be exposed, 
and that they would come and look upon 
them. We should expect to find the 
fulfilment of this in some place where, 
from any cause, a variety of people 
should be assembled — as in some capi- 
tal, or some commercial city, to which 
they would be naturally attracted. 
"*^[ Shall see their dead bodies. That is, 
a state of things will occur as if these 
witnesses were put to death, and their 
carcases were publicly exposed, Thi-ve 
days and an half. This might be either 
literally three days and a half, or, more 
in accordance with the usual «tyle of 



suffer their dead bodies to be put 
in graves. * 

10 And they that dwell upon the 
earth shall rejoice over them, and 

a Ps. 79. 3. 



this book, these would be prophetic 
days; that is, three years and a half. 
Comp. Notes on cb. ix. 5, 15. *f And 
shall not suffer their dead bodies to be 
put in graves. That is, there would be 
a course of conduct in regard to these 
witnesses such as would be shown to 
the dead if they were not suffered to 
be decently interred. The language 
used here — 'shall not suffer' — seems 
to imply that there would be those 
who might be disposed to show them 
the respect evinced by interring the 
dead, but that this would not be per- 
mitted. This would find a fulfilment, 
if, in a time of persecution, those who 
had borne faithful testimony were si- 
lenced and treated with dishonor, and 
if there should be those who were dis- 
posed to show them respect, but who 
would be prevented by positive acts oa 
the part of their persecutors. This has 
often been the case in persecution, and 
there could be no difficulty in finding 
numerous instances in the history of the 
church, to which this language would be 
applicable. 

10. And they that dwell upon the 
earth shall rejoice over them. Those 
dwelling in the land would rejoice over 
their fall and ruin. This cannot, of 
course, mean all who inhabit the globe, 
but, according to the usage in Scripture, 
those who dwell in the country where 
this would occur. Comp. Notes on Luke 
ii. 1. We now affix to the word ' earth* 
an idea which was not necessarily im- 
plied in the Hebrew word yitf — Iretz 

(comp. Ex. iii. 8, xiii. 5; Neh. ix. 22; 
Deut. xix. 2, 10, xxviii. 12; Joel i. 2; 
Ps. xxxvii. 9, 11, 22, 29, xliv. 4; Prov. 
ii. 21, x. 30), or the Greek word yfj — ge. 
Compare Matt. ii. 6, 20, 21, xiv. 15; 
Acts vii. 11, 36, 40, xiii. 17. Our word 
land, as now commonly understood, 
would better express the idea intended 
to be conveyed here, and thus under- 
stood the meaning is that the dwellers 
in the country where these things would 
happen would thus rejoice. The mean- 
ing is, that while alive they would, 



314 



REVELATION. 



[A. D. 96. 



make merry, and shall send gifts 
one to another ; because these two 
prophets tormented them that dwelt 
on the earth. 

11 And after three days and 
an half the Spirit * of life from 

a Eze. 37. 5-14. 



their faithful testimony against existing 
errors, excite so much hatred against 
themselves, and would be so great an 
annoyance to the governing powers, 
that there would be general exultation 
when the voice of their testimony should 
be silenced. This, too, has been so com- 
mon in the world that there would be 
no difficulty in applying the language 
here used, or in finding events which it 
would appropriately describe. ^ And 
make merry. Be glad. See Notes on 
Luke xii. 19, xv. 23. The Greek word 
does not necessarily denote the light- 
hearted mirth expressed by our word 
merriment, but rather joy, or happiness 
in general. The meaning is, that they 
would be filled with joy at such an 
event, And shall send gifts one to 
another. As expressive of their joy. To 
send presents is a natural expression of 
our own happiness, and our desire for the 
happiness of others — as is indicated now 
by * Christmas' and ' New-Year's gifts/ 
Comp. also Neh. viii. 10-12, " Then he 
said unto them, Go your way, eat the 
fat, and drink the sweet, and send por- 
tions unto them for whom nothing is 
prepared ; for this day is holy unto our 
Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy 
of the Lord is your strength." - See also 
Esther ix. 19-22. Because these two 
prophets tormented those that dwelt on 
the earth. They 'tormented' them, or 
were a source of annoyance to them, by 
bearing testimony to the truth ; by op- 
posing the prevailing errors ; and by 
rebuking the vices of the age ; — perhaps 
by demanding reformation, and by de- 
nouncing the judgment of heaven on the 
guilty. There is no intimation that they 
tormented them in any other way than 
by the truths which they held forth. 
See the word explained in the Notes on 
2 Pet. ii. 8. 

11. And after three days and an half. 
See Notes on ver. 9. ^ The spirit of 
life from God. The living, or life-giving 
spirit that proceeds from God, entered 



God entered into them, and they 
stood upon their feet, and great 
fear fell upon them which saw 
them. 

12 And uhey heard a great Tozee 
from heaven saying unto them, 
Gome up hither. And they as- 



into them. Comp. Notes on Job xxxiii. 
4. There is evidently allusion here to 
Gen. ii. 7, where God is spoken of as the 
Author of life. The meaning is, that 
they would seem to come to life again, 
or that effects would follow as if the 
dead were restored to life. If, when 
they had been compelled to cease from 
prophesying, they should, after the inter- 
val here denoted by three days and a 
half, again prophesy, or their testimony 
should be again borne to the truth as it 
had been before, this would evidently be 
all that would be implied in the lan- 
guage here employed, Entered into 
them. Seemed to animate them again. 
*H And they stood upon their feet. As if 
they had come to life again, ^ And 
great fear fell upon them that saw them. 
This would be true if those who were 
dead should be literally restored to life; 
and this would be the effect if those who 
had given great annoyance by their doc- 
trines, and who had been silenced, and 
who seemed to be dead, should again, as 
if animated anew by a divine power, 
begin to prophesy, or to proclaim their 
doctrines to the world. The statement 
in the symbol is, that those who had 
put them to death had been greatly 
troubled by these ' witnesses ;' that they 
had sought to silence them, and in order 
to this had put them to death ; that they 
then greatly rejoiced, as if they would no 
more be annoyed by them. The fact 
that they seemed to come to life 
again would, therefore, fill them with 
consternation, for they would anticipate 
a renewal of their troubles, and they 
would see in this fact evidence of the 
divine favor towards those whom they 
persecuted, and reason to apprehend 
divine vengeance on themselves. 

12. And they heard a great voice from 
heaven. Some manuscripts read " I 
heard' — jjKovaa — but the more approved 
reading is that of the common text. 
John says that a voice was addressed to 
them calling them to ascend to heaven 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



315 



eended up to heaven in a cloud ; a 
and their enemies h beheld them. 

13 And the same hour was there 
a great earthquake, and the tenth 
part of the city fell, and in the 

a lTh.4. 17. " b Mai. 3.18. 



% Come up hither. To heaven, % And 
they ascended up to heaven in a cloud. 
So the Saviour ascended, Acts i. 9, and 
so probably Elijah, 2 Kings ii. 11. % And 
their enemies beheld them. That is, it 
was done openly, so that their enemies, 
who had put them to death, saw that 
they were approved of God, as if they 
had been publicly takeu up to heaven. 
It is not necessary to suppose that this 
would literally occur. All this is, mani- 
festly, mere symbol. The meaning is, 
that they would triumph as if they 
should ascend to heaven, and be receiv- 
ed into the presence of God. The sense 
of the whole is, that these witnesses, after 
bearing a faithful testimony against 
prevailing errors and sins, would be 
persecuted and silenced; that for a con- 
siderable period their voice of faithful 
testimony would be hushed as if they 
were dead; that during that period they 
would be treated with contempt and 
scorn, as if their unburied bodies should 
be exposed to the public gaze; that there 
would be general exultation and joy that 
they were thus silenced ; that they would 
again revive, as if the dead were re- 
stored to life, and bear a faithful testi- 
mony to the truth again, and that they 
would have the divine attestation in their 
favor, as if they were raised up visibly 
and publicly to heaven. 

13. And the same hour. In immediate 
connexion with their triumph, Was 
there a great earthquake. An earth- 
quake is a symbol of commotion, agita- 
tion, change ; of great political revolu- 
tions, &c. See Notes on ch. vi. 12. The 
meaning here is, that the triumph of the 
witnesses, represented by their ascend- 
ing to heaven, would be followed by such 
revolutions as would be properly sym- 
bolized by an earthquake, And the 
ten-.h part of the city fell. That is, the 
tenth part of that which is represented 
by the ' city* — the persecuting power. 
A city would be the seat and centre of 
the power, and the acts of persecution 
would seem to proceed from it ; but the 
destruction, we may suppose, would ex- 



earthquake were slain d of men 
seven thousand : and the remnant 
were affrighted, and gave e glory to 
the God of heaven. 

c c. 16. 19. d Names of men. 

e Is. 26. 15, 16; c. 14. 17. 



tend to all that was represented by the 
persecuting power. The word ' tenth' is 
probably used in a general sense to de- 
note that a considerable portion of the 
persecuting power would be thus in- 
volved in ruin; that is, that in respect 
to that power, there would be such a 
revolution — such a convulsion or com- 
motion — such a loss, that it would be 
proper to represent it by an earthquake. 

And in the earthquake. In the con- 
vulsions consequent on what would occui 
to the witnesses, Were slain of 
men seven thousand. Marg., as in the 
Greek, ' names of men' — the name being 
used to denote the men themselves. The 
number here mentioned — seven thou- 
sand — seems to have been suggested 
because it would bear some proportion 
to the tenth part of the city which fell. 
It is not necessary to suppose, in seek- 
ing for the fulfilment of this, that just 
seven thousand would be killed, but the 
idea clearly is, that there would be such 
a diminution of numbers as would be 
well represented by a calamity that 
would overwhelm a tenth part of tho 
city, such as the apostle had in his eye, 
and a proportional number of the inha- 
bitants. The number that would bo 
slain, therefore, in the convulsions and 
changes consequent on the treatment of 
the witnesses, might be numerically 
much larger than seven thousand, and 
might be as great as if a tenth part oi 
all that were represented by the 'city 
should be swept away, And the rem- 
nant were affrighted. Fear and alarm 
came on them in consequence of these 
calamities. The 'remnant' here refers 
to those who still remained in the ' city; 1 
that is, to those who belonged to the 
community or people designed to be re- 
presented here by the city, f And gave 
glory to the God of heaven. Comp. Luke 
v. 26 : — " And they were all amazed, and 
they glorified God, and were filled with 
fear, saying, "We have seen strange 
things to-day." All that seems to be 
meant by this, is, that they stood in awe 
at what God was doing, and acknow* 



316 



REVELATION. 



[A.D.96. 



14 The second a woe is past; 

a c. 8. 13. 



ledged his power in the changes that 
occurred. It does not mean, necessarily, 
that they would repent and become 
truly his friends, but that there would 
be a prevailing impression that these 
changes were produced by his power, 
and that his hand was in these things. 
This would be fulfilled if there should 
be a general willingness among man- 
kind to acknowledge God, or to recog- 
nize his hand in the events referred to ; 
if there should be a disposition exten- 
sively prevailing to regard the 1 wit- 
nesses' as on the side of God, and to 
favor their cause as one of truth and 
righteousness; and if these convulsions 
should so far change public sentiment 
as to produce an impression that theirs 
was the cause of God. 

14. The second woe is past. That is, 
the second of the three that were an- 
nounced as yet to come, ch. viii. 13; 
Comp. ch. ix. 12. *J And, behold, the 
third xooe cometh quickly. The last of 
the series. The meaning is, that that 
which was signified by the third 'woe' 
would be the next, and final event, in 
order. On the meaning of the word 
* quickly,' see Notes on ch. i. 1 ; comp. 
ch. ii. 5, 16, iii. 11, xxii. 7, 12, 20. 

In reference now to the important 
question about the application of this 
portion of the book of Revelation, it 
need hardly be said that the greatest 
variety of opinion has prevailed among 
expositors. It wonld be equally un- 
profitable, humiliating, and discourag- 
ing, to attempt to enumerate all the 
opinions which have been held, and I 
must refer the reader who has any 
desire to become acquainted with them, 
to Pool's Synopsis, in loc, and to the 
copious statement of Prof. Stuart, Com., 
vol. ii. pp. 219-227. Prof. Stuart him- 
self supposes that the meaning is. that 
" a competent number of divinely com- 
missioned and faithful Christian wit- 
nesses, endowed with miraculous powers, 
should bear testimony against the cor- 
rupt Jews, during the last days of their 
commonwealth, respecting their sins ; 
that they should proclaim the truths of the 
gospel ; and that the Jews, by destroying 
<;hem, would bring upon themselves an 
aggravated and an awful doom." ii. 226. 



and. behold, the third woe cometh 
quickly. 

Instead of attempting to examine in 
detail the opinions which have been held, 
I shall rather state what seem3 to me to 
be the fair application of the language 
used, in accordance with the principles 
pursued thus far in the exposition. The 
enquiry is, whether there have been any 
events to which this language is ap- 
plicable, or in reference to which, if it 
be admitted that it was the design of 
the Spirit of inspiration to describe 
them, it may be supposed that such 
language would be employed as we find 
here. 

In this enquiry, it may be assumed 
that the preceding exposition is correct, 
and the application now to be made must 
accord with that ; that is, it must be found 
that events occurred in such times and 
circumstances as would be consistent 
with the supposition that that exposition 
is correct. It is to be assumed, there- 
fore, that ch. ix. 20, 21, refers to the 
state of the ecclesiastical world after the 
conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, 
and previous to the Reformation ; that 
ch. x. refers to the Reformation itself; 
that ch. xi. 1, 2, refers to the necessity, 
at the time of the Reformation, of ascer* 
taining what was the true church, oi 
reviving the Scripture doctrine respect- 
ing the atonement and justification, and 
of drawing correct lines as to member- 
ship in the church. All this has refer- 
ence, according to this interpretation, to 
the state of the church while the Papacy 
would have the ascendency, or during 
the twelve hundred and sixty years in 
which it would trample down the church 
as if the holy city were in the hands of 
the Gentiles. Assuming this to be the 
correct exposition, then what is here' 
said (vs. 3-13), must relate to that pe- 
riod, for it is with reference to that same 
time — the period of 'a thousand two 
hundred and threescore days' — or twelve 
hundred and sixty years, that it is said 
(ver. 3) the witnesses would 'prophesy' 
— ' clothed in sackcloth/ If this be so, 
then what is here stated (vs. 3-13) must 
be supposed to occur during the ascen- 
dency of the Papacy, and must mean, in 
general, that during that long period of 
apostasy, darkness, corruption, and sin, 
there would be faithful witnesses for th« 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XI. 



317 



truth, who, though they were few in 
number, would be sufficient to keep up 
the knowledge of the truth on the earth, 
and to bear testimony against the pre- 
vailing errors and abominations. The 
object of this portion of the book, there- 
fore, is to describe the character of the 
faithful witnesses for the truth during 
this long period of darkness; to state 
their influence ; to record their trials ; 
and to show what would be the ultimate 
result in regard to them, when their 
'testimony' should become triumphant. 
This general view will be seen to accord 
with the exposition of the previous por- 
tion of the book, and will be sustained, 
I trust, by the more particular enquiry 
into the application of the passage to 
which I now proceed. The essential 
points in the passage (vs. 3-13) respect- 
ing the ' witnesses/ are six: — I. who 
are meant by the witnesses ; II. the war 
made on them ; III. their death ; IV. 
their resurrection ; V. their reception 
into heaven; and VI. the consequences 
of their triumph in the calamity that 
came tfpon the city. 

I. Who are meant by the witnesses, 
vs. 3-6. There are several specifications 
in regard to this point, which it is neces- 
sary to notice, (a) The fact that, during 
this long period of error, corruption, and 
sin, there were those who were faithful 
witnesses for the truth — men who op- 
posed the prevailing errors ; who main- 
tained the great doctrines of the Chris- 
tian faith ; and who were ready to lay 
down their lives in defence of the truth. 
For a full confirmation of this, it would 
be necessary to trace the history of the 
church down from the rise of the Papal 
power through the long lapse of the sub- 
sequent ages ; but such an examination 
would be far too extensive for the purpose 
contemplated in these Notes, and, indeed, 
would require a volume by itself. Hap- 
pily, this has already been done; and 
all that is necessary now is to refer to 
the works where the fact here affirmed 
has been abundantly established. In 
any of the histories of the church — Mo- 
sheim 5 Neander, Milner, Milman, Giese- 
ler — most ample proof may be found 
that amidst the general darkness and 
corruption, there were those who faith- 
fully adhered to the truth as it is in 
Jesus, and who, amidst many sufferings, 
bore their testimony against prevailing 
errors. The investigation has been 
27* 



made, also, with special reference to an 
illustration of this passage, by Mr. 
Elliott, Horae Apoca. vol. ii. pp. 193- 
406; and although it must be admitted 
that some of the details are of doubtful 
applicability, yet the main fact is abun- 
dantly established, that during that long 
period there were 'witnesses' for the 
pure truths of the gospel, and a faithful 
testimony borne against the abomina- 
tions and errors of the Papacy. These 
'witnesses' are divided by Mr. Elliott 
into (1) the earlier Western witnesses — 
embracing such men, and their follow- 
ers, as Serenus, Bishop of Marseilles; 
the Anglo-Saxon church in England;* 
Agobard, Archbishop of Lyons from 
A. D. 810 to 841, on the one side of the 
Alps, and Claude of Turin, on the other ; 
Gotteschaleus, A. D. 884; Berenger, 
Arnold of Brescia, Peter de Bruys, and 
his disciple Henry, and then the Wal- 
denses. (2) The Eastern, or Paulikian 
line of witnesses, a sect deriving their 
origin, about A. D. 653, from an Arme- 
nian by the name of Constantine, who 
received from a deacon, by whom he was 
hospitably entertained, a present of two 
volumes, very rare, one containing the 
gospels, and the other the epistles of 
Paul, and who applied himself to the 
formation of a new sect or church, dis- 
tinct from the Manichaens, and from the 
Greek church. In token of the nature 
of their profession, they adopted the 
name by which they were ever after dis- 
tinguished, Paulikiani, Paulicians, or 
' disciples of the disciple of Paul.' This 
sect continued to bear 'testimony' in the 
East from the time of its rise till the 
eleventh or twelfth centuries, when it 
commenced a migration to the West, 
where it bore the same honorable char- 
acter for its attachment to the truth. 
See Elliott, ii. 233-246, 275-315. (3) 
Witnesses during the eleventh and twelfth 
centuries, up to the time of Peter Waldo. 
Among these are to be noticed those who 
were arraigned for heresy before the 
councils of Orleans, Arras, Thoulouse, 
Oxford, and Lombers, in the years 1022, 
1025, 1119, 1160, 1165, respectively, and 
who were condemned by those councils 



* "An old Welsh Chronicle preserved at Cambridge, 
says, £ After that by means of Austin the Saxons be- 
came Christians, in such sort as Austin had taught th ?in, 
the Britons would not either eat or drink with or sa ute 
them; because they corrupted wii superstition, im 
ages, and idolatry, the true religion of Christ.' " I ,ited 
in Hearn's Man of Sin, p. 21. Elliott, ii. 217. 



318 



REVELATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



for their departure from the doctrines 
held by the Papacy. For a- full illus- 
tration of the doctrines held by those 
who were thus condemned, and of the 
fact that they were ' witnesses' for the 
truth, see Elliott, ii. 247-275. (d) The 
Waldenses and Albigenses. The nature 
of the testimony borne by these perse- 
cuted people is so well known that it is 
not necessary to dwell on the subject; 
and a full statement of their testimony 
would require the entire transcription 
of their history. No Protestant will 
doubt that they were 'witnesses' for the 
truth, or that from the time of their rise, 
through all the periods of their persecu- 
tion, they bore full and honorable testi- 
mony to the truth as it is in Jesus. The 
general ground of this claim to be re- 
garded as Apocalyptic witnesses, will be 
seen from the following summary state- 
ments of their doctrines. Those state- 
ments are found in a work called " The 
Noble Lesson," written within some 
twenty years of 1170. The Treatise be- 
gins in this manner : " brethren, hear 
a Noble Lesson. Vfe ought always to 
watch and pray/' &e. In this Treatise 
the following doctrines are drawn out, 
says Mr. Elliott, " with much simplicity 
and beauty : — the origin of sin in the 
fall of Adam: its transmission to all 
men, and the offered redemption from it 
through the death of Jesus Christ; the 
union and co-operation of the three 
persons of the blessed Trinity in man's 
salvation ; the obligation and spirituality 
of the moral law under the gospel ; the 
duties of prayer, watchfulness, self-de- 
nial, unworldliness, humility, lore, as 
'the way of Jesus Christ;' their enforce- 
ment by the prospeet of death and judg- 
ment, and the world's near ending ; by 
the narrowness too of the way of life, 
and the fewness of those who find it; as 
also by the hope of coming glory at the 
judgment and revelation of Jesus Christ. 
Besides which we find in it a protest 
against the Romish system generally, as 
one of soul-destroying idolatry ; against 
masses for the dead, and therein against 
the whole doctrine of purgatory; against 
the system of the confessional, and 
asserted power of the priesthood to 
absolve from sin ; this last point being 
insisted on as the most deadly pomt of 
heresy, and its origin referred to the 
mercenariness of the priesthood, and 
thdr love of money; — the iniquity fur- 



ther noticed of the Romish persecutions 
of good men and teachers that wished 
to teach the way of Jesus Christ ; and 
the suspicion half-hinted, and apparently 
half- formed, that, though a personal 
Antichrist might be expected, yet Po- 
pery itself might be one form of Anti- 
christ." In another work, the " Treatise 
of Antichrist," there is a strong and 
decided identification of the Antichris- 
tian system and the Papacy. This was 
written probably in the last quarter of 
the 14th century. "From this," says 
Mr. Elliott (ii. 355), " the following will 
appear to have been the Waldensian 
views : — that the Papal or Romish sys- 
tem was that of Antichrist; which, from 
infancy in apostolic times, had grown 
gradually by the increase of its constitu- 
ent parts to the stature of a full-grown 
man ; that its prominent characteristics 
were — to defraud God of the worship 
due to Him, rendering it to creatures, 
whether departed saints, relics, images, 
or Antichrist; to defraud Christ, by 
attributing justification and forgiveness 
to Antichrist's authority and words, to 
saints' intercession, to the merits of 
men's own performances, and to the fire 
of purgatory; — to defraud the Holy 
Spirit, by attributing regeneration and 
sanctification to the opus operation of 
the two sacraments ; that the origin of 
this Anti-christian religion was the co- 
vetousness of the priesthood; its ten- 
dency to lead men away from Christ ; 
its essence a vain ceremonial; its foun- 
dation the false notions of grace and 
forgiveness." 

This work is so important as a ' testi- 
mony' against Antichrist and for the 
truth, and is so clear as showing that 
the Papacy was regarded as Antichrist, 
that I will copy, from the work itself, 
the portion containing these sentiments 
— sentiments which may be regarded as 
expressing the uniform testimony of the 
Waldenses on the subject: 

" Antichrist is the falsehood of eternal 
damnation, covered with the appearance 
of the truth and righteousness of Christ 
and his spouse. The iniquity of such a 
system is with all his ministers, great and 
small: — and inasmuch as they follow 
the law of an evil and blinded heart, 
such a congregation, taken together, is 
called Antichrist, or Babylon, oi the 
Fourth Beast, or the Harlot, or the Man 
of Sin, who is the son of perdition. 



4. D. 95.1 



CHAPTER XI. 



319 



M His first work is, that the service of 
latria, properly due to God alone,, he 
perverts unto Antichrist himself and to 
his doings ; to the poor creature, rational 
or irrational, sensible or insensible ; as, 
for instance, to male or female saints 
departed this life, and to their images, 
or carcasses, or relics. His doings are 
the sacraments, especially that of the 
eucharist, which he worships equally 
with God and Christ, prohibiting the 
■adoration of God alone. 

M His second work is, that he robs and 
deprives Christ of the merits of Christ, 
with the whole sufficiency of grace, and 
justification, and regeneration, and re- 
mission of sins, and sanctification, and 
confirmation, and Spiritual nourishment ; 
and imputes and attributes them to his 
own authority, or to a form of words, or 
to his own performances, or to the saints 
and their intercession, or to the fire of 
purgatory. Thus he divides the people 
from Christ, and leads them away to the 
things already mentioned; that so they 
may seek not the things of Christ, nor 
through Christ, but only the work of 
their own hands ; not through a living 
faith in God, and Jesus Christ, and the 
Holy Spirit; but through the will and 
the work of Antichrist, agreeably to the 
preaching that man's salvation depends 
on his own deeds. 

" His third work is, that he attributes 
the regeneration of the Soly Spirit to a 
dead outward faith ; baptizing children 
in that faith, and teaching that by the 
mere outward consecration of baptism 
regeneration may be procured. 

u His fourth work is, that he rests the 
whole religion of the people upon his 
Mass ; for leading them to hear it, he 
deprives them of spiritual and sacra- 
mental manducation. 

" His fifth work is, that he does every 
thing to be seen, and to glut his insa- 
tiable avarice. 

u His sixth work is, that he allows 
manifest sins without ecclesiastical cen- 
sure. 

" His seventh work is, that he defends 
his unity, not by the Holy Spirit, but by 
the secular power. 

" His eighth work is, that he hates, 
and persecutes, and searches after, and 
robs and destroys the members of 
Christ, 

f* These things, and many others, are 
the cloak and vestment of Antichrist ; 



by which he covers his lying wicked- 
ness, lest he should be rejected as a 
heathen. But there is no other cause of 
idolatry than a false opinion of grace, 
and truth, and authority, and invoca- 
tion, and intercession ; which this Anti- 
christ has taken away from God, and 
which he has ascribed to ceremonies, 
and authorities, and a man's own works, 
and to saints, and to purgatory.' 
Elliott, ii. 354—355. 

It is impossible not to be struck with 
the application of this to the Papacy, 
and no one can doubt that the Papacy 
was intended to be referred to. And, 
if this be so, this was a bold and decided 
1 'testimony ' against the abominations of 
that system, and they who bore this 
testimony deserved to be regarded as 
1 witnesses' for Christ and his truth. 

If to the 1 testimony' thus briefly re- 
ferred to, we add that of such men as 
Vv'iclif, John Huss, and Jerome of 
Prague; and then that of the Re- 
formers, Luther. Calvin, Zuingle. Me- 
lancthon, and their fellow-laborers, we 
can see with what propriety it was pre- 
dicted that even during the prevalence 
of the great apostasy, there would be a 
competent number of ' witnesses' to keep 
up the knowledge of the truth in the 
world. And supposing that this is what 
was designed to be represented, it is 
easy to perceive that the symbol which 
is employed is admirably appropriate. 
The design of what is here said is merely 
to show that during the whole of the 
period of the Papal apostasy — whenever 
it may be supposed to have begun, and 
whenever it shall cease, it is and will be 
true that the Saviour has had true 
' witnesses' on the earth — that there 
have been those who have ' testified' 
against these abominations, and who, 
often at great personal peril and sacri- 
fice, have borne a faithful testimonv for 
the truth. 

(6) The number of the witnesses. In 
ver. 3, this is said to be 'two,' and this 
has been shown to mean that there 
would be a competent number, yet pro- 
bably with the implied idea that the 
number would not be large. The only 
question, then, is, whether in looking 
through this long period, it would be 
found that, according to the established 
laws of testimony under the divine code, 
there was a competent number to bear 
witness to the truth. And of this no 



320 



REVELATION, 



LA. D. 9a 



one can doubt, for in respect to each 
and every part of the period of the great 
apostasy, it is possible now to show that 
there was a sufficient number of the true 
friends of the Redeemer to testify against 
all the great and cardinal errors of the 
Papacy. This simple and obvious inter- 
pretation of the language, it may be 
added, also, makes wholly unnecessary 
and inappropriate all the efforts which 
have been made by expositors to find 
precisely two such witnesses, or tivo 
churches or people with whom the line 
of the faithful testimony was preserved : 
— all such interpretations as that the 
Old and New Testaments are referred to, 
as Melchior, Affelman, and Croly sup- 
pose ; or that preachers are referred to 
who are instructed by the Law and the 
Gospel, as Pannonius and Thomas 
Aquinas supposed; or that Christ and 
John the Baptist are referred to, as 
Ubertinus supposed : or that Pope Syl- 
vester and Mena, who wrote against the 
Eutychians, are meant, as Lyranus and 
Ederus supposed ; or that Francis and 
Dominic, the respective heads of two 
orders of monks, arc intended, as Cor- 
nelius a Lapide supposed; or that the 
great wisdoin and sanctity of the primi- 
tive preachers are meant, as Alcassar 
maintained ; or that John Huss and 
Luther, or John liuss and Jerome of 
Prague, or the AValdenses and Albi- 
genses, or the Jewish and Gentile 
Christians in iElia, are intended, as 
others have supposed. According to the 
obvious and fair meaning of the lan- 
guage, all this is mere fancy, and can 
illustrate nothing but the fertility of in- 
vention of those who have written on 
the Apocalypse. All that is necessarily 
implied is, that the number of true and 
uncorrupted followers of the Saviour has 
been at all times sufficiently large to bear 
a competent testimony to the world, or to 
keep up the remembrance of the truth 
upon the earth — and of the reality of this 
no one acquainted with the history of 
the church will doubt 

(c) The condition of tl/e 1 witnesses' as 
'clothed in sackcloth/ ver. 3. This has 
been shown to mean that they would be 
in a state of sadness and grief; and they 
would be exposed to trouble and persecu- 
tion. It is unnecessary to prove that all 
this was abundantly fulfilled. The long 
history of those times was a history of 
persecutions ; and if it be admitted that 



the pasage before us was designed to 
refer to those above mentioned as 4 wit- 
nesses/ no more correct description 
could be given of them than to say that 
they were ' clothed in sackcloth.' 

(d) The power of the witnesses, vs. 
5-6. Of this there are several specifi- 
cations, (a) They had power over those 
who should injure or hurt them, ver. 5. 
This is represented by ' fire proceeding 
ouj, of their mouth, and devouring their 
enemies/ This has been shown to refer 
to the doctrines which they would pro- 
claim, and the denunciations which they 
would utter, and which would resemble 
consuming fire. This would be accom- 
plished or fulfilled if their solemn testi- 
mony — their proclamations of truth — 
and their denunciations of the wrath of 
God should have the effect ultimately to 
bring down the divine vengeance on 
their persecutors. And no one can doubt 
that this has had an ample fulfilment. 
That is, the effect of the testimony 
borne ; of the solemn appeals made ; of 
the denunciations of the judgment of 
heaven, has been to show that that 
great persecuting power that oppressed 
them is arrayed against God, and must 
be finally overthrown. In order to 
see the complete fulfilment of this, it 
would be necessary to trace all the effect 
of the testimony of the witnesses for the 
truth from a°re to age on that power, 
and to see how far it has been among 
the causes of the ultimate and final 
overthrow of the Papacy. Of course, it 
may be said that in an important sense 
it is all to be traced to that, since if they 
had forborne to bear that testimony, and 
to protest against those corruptions and 
abominations, that colossal power would 
have stood unshaken. But the solemn 
appeals made from age to age by the 
friends of truth, amidst much persecu- 
tion, have contributed to weaken that 
power, and to prepare the world for its 
ultimate fall — as if fire from heaven fell 
upon it. The causes of the decline of 
the Papal power were, therefore, laid 
far back in the solemn truths urged by 
those persecuted * witnesses/ and the 
calamities which have ravaged Europe 
for these three hundred years, and the 
changes now occurring which make it so 
certain that this mighty power hastens 
to its fall, may all be the regular results 
of the ' testimony ' for the truths, of a 
pure gospel borne long ago by the mea 



A. D. 96.J 



(TH APT 



E R XI. 



321 



that dwelt amidst the Alps, and their 
fellow-sufferers in persecution, (b) They 
* have power to shut heaven, that it rain 
not in the days of their prophecy/ ver. 6. 
This has been shown to mean that they 
would have power to cause blessings to 
be withheld from men as if the rain 
were withheld. The reference here is 
probably to the Spiritual heavens, and 
to that of which rain is the natural 
emblem — the influences of truth, and the 
* influences of the divine Spirit on the 
world. So Moses says in Deut. xxxii. 2, 
" My doctrine shall drop as the rain, 
and my speech shall distil as the dew, 
as the small rain upon the tender herb, 
and as the showers upen the grass." 
So the Psalmist (Ps. lxxii. 6), "He shall 
come down like rain upon the mown 
grass ; as showers that water the earth." 
So Isa. (lv. 10, 11), "For as the rain 
cometh down, and the snow from heaven, 
so shall my word be." Comp. Micah v. 7. 
The meaning here, then, must be, that 
Spiritual influences would seem to be 
under their control ; or that they would 
be imparted at their bidding, and with- 
held at their will. This found an ample 
fulfilment in the history of the church in 
those dark periods, in the fact that it 
was, in connexion with these 1 witnesses/ 
and in answer to their prayers, that the 
influences of the Holy Spirit were im- 
parted to the world, and that the true 
religion was kept up on the earth. " It 
is an historical fact," says the author of 
< The Seventh Vial' (p. 130), "that during 
the ages of their ministry, there was 
neither dew nor rain of a Spiritual kind 
upon the earth, but at the word of the 
witnesses. There was no knowledge of 
salvation but by their preaching — no 
descent of the Spirit but in answer to 
their prayers ; and, as the witnesses were 
thut out from Christendom generally, a 
universal famine ensued." (c) They had 
power over the waters to turn them to 
blood, and to smite the earth with all 
plagues, ver. 6. That is, as explained 
above, calamities would c^me upon the 
earth as if the waters were turned into 
blood, and this would be so connected 
with them, and with the treatment which 
they would receive, that these calamities 
would seem to have been called down 
from heaven in answer to their prayers, 
and in order to avenge their wrongs. 
And can any one be ignorant that wars, 
commotions, troubles, disasters have fol- 



lowed the attempts to destroy those who 
have borne a faithful testimony for 
Christ, in the dark period of the world 
here referred to ? The calamities that 
have befallen the Papal communion, from 
time to time, may have been, and seem 
to have been, to a great degree, the con- 
sequence of its persecuting spirit, and of 
its attempts to quench the light of truth. 
When the oppressed and persecuted 
nations of Europe had borne it long, and 
when attempts had long been made to 
extinguish every spark of true liberty, 
the spirit of freedom and revenge was 
roused. The yoke was broken ; and in 
the wars that ensued rivers of blood 
flowed upon the earth, as if these ' wit- 
nesses' or martyrs had, by their own 
power and prayers, brought these cala 
mities upon their oppressors. A philo- 
sophic historian carefully studying hu- 
man nature, and the essential spirit of 
Christianity, might find in these facts 
a sufficient explanation of all the cala- 
mities that have come upon that once 
colossal power — the Papacy, and a full 
demonstration that, under the operation 
of these causes, that power must ulti- 
mately fall — as if in revenge called down 
from heaven by the martyrs for the 
wrongs done to them who had borne a 
faithful testimony to the truth. 

II. The war against the witnesses, 
ver. 7. There are several circumstances 
stated in regard to this which demand 
explanation in order to a full under- 
standing of the prophecy. Those cir- 
cumstances relate to the time when this 
would occur; to the government by 
which this war would be waged; and tc 
the victory. 

(a) The time when the war referred 
to would be waged. The whole nar- 
rative (comp. vs. 3, 5), supposes thai 
opposition would be made to them at all 
times, and that their condition would 
be such that they could properly be re- 
presented as always clothed in sack- 
cloth ; but it is evident that a particular 
period is here referred to, when there 
would be such a war waged with them 
that they would be for a time overcome,, 
and would seem to be dead. This time 
is referred to by the phrase ' when thej 
shall have finished their testimony' 
(ver. 7); and it is to the period when 
this could be properly said of them, 
that we are to look for the fulfilment of 
what is here predicted. This must mean 



322 



REVEL 



AT 1 N, 



[A. D. 95. 



when they should have borne, full or 
ample testimony ; that is, when they had 
borne their testimony on all the great 
points on which they were appointed to 
bear witness. See Notes on ver. 7. This, 
then, must not be understood as refer- 
ring to the time of the completion of the 
twelve hundred and sixty years, but to 
any time during that period when it 
could be said that they had borne a full 
and ample testimony for the truths of 
the gospel, and against the abominations 
and errors that prevailed. In* this gene- 
ral expression there is not, indeed, any 
thing that would accurately designate 
the time, but no one can doubt that this 
had been done at the time of the Reforma- 
tion. In the preceding remarks it has 
been shown that there was a succession 
of faithful witnesses for the truth in the 
darkest periods of the church, and that 
to all the great points pertaining to the 
system of religion revealed in the gos- 
pel, as well as against the errors that 
prevailed, they had borne an unam- 
biguous testimony. There is no impro- 
priety, therefore, in fixing this period at 
about the time of the Reformation, for 
all that is necessarily implied in the lan- 
guage is fulfilled on such a supposition. 
Faithful testimony had been borne 
during the long period of the Papal cor- 
ruptions, until it could be said that their 
peculiar work had been accomplished. 
The earlier witnesses for the truth ,• the 
Paulicians, the Waldenses, the Vaudois, 
and other bodies of true Christians, 
had borne an open testimony, from 
the beginning, against the various cor- 
ruptions of Rome — her errors in doc- 
trine, her idolatries in worship, and 
her immoralities, until in the end of 
the twelfth century — the same cen- 
tury in which, according to Mr. Gibbon, 
the meridian of Papal greatness was 
attained — they proclaimed her, as we 
have seen, to be the Antichrist of Scrip- 
ture — the harlot of the Apocalypse. 
Thus did they fulfil their testimony; 
and then was the war waged against 
them, with all the power of apostate 
Rome, to silence and to destroy them. 
This war was commenced in the edicts 
of councils, which stigmatized the pure 
doctrines of the Bible, and branded 
those who held them as heretics. The 
next step was to pronounce the most 
dreadful anathemas on those who were 
regarded as heretics, which were exe- 



cuted in the same remorseless and ex- 
terminating manner in which they were 
conceived. The confessors of the truth 
were denied both their natural and their 
civil rights. They were forbidden all 
participation in dignities and offices; 
their goods were confiscated, their houses 
were to be razed and never more to be 
rebuilt; and their lands were given to 
those who were able to seize them. 
They were shut out from the solace of 
human converse ; no one might give • 
them shelter while living, or Christian 
burial when dead. At length a crusade 
was proclaimed against them. Preachers 
were sent abroad through Europe to 
sound the trumpet of vengeance, and to 
assemble the nations. The Pope wrote 
to all Christian princes, exhorting them 
to earn their pardon and win heaven, 
rather by bearing the cross against 
heretics than by marching against the 
Saracens. The war, in particular, which 
was waged against the Waldenses, is 
well known, and the horror of its de- 
tails is among the darkest pages of 
history. The peaceful and fertile val- 
leys of the Vaudois were invaded, 
and speedily devastated with fire and 
sword; their towns and villages were 
burnt ; while not one individual, in 
many cases, escaped to carry the tidings 
to the next valley. To all the cru- 
elties of these wars, and to all the 
open persecutions which were waged, 
are to be added the horrors of the 
Inquisition, as an illustration of the 
fact that i wars' would be made against 
the true witnesses for Christ. Calcula- 
tions, more or less accurate, have been 
made of the numbers that Popery has 
slain ; and the lowest of those calcula- 
tions would confirm what is said here, 
on the supposition that the reference is 
to the Papal power. From the year 
1540 to the year 157C, comprehending a 
space of only thirty years, no fewer than 
nine hundred thousand Protestants were 
put to death by the Papists, in different 
countries of Europe. During the short 
Pontificate of Paul the Fourth, which 
lasted only four years (A. I). 1555-1559), 
the Inquisition alone, on the testimony 
of Vergerius, destroyed an hundred and 
fifty thousand. When he died, the in- 
dignant populace of Rome crowded to 
the prison of the Inquisition, broke open 
the doors, and released seventeen hun- 
dred prisoners, and then set fire to the 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEK XI. 



323 



building. Bowers' History of the Popes, 
hi. 319. Ed. 1845. Those who perished 
in Germany during the wars of Charles 
the Fifth, and in Flanders, under the 
infamous Duke of Alva, are reckoned by 
hundreds of thousands. In France seve- 
ral millions were destroyed in the innu- 
merable massacres that took place in 
that kingdom. It has been computed 
that since the rise of the Papacy, not 
fewer than fifty millions of persons have 
been put to death on account of religion. 
Of this vast number the greater part 
have been cut off during the last six 
hundred years; for the Papacy perse- 
cuted very little during the first half of 
its existence, and it was, in this way, 
that it was not until the witnesses had 
i completed ' their testimony, or had 
borne full and ample testimony, that it 
made war against them. Comp. ' The 
seventh vial" pp. 149-157. For a full 
illustration of the facts here referred to, 
see Notes on Daniel, vii. 21. There can 
be no reasonable doubt that Daniel and 
John refer to the same thing. 

(b) By whom this was to be done. 
In ver. 7, it is said that it would be by 
" the beast that ascendeth out of the bot- 
tomless pit." This is undoubtedly the 
game as the fourth beast of Daniel (Dan. 
vii.), and for a full illustration I must 
refer to the Notes on that chapter. It 
is necessary only to add here, if the 
above representation is correct, that it 
is easy to see the propriety of this appli- 
cation of the symbol to the Papacy. 
Nothing would better represent that 
cruel persecuting power ' making war 
with the witnesses/ than a fierce and 
cruel monster that seemed to ascend 
from the bottomless pit. 

(c) The victory of the persecutors, and 
the death of the witnesses: "and shall 
overcome them, and kill them," ver. 7. 
That is, they would gain a temporary vic- 
tory over them, and the witnesses would 
seem for a time to be dead. The subse- 
quent statement shows, however, that 
they would revive again, and would again 
resume their prophesying. Comp. Notes 
on ch. ix. 20. The victory over them 
would appear to be complete, and the 
great object of the persecuting power 
would seem to have been gained. A few 
facts on this subject will show the pro- 
priety of the statement that ' when they 
had finished/ or had fully borne their 
testimony, a victory was obtained over 



them, and that they were so silenced 
that it might be said they were killed. 
The first will be in the words of Milner, 
in his account of the opening of the six- 
teenth century {History of the Church, 
p. 660, Ed. Edin. 1835) : " The sixteenth 
century opened with a prospect of all 
others the most gloomy, in the eyes of 
every true Christian. Corruption both 
in doctrine and in practice had exceeded 
all bounds ; and the general face of Eu- 
rope, though the name of Christ was 
everywhere professed, presented nothing 
that was properly evangelical. The 
Waldenses were too feeble to molest the 
popedom; and the Hussites, divided 
among themselves, and worn out by a 
long series of contentions, were reduced 
to silence. Among both were found 
persons of undoubted godliness, but they 
appeared incapable of making effectual 
impressions on the kingdom of Anti- 
christ. The Roman pontiffs were still 
the uncontrolled patrons of impiety; 
neither the scandalous crimes of Alex- 
ander VL, nor the military ferocity of 
Julius II., seemed to have lessened the 
dominion of the court of Rome, or to 
have opened the eyes of men so as to 
induce them to make a sober investiga- 
tion of the nature of true religion." The 
language of Mr. Cunninghame may hert 
be adopted as describing the state of 
things at the beginning of the sixteenth 
century : " At the commencement of the 
sixteenth century, Europe reposed in the 
deep sleep of spiritual death, under the 
iron yoke of the Papacy. That haughty 
power, like the Assyrian of the prophet, 
said in the plenitude of his insolence, 
'My hand hath found as a nest the 
riches of the people ; and as one gather- 
eth eggs, I have gathered all the earth; 
and there was none that moved the wing, 
or opened the mouth, or peeped/ 99 And 
in a similar manner, the writer of the 
article on the Reformation, in the Ency- 
clopaedia Brittanica, — in a statement 
made, of course, with no reference to 
the fulfilment of this passage — thus 
speaks of that period: 11 Every thing 
was quiet; every heretic was extermi- 
nated, and the whole Christian world 
supinely acquiesced in the enormous 
absurdities inculcated by the Romish 
church." These quotations will show 
the propriety of the language used here 
by John, on the supposition that it was 
intended to refer to this period. No 



324 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 95 



Bymbol would be more striking, or more 
appropriate to that state of things, than 
to represent the witnesses for the truth 
as overcome and slain, so that, for a time 
at least, they would cease to bear their 
testimony against the prevailing errors 
and corruptions. It will be remembered 
also that this occurred at a time when 
it might be said that they had ' fulfilled' 
their testimony, or when, in a mout so- 
lemn manner, they had protested against 
the existing idolatries and abominat'ons. 

III. The witnesses dead, vs. 8-10. 
The preceding verse contains the state- 
ment that they would be overcome and 
killed; these verses describe their treat- 
ment when they would be dead; that 
is, when they would be silenced. There 
are several circumstances referred to 
here, which demand notice. 

(a) The place where it is said that 
this would occur — that " great city which 
spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, 
where also our Lord was crucified," ver. 
8. In the explanation of this verse, it 
has been shown that the language used 
here is such as would be properly em- 
ployed, on the supposition that the in- 
tention was to refer to Rome, or the 
Romish communion. A few testimonies 
may serve to confirm the interpretation 
proposed in the Notes on ver. 8, and to 
show farther the propriety of applying 
the appellation i Sodom* and ' Egypt* to 
Rome. Thus, among the Reformers, 
" Grosteste perceived that the whole 
scheme of the Papal government was 
enmity with God, and exclaimed that 
nothing but the sword could deliver the 
church from the Egyptian bondage." 
D'Aubigne. Wiclif compared the Rom- 
ish priestcraft to " the accursed sorceries 
with which the sages of Pharaoh pre- 
sumed to emulate the works of Jehovah." 
Le Bas' Wiclif, p. 68, 147. Luther, in 
a letter to Melancthon, says, " Italy is 
plunged, as in ancient times in Egypt, 
in darkness that may be felt." And of 
Zuingle in Switzerland, they who longed 
for the light of salvation said of him, 
"He will be our Moses, to deliver us out 
of the darkness of Egypt." Any number 
of passages could be found in the writings 
of the Reformers, and even some in the 
writings of Romanists themselves, in 
which the abominations that prevailed 
In Rome are compared with those in 
Bodom. Coinp. Elliott, ii. pp. 386, 387, 
Dotes. Assuming this to be the correct 



interpretation, the meaning is, that a 
state of things would exist after the 
silencing of the witnesses, which wonld 
be well represented by supposing that 
their dead bodies would lie unburied, 
that is, that there would be dishonor and 
indignity heaped upon them, such as it 
shown to the dead wh>m they are suf- 
fered to lie unburied. No one needs to 
be informed that this accurately repre- 
sents the state of things throughout the 
Roman world. To the i witnesses' thus 
persecuted, down-trodden, and silenced, 
there was the same kind of indignity 
shown which there is when the dead are 
left unburied. 

(b) The exposure of their bodies, ver. 
8. That is, as we have seen, they would 
fe ) treated with indignity, as if they 
were not worthy of Christian burial. 
Now this not only expresses what was 
in fact the general feeling among the 
Papists in respect to those whom they 
regarded as heretics, but it had a literal 
fulfilment in numerous cases where the 
rites of Christian burial were denied 
them. One of the punishments most 
constantly decreed and constantly en- 
forced in reference to those who were 
called ' heretics/ was their exclusion 
from burial as persons excommunicated 
and without the pale of the church. 
Thus, in the third Council of Lateran 
(A. D. 1179), Christian burial was de- 
nied to heretics ; the same in the Later- 
an Council, A. D. 1215, and the Papal 
decree of Gregory IX., A. D. 1227 ; the 
same again in that of Pope Martin, A. D. 
1422 ; and the same thing was deter- 
mined in the Council of Constance, A. D. 
1422, which ordered that the body of 
Wiclif should be exhumed, and that the 
ashes of John Huss, instead of being 
buried, should be collected and thrown 
into the lake of Constance. It may be 
added that Savonarola's ashes were in a 
similar manner cast into the Arno, A. D. 
1498, and that in the first bull entrusted 
to the cardinal Cajetan against Luther, 
this was one of the declared penalties, 
that both Luther and his partisans should 
be deprived of ecclesiastical burial. See 
Waddington, p. 717. D'Aubigne, i. 355. 
Fox, v. 667. 

(c) The mutual congratulations of 
those who had put them to death ; their 
exultation over them; and the expression 
of thtir joy by the interchange of pre- 
sents: "And they tliat dwell upon the 



A. D. 96. | 



CH APT 



ER XI. 



325 



earth shall rejoice over them," &c, ver. 
10. The language here used is expres- 
sive of general joy and rejoicing, and 
there can be no doubt that such joy and 
rejoicing occurred at Rome whenever a 
new victory was obtained over those who 
were regarded as heretics. Pareus re- 
marks on the passage in Luke xv. 32, 
"It was meet that we should make 
merry," <fcc, that "when heretics are 
burnt, Papists play at frolicksome games, 
celebrate feasts and banquets, sing Te 
JDeum laudamus, and wish one another 
joy." And so too Bullinger, in loc. But 
there was special rejoicing, which ac- 
corded entirely with the prediction here, 
at the close of the sessions of the Lateran 
Council (A. D. 1517), in the splendor of 
the dinners and fetes given by the cardi- 
nals. The scene on the closing of the 
council is thus described by Dean Wad- 
dington : " The pillars of the Papal 
strength seemed visible and palpable; 
and Rome surveyed them with exulta- 
tion from her golden palaces. The 
assembled princes and prelates separated 
from the Council with complacency, con- 
fidence, and mutual congratulations on 
the peace, unity, and purity of the 
church." Still, while this was true of 
that particular council, it should be 
added that the language here used is 
general, and may be regarded as descrip- 
tive of the usual joy which would be 
felt, and which was felt at Rome, in view 
of the efforts made to suppress heresy in 
the church. 

(d) The time during which the wit- 
nesses would remain ' dead/ This it is 
said (ver. 9), would be for "three days 
and an half," during which time they 
would " not suffer their dead bodies to 
be put in graves that is, there would 
be a course of conduct, and a state of 
things, as if the dead were left un- 
buried. This time, as we have seen 
(Notes on ver. 9), means probably three 
years and an half; and in the applica- 
tion of this we are to look for some 
striking event relating to the 'witnesses/ 
when they should have 'finished their 
testimony/ or when they had fully borne 
their testimony, that would fully cor- 
respond wilh this. Now it happens that 
there was a point of time, just previous 
to the Reformation, when it was sup- 
posed that a complete victory was 
gained for ever over those who were 
regarded as ' heretics/ but who were in 
28 



fact the true witnesses for Christ. That 
point of time was during the Session of 
the Council of Lateran, which was 
assembled A. D. 1513, and which con- 
tinued its Sessions to May 16, 1517. In 
the ninth Session of this Council, a re- 
markable proclamation was made, indi- 
cating that all opposition to the Papal 
power had now ceased. The scene is 
thus described by Mr. Elliott (ii. 396, 
397) : " The orator of the Session ascend- 
ed the pulpit; and amidst the applause 
of the assembled Council, uttered that 
memorable exclamation of triumph— an 
exclamation which, notwithstanding the 
long multiplied anti-heretical decrees of 
Popes and Councils, notwithstanding 
the yet more multiplied anti-heretical 
crusades and inquisitorial fires, was 
never, I believe, pronounced before, and 
certainly never since, 'Jam nemo recla- 
mat, nullus obsistit' — 'There is an end 
of resistance to the Papal rule and reli- 
gion ; opposers there exist no more:' 
and again, ' The whole body of Christ 
endom is now seen to be subjected to its 
Head, i. e. to Thee.' " This occurred 
May 5, 1514. It is, probably, from this 
'time' that the three days and an half, 
or the three years and an half, during 
which the 'dead bodies of the witnesses 
remained unburied/ and were exposed 
to public gaze and derision, are to be 
reckoned. 

But it was with remarkable accuracy 
that a period of three years and an^half 
occurred from the time when this pro- 
clamation was made, and when it was 
supposed that these 'witnesses' were 
'dead/ to the time when the voice of 
living witnesses for the truth was heard 
again, as if those witnesses that had been 
silenced had come to life again; and 
"not in the compass of the whole eccle- 
siastical history of Christendom, except 
in the case of the death and resurrection 
of Christ himself, is there any such ex- 
ample of the sudden, mighty, and tri- 
umphant resuscitation of his church 
from a state of deep depression, as was 
just after the separation of the Lateran 
Council exhibited, in the protesting voice 
of Luther, and the glorious Reforma- 
tion." All accounts agree in placing the 
beginning of the Reformation in A. D. 
1517. See Bowers' History of the Popes, 
iii. 295. Murdochs Mosheim, iii. 11, n. 
The effect of this, as compared with the 
-supposed suppression of heresy, or ine 



326 



REVEL 



A T 1 N, 



[A. D. 96. 



death of the witnesses, and as an illus- 
tration of the passage before us, will be 
seen from the following language of a 
writer in the Encyclopaedia Brittanica : 
fi Every thing was quiet; every heretic 
exterminated ; and the whole Christian 
world supinely acquiescing in the enor- 
mous absurdities inculcated in the Rom- 
ish church, when, in 1517, the empire 
of superstition received its first attack 
from Luther." Or, in the language of 
Mr. Cuninghame, "At the commence- 
ment of the sixteenth century, Europe 
reposed in the deep sleep of spiritual 
death, under the iron yoke of the Pa- 
pacy. There was none that moved the 
wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped; 
when suddenly in one of the Universities 
of Germany the voice of an obscure 
monk was heard, the sound of which 
rapidly filled Saxony, Germany, and 
Europe itself, shaking the very founda- 
tions of the Papal power, and arousing 
men from the lethargy of ages." 

The remarkable coincidence in regard 
to time — supposing that three years and 
an half are intended — will be seen from 
the following statement. The day of the 
ninth Session of the Lateran Council, 
when the proclamation above referred 
to was made, was, as we have seen, May 
5, 1514; the day of Luther's posting up 
his theses at Wittemberg (the well- 
known epoch of the beginning of the 
Reformation), was Oct. 31,1517. "Now 
from May 5, 1514, to May 5, 1517, are 
three years ; and from May 5, 1517, to 
Oct. 31 of the same year, 1517, the reck- 
oning in days is as follows : 
May 5—31 . . 27 August 31 . . 31 
June 30 . . 30 September 30 . . 30 
July 31 . . 31 October 31 . . 31 
in all 180, or half of 360 days, that is, 
half a year ; so that the whole interval 
is precisely to a day three and a half 
years." Elliott, ii. 402, 403. But, with- 
out insisting on this very minute accu- 
racy, any one can see, and all must be 
prepared to admit, that, on the supposi- 
tion that it was intended by the Spirit 
of God to refer to these events, this is 
the language which would be used; or, 
in other words, nothing would better 
represent this state of things than the 
declaration that the witnesses would be 
' slain/ and would be suffered to ' remain 
unburied' during this period of time, and 
that, at the end of this period, a public 
testimony would be borne again for the 



truth, and against the abominations of 
the Papacy, as if 1 the Spirit of life from 
God should again enter into them, and 
they should stand upon their feet/ 
ver. 11. 

IV. The resurrection of the witnesses, 
ver. 11. Little need be added on this 
^point, after what has been said on the 
previous portions of the chapter. We 
have seen (Notes on ver. 11) that this 
must mean that a state of things would 
occur which would be well represented 
by their being restored to life again ; 
and if the previous illustrations are cor- 
rect, there will be little difficulty in ad- 
mitting that this had its fulfilment in 
the commencement of the Reformation. 
As to the time when they would revive, 
we have seen above how remarkably 
this accords with the commencement of 
the Reformation in 1517 ; and as to the 
correspondence of this with what is here 
symbolized, nothing would better repre- 
sent this than to describe the witnesses 
as coming to life again. It was as if 
* the Spirit of life from God entered into' 
those who had been slain, and 'they 
stood upon their feet* again, and again 
bore their solemn testimony to the truth 
as it is in Jesus. For (a) it was the 
same kind of testimony — testimony to 
the same truths, and against the same 
evils, which had been borne by the long 
array of the confessors and martyrs that 
had been put to death. The truths pro- 
claimed by the Reformers on the great 
doctrines of grace, were the same which 
had been professed by the Waldenses, by 
Wiclif, by John Huss, and others ; and 
the abominations of image worship, of 
the invocations of the saints, of the 
arrogant claims of the pope, of the doc- 
trine of human merit in justification, of 
the corruptions of the monastic systems, 
of the celibacy of the clergy, of the doc- 
trine of purgatory, against which they 
testified, were the same, (b) That tes- 
timony was borne by men of the same 
spirit and character. In what would 
now be called personal religious experi- 
ence, there was the closest resemblance 
between the Waldenses and the other 
'witnesses' before the Reformation, and 
the Reformers themselves — between the 
piety of Huss, Jerome of Prague, Wiclif, 
and Peter Waldo ; and Luther, Melanc- 
thon, Zuingle, Calvin, Bucer, Latimer, 
Ridley, and Knox. They were men 
who belonged to the same spiritual 



A.1 D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EE XI. 



327 



communion, and who had heen moulded 
and fashioned in their spiritual character 
by the same power from on high, (c) 
The testimony was borne with the same 
fearlessness, and in the midst of the same 
kind of persecution and opposition. All 
that occurred was as if the same 'wit- 
nesses' had been restored to life, and 
again lifted up their voice in the cause 
for which they had been persecuted and 
slain. The propriety of this language 
as applied to these events, may be fur- 
ther seen from expressions used by the 
'witnesses' themselv r es, or by the perse- 
cuted friends of the truth. "And I," 
said John Huss, speaking of the gospel- 
preachers who should appear after he 
had suffered at the stake, "And I, 
awaking as it were from the dead, and 
rising from the grave, shall rejoice with 
exceeding great joy." Again, in 1523, 
after the Reformation had broken out, 
we find Pope Hadrian saying, in a mis- 
sive addressed to the Diet at Nuremberg, 
" The heretics Huss and Jerome are now 
alive again, in the person of Martin Lu- 
ther." The Seventh Vial, p. 190. 

V. The ascension of the witnesses 
(ver. 12): 'And they ascended to hea- 
ven in a cloud/ We have seen (Notes 
on this verse), that this means that 
events would take place as if they should 
ascend in triumph to heaven ; or which 
would be properly symbolized by such 
an ascent to heaven. All that is here 
represented would be fulfilled by a tri- 
umph of the truth under the testimony 
of the witnesses ; or by its becoming 
gloriously established in view of tne na- 
tions of the earth, as if the witnesses 
ascended publicly, and were received to 
the presence of God in heaven. All this 
was fulfilled in the various influences 
that served to establish and confirm the 
Reformation, and to introduce the great 
principles of religious freedom, giving to 
that work ultimate triumph, and showing 
that it had the favor of God. This would 
embrace the whole series of events, after 
the Reformation was begun, by which 
its triumph was secured, or by which 
that state of things was gradually intro- 
duced which now exists, in which the 
true religion is free from persecution ; 
in which it is advancing into so many 
parts of the world where the Papacy 
once had the control ; and in which, 
with so little molestation, and with such 
an onward march toward ultimate vic- 



tory, it is extending its conquests oyer 
the earth. The triumphant ascent of the 
witnesses to heaven, and the public 
proof of the divine favor thus shown to 
them, would be an appropriate symbol 
of this. 

VI. The consequences of the resur- 
rection, ascension, and triumph of the 
witnesses, ver. 13. These are said to be, 
that there would be " in the same hour a 
great earthquake ; that a tenth part of 
the city would fall; that seven thousand 
would be slain, and that the remainder 
would be affrighted, and would give 
glory to the God of heaven." 

(a) The earthquake. This, as we have 
seen (Notes on ver. 13), denotes that 
there would be a shock, or a convulsion 
in the world, so that the powers of the 
earth would be shaken, as cities, trees, 
and hills are in the shocks of an earth- 
quake. There can be little difficulty in 
applying this to the shock produced 
throughout Europe by the boldness of 
Luther and his fellow-laborers in the Re- 
formation. No events have ever taken 
place in history that would be better 
compared with the shock of an earth- 
quake, than those which occurred when 
the long-established governments of Eu- 
rope, and especially the domination of 
the Papacy, so long consolidated and 
confirmed, were shaken by the Reforma- 
tion. In the suddenness of the attack 
made on the existing state of things ; in 
the commotions which were produced; 
in the overthrow of so many govern- 
ments, there was a striking resemblance 
to the convulsions caused by an earth- 
quake. So Dr. Lingard speaks of the 
Reformation : " That religious revolu- 
tion which astonished and convulsed 
the nations of Europe." Nothing would 
better represent the convulsions caused 
in Germany, Switzerland, Prussia, Sax- 
ony, Sweden, Denmark, and England, 
by the Reformation, than an earthquake. 

(l) The fate of a part of the city: — 
"And the tenth part of the city fell." 
That is, as we have seen (Notes on ver. 
13), of that which was represented by 
the city, to wit, the Roman power. The 
fall of a ' tenth part/ would denote the 
fall of a considerable portion of that 
power; as if, in an earthquake, a tenth 
part of a city should be demolished. 
This would well represent what occurred 
in the Reformation, when so considera- 
ble a portion of the colossal Papal power 



328 



KEY EL 



ATION, 



1A. D. 96 



suddenly fell away, and the immediate 
effect on the portions of Europe where 
the Reformation prevailed, as compared 
,vith the whole of that power, might well 
be represented by the fall of a tenth part 
of n city. It is true that a much larger 
proportion ultimately fell off from Rome, 
so that now the number of Romanists 
and Protestants is not far from being 
equal; but in the first convulsion — in 
what passed before the eye in vision as 
represented by the earthquake — that 
proportion would not be improperly 
represented by the tenth part of a city. 
The idea is, that the sudden destruction 
of a tenth part of a great city by an 
earthquake, would well represent the 
convulsion at the breaking out of the 
Reformation, by which a considerable 
portion of the Papal power would 
fall. 

(c) Those who were slain, ver. 13 : 
"And in the earthquake were slain of 
men seven thousand." That is, as we 
have seen (Notes on ver. 13), a calamity 
would occur to this vast Papal power, 
as if this number should be killed in the 
earthquake, or which would be well rep- 
resented by that. In other words, a por- 
tion of those who were represented by the 
city would be slain, which, compared with 
the whole number, would bear about the 
same proportion which seven thousand 
would to the usual dwellers in such a 
city. As the numbers in the city are 
not mentioned, it in impossible to form 
any exact estimate of the numbers that 
would be slain, on this supposition. 
But, if we suppose that the city con- 
tained an hundred thousand, then the 
proportion would be something like a 
fourteenth part; if it were half a million, 
then it would be about a seventieth part ; 
if it were a million, then it would be 
about an hundred and forty-fifth part — 
and, as we may suppose that John, in 
these visions, had his eye on Rome as it 
was in the age in which he lived, we 
may, if we can ascertain what the size 
of Rome was at that period, take that 
estimate as the basis of the interpreta- 
tion. Mr. Gibbon (ii. 251, 252), has 
endeavored to form an estimate of the 
probable number of the inhabitants of 
ancient Rome, and, after enumerating 
all the circumstances which throw any 
light on the subject, says, " If we adopt 
the same average which, under similar 
circumstances, has been found applicable 



to Paris, and indifferently allow abou* 
twenty-five persons for each house, oi 
every degree, we may fairly estimate the 
inhabitants of Rome at twelve hundred 
thousand." Allowing this to be the 
number of the inhabitants of the city, 
then the number here specified that was 
slain — seven thousand — w^uld be about 
the one hundred and seventieth part, or 
one in one hundred a,nd seventy. This 
would, according to the purport of the 
vision here, represent the number that 
would perish in the convulsion denoted 
by the earthquake — a number which, 
though it would be large in the aggre- 
gate, is not probably too large in fact as 
referring to the number of persons that 
perished- in Papal Europe in the wars 
that were consequent on the Reforma- 
tion. 

(d) The only other circumstance in 
this representation is, that "the rem- 
nant were affrighted, and gave glory to 
the God of heaven," ver. 13. That is, 
as we have seen (Notes on ver. 13), fear 
and consternation came upon them, and 
they stod in awe at what was occurring, 
and acknowledged the power of God in 
the changes that took place. How well 
this was fulfilled in what occurred in 
the Reformation, it is hardly necessary 
to state. The events which then took 
place had every mark of being under the 
divine hand, and were such as to fill the 
minds of men with awe, and to teach 
them to recognize the hand of God. The 
power which tore asunder that immense 
ecclesiastical establishment, that had so 
long held the whole of Europe in ser- 
vitude ; which dissolved the charm which 
had so long held kings, and princes, and 
people spell-bound; which rent away 
for ever so large a portion of the Papal 
dominions ; which led kings to separate 
themselves from the control to which 
they had been so long subjected, and 
which emancipated the human mind, 
and diffused abroad the great principles 
of civil and religious liberty, was well 
adapted to fill the mind with awe, and 
to lead men to recognize the hand and 
the agency of God ; and if it be admitted 
that the Holy Spirit in this passage 
meant to refer to these events, it cannot 
be doubted that the language here used 
is such as is well adapted to describe 
the effects produced on the minds of 
men at large. 

15. And the seventh angel Bounded* 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EK XI. 



329 



15 And the seventh 1 angel sound- 
ed ; and there were great voices in 
heaven, saying, The kingdoms c of 

b c. 10. 7. c c. 12. 10. 



See Notes on ch. viii. 2, 6, 7. This is 
the last of the trumpets, implying, of 
course, that under this the series of 
visions was to end, and that this was to 
introduce the state of things under which 
the affairs of the world were to be wound 
up. The place which this occupies in 
the order of time, is when the events 
pertaining to the colossal Roman power 
— the fourth kingdom of Daniel (Dan. 
ii., vii.), should have been completed, 
and when the reign of the saints (Dan. 
vii. 9-14, 27, 28) should have been in- 
troduced. This, both in Daniel and in 
John, is to occur when the mighty 
power of the Papacy shall have been 
overthrown, at the termination of the 
twelve hundred and sixty years of its 
duration. See Notes on Dan. vii. 25. 
In both Daniel and John the termina- 
tion of that persecuting power is the 
commencement of the reign of the 
saints; the downfall of the Papacy, the 
introduction of the kingdom of God, and 
its establishment on the earth, And 
there were great voices in heaven. As of 
exultation and praise. The grand con- 
summation had come, the period so 
long anticipated and desired when God 
should reign on the earth had arrived, 
and this lays the foundation for joy and 
thanksgiving in heaven. <[[ The king- 
doms of this world. The modern editions 
of the New Testament (see Tittmann 
and Hahn) read this in the singular 
number — ' The kingdom of this world 
has become/ &c. According to this 
reading, the meaning would be, either 
that the sole reign over this world had 
become that of the Lord Jesus ; or, more 
probably, that the dominion over the 
earth had been regarded as one in the 
sense that Satan had reigned over it, but 
had now become the kingdom of God ; 
that is, that " the kingdoms of this 
world are many, considered in them- 
selves ; but in reference to the sway of 
Satan, there is only one kingdom ruled 
over by the ' god of this world/ " Prof. 
Stuart. The sense is not materially 
different whichever reading is adopted ; 
though the authority is in favor of the 
latter. See Wetstein. According to the 
28* 



this world are become tlie kingdoms 
of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and 
he a shall reign for ever and ever. 

a Da. 2. 44, 7. 14, 18. 27. 



common reading, the sense is, that all 
the kingdoms of the earth, being many 
in themselves, had been now brought 
under the one sceptre of Christ ; accord- 
ing to the other, the whole world was 
regarded as in fact one kingdom — that 
of Satan, and the sceptre had now 
parsed from his hands into those of the 
Saviour, The kingdoms of our Lord. 
Or, the kingdom of our Lord, according 
to the reading adopted in the previous 
part of the verse. The word Lord here, 
evidently has reference to God as such — 
represented as the original source of 
authority, and as giving the kingdom to 
his Son. See Notes on Dan. vii. 13, 14; 
comp. Ps. ii. 8. The word Lord — tcvpios 
— implies the notion of possessor, owner, 
sovereign, Supreme Ruler — and is thus 
properly given to Gocl. See Matt. i. 22, 
v. 33 ; Mark v. 19 ; Luke i. 6, 28 ; Acts 
vii. 33 ; Heb. viii. 2, 10 ; James iv. 15, 
al. S(p.j>. % And of his Christ. Of his 
anointed; of him who is set apart as the 
Messiah, and consecrated to this high 
office. See Notes on Matt. i. 1. He is 
called 'his Christ/ because he is set 
apart by him, or appointed by him to 
perform the work appropriate to that 
office on earth. Such language as tLat 
which occurs here is often employed, in 
which God and Christ are spoken of as, 
in some respects, distinct — as sustaining 
different offices, and performing different 
works. The essential meaning here is, 
that the kingdom of this world had now 
become the kingdom of God under 
Christ; that is, that that kingdom is 
administered by the Son of God. % And 
he shall reign for ever and ever. A king- 
dom is commenced which shall never 
terminate. It is not said that this would 
be on the earth, but the essential idea is, 
that the sceptre of the world had now, 
after so long a time, come into his hands 
never more to pass away. The fuller 
characteristics of this reign are stated 
in a subsequent part of this book (chs. 
xx.-xxii.). What is here stated is in ac- 
cordance with all the predictions in the 
Bible. A time is to come when, in the 
proper sense of the term, God is to reign 
on the earth ; when his kingdom is to b« 



830 



KEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



16 And the four and twenty" 
elders which sat before God on 
their seats, fell upon their faces, 
and worshipped God, 

17 Saying, We give thee thanks, 

a c. 4. 4, 



universal ,• when his laws shall be every 
where recognized as binding; when all 
idolatry shall come to an end ; and when 
the understandings and the hearts of 
men every where shall bow to his autho- 
rity. Conip. Ps. ii. 8 ; Isa. ix. 7, xi. 9, 
xlv. 22, lx. ; Dan. ii. 35, 44, 45, vii. 13, 
14, 27, 28; Zech. xiv. 9; Mai. i. 11; 
Luke i. 33. On this whole subject, see 
the very ample illustrations and proofs 
in the Notes on Daniel, ii. 44, 45, vii. 13, 
14, 27, 28; comp. Notes on chs. xx- 
xxii. 

16. And the four and twenty elders 
which sat, &c. See Notes on ch. iv. 4. 
*j[ Fell upon their faces, and worshipped 
God. Prostrated themselves before him 
■ — the usual form of profound adoration. 
See Notes on ch. v. 8-14. 

17. Saying, We give thee thanks. We, 
as the representatives of the church, and 
as identified in our feelings with it (see 
Notes on ch. iv. 4), acknowledge thy 
goodness in thus delivering the church 
from all its troubles, and, having con- 
ducted it through the times of fiery 
persecution, thus establishing it upon 
the earth. The language here used is 
an expression of their deep interest in 
the church, and of the fact that they felt 
themselves identified with it. They, as 
representatives of the church, would of 
course rejoice in its prosperity and final 
triumph, Lord God Almighty. Re- 
ferring to God as all powerful, because 
it was by his omnipotent arm alone that 
this great work had been accomplished. 
Nothing else could have defended the 
church in its many trials ; nothing else 
could have established it upon the 
earth. ^ Which art, and wast, and art 
to come. The eternal One, always the 
lame. See Notes on ch. i. 8. The re- 
ference here is to the fact that God, who 
had thus established his church on 
the earth, is unchanging. In all the 
revolutions which occur on the earth, he 
always remains -the same. What he was 
in past times he is now; what he is now 
he always will be. The particular idea 
suggested here seems to be, that he had 



Lord God Almighty, which * art, 
and wast, and art to come ; because 
thou hast taken to thee thy great 
power, and hast reigned. c 

18 And the nations were angry , d 

b c. 16. 5. c c. 19. 6. d ver. 9. 



now shown this by having caused his 
church to triumph ; that is, he had shown 
that he was the same God who had early 
promised that it should ultimately tri- 
umph; he had carried forward his glorious 
purposes without modifying or abandon- 
ing them amidst all the changes that 
had occurred in the world; and he had 
thus given the assurance that he would 
now remain the same, and that all his 
purposes in regard to his church would 
be accomplished. The fact that God 
remains always unchangeably the same 
is the sole reason why his church is safe ; 
or why any individual member of it is 
kept and saved. Comp. Mai. iii. 6, 
\ Because thou hast taken to thee thy 
great 'power. To wit, by setting up thy 
kingdom over all the earth. Before that, 
it seemed as if he had relaxed that power, 
or had given the power to others. Satan 
had reigned on the earth. Disorder, 
anarchy, sin, rebellion, had prevailed. 
It seemed as if God had let the reins of 
government fall from his hand. Now, 
he came forth as if to resume the 
dominion over the world, and to take 
the sceptre into his own hand, and to 
exert his great power in keeping the 
nations in subjection. The setting up 
of his kingdom all over the world, and 
causing his laws every where to be 
obeyed, will be among the highest 
demonstrations of divine power. No 
thing can accomplish this but the powei 
of God; when that power is exerted 
nothing can prevent its accomplishment. 
^[ And hast reigned. Prof. Stuart : — 
"and shown thyself as king;" that is, 
' hast become king, or acted as a king.' 
The idea is, that he had now vindicated 
his regal power (Rob. Lex.); that is, he 
had now set up his kingdom on the 
earth, and had truly begun to reign. 
One of the characteristics of the Millen- 
nium — and indeed the main characteris- 
tic — will be, that God will be every 
where obeyed; for when that occurs 
all will be consummated that properly 
enters into the idea cf the millennial 
kingdom. 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER XI. 



331 



and thy Wrath is come, and the 
time a of the dead, that they should 
be judged, and that thou shouldest 
give reward h unto thy servants 
the prophets, and to the saints, 

a He. 9. 27. b c. 22. 12. 



18. And the nations were "ngry. Were 
enraged against thee. This they had 
shown by their opposition to his laws : 
by persecuting his people; by slaying 
his witnesses ; by all the attempts which 
they had made to destroy his authority 
on the earth. The reference here seems 
to be to the whole series of events pre- 
ceding the final establishment of his 
kingdom on the earth ; — to all the efforts 
which had been made to throw off his 
government and to crush his church. 
At this period of glorious triumph it was 
natural to look back to those dark 
times when the t nations raged' (comp. 
Ps. ii. 1-3), and when the very existence 
of the church was in jeopardy. *[ And 
thy tcrath is come. That is, the time 
when thou wilt punish them for all that 
they have done in opposition to thee, 
and when the wicked shall be cut off. 
There will be, in the setting up of the 
kingdom of God, some manifestation of 
his wrath against the powers that op- 
posed it; or something that will show 
his purpose to destroy his enemies, 
and to judge the wicked. The repre- 
sentations in this book lead us to sup- 
pose that the final establishment of the 
kingdom of God on the earth will be 
introduced or accompanied by commo- 
tions and wars which will end in the 
overthrow of the great powers that have 
opposed his reign, and by such awful 
calamities in those portions of the world 
as shall show that God has arisen in his 
strength to cut off his enemies, and to 
appear as the vindicator of his people. 
Comp. Notes on ch. xvi. 12-16, xix. 11- 
26. And the time of the dead that they 
should he judged. According to the 
view which the course of the expo- 
sition thus far pursued leads us to enter- 
tain of this book, there is reference 
here, in few words, to the same thing 
which is more fully stated in ch. xx., 
and the meaning of the sacred writer 
will, therefore, come up for a more 
distinct and full examination when 
we consider that chapter. See Notes 
on ch. xx. 4, 5, 6, 12-15. The purpose 



and them that fear thy name, 
small c and great ; and shouldest 
destroy them which d destroy the 
earth. 

c c. 19. 5. d Or, corrupt 



of the writer does not require that a 
detailed statement of the order of the 
events referred to should be made 
here, for it would be better made, 
when, after another line of illustration 
and of symbol (ch. xi. 19, xii.-xix.), he 
should have reached the same catastro- 
phe, and when, in view of both, the mind 
would be prepared for the fuller descrip- 
tion with which the book closes, chs. xx., 
xxi., xxii. All that occurs here, there- 
fore, is a very general statement of the 
final consummation of all things. *[ And 
that thou shouldest give reward unto thy 
servants. The righteous. Comp. Matt, 
xxv. 34-40, Rev. xxi., xxii. That is, in 
the final winding up of human affairs, 
God will bestow the long-promised re- 
ward on those who have been his true 
friends. The wicked that annoyed and 
persecuted them, will annoy and perse- 
cute them no more ; and the righteous 
will be publicly acknowledged as the 
friends of God. For the manner in 
l which this will be done, cee the details 
' in chs. xx., xxi., xxii. The prophets. 
All who, in every age, have faithfully 
proclaimed the truth. On the meaning 
of the word, see Notes on ch. x. 11. 
^ And to the saints. To all who are 
holy — under whatever dispensation, and 
in whatever land, and at whatever time, 
they may have lived. Then will be the 
time when, in a public manner, they 
will be recognized as belonging to the 
kingdom of God, and as being his true 
friends, And them that fear thy name. 
Another way of designating his people, 
since religioff consists in a profound 
veneration for God. Mai. iii. 16; Acts 

x. 22, 35 ; Job i. 1 ; Ps. xv. 4, xxii. 23, 
cxv. 11 ; Prov. i. 7, iii. 13, ix. 10 ; Isa, 

xi. 2. ^ Small and great Young and 
old; low and high; poor and rich. The 

! language is designed to comprehend all, 
I of every class, who have a claim to be 
numbered among the friends of God, and 
; it furnishes a plain intimation that 
men of all classes will be found at 
last among his true people. One of 
the glories of the true religion is, that, 



332 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



in bestowing its favofs, it disregards all 
the artificial distinctions of society, and 
addresses man as man, welcoming all 
who are human beings to the blessings 
of life and salvation. This will be illus- 
triously shown in the last period of the 
world's history, when the distinctions 
of wealth, and rank, and blood shall 
lose the importance which has been 
attributed to them, and when the honor 
of being a child of God shall have its 
true place. Comp. Gal. iii. 28. <([ And 
ahouldest destroy them which destroy the 
earth. That is, all who have, in their 
conquests, spread desolation over the 
earth; and who have persecuted the 
righteous, and all who have dme injus- 
tice and wrong to any class: of men. 
Comp. Notes on ch. xx. 13-15. 

Here ends, as I suppose, the first 
series of visions referred to in the volume 
sealed with the seven seals, ch. v. 1. 
At this point, where the division of the 
chapter should have been made, and 
which is properly marked in our com- 
mon Bibles by the sign of the para- 
graph (^[), there commences a new series 
of visions, intended also, but in a dif- 
ferent line, to extend down to the con- 
summation of all things. The former 
series traces the history down mainly 
through the series of civil changes in 
the world, or the outward affairs which 
affect the destiny of the church ; the 
lat(er — the portion still before us — em- 
braces the same period with a more 
direct reference to the rise of Antichrist, 
and the influence of that power in affect- 
ing the destiny of the church. When 
that is completed (ch. xi. 19, xii.-xix.), 
the way is prepared (ch. xx.-xxii.) for the 
more full statement of the final triumph of 
the gospel, and the universal prevalence 
of religion, with which the book so ap- 
propriately closes. That portion of the 
book, therefore, refers to the same 
period as the one which as just been 
considered under the sounding of the 
seventh trumpet, and the description of 
the final state of things would have im- 
mediately succeeded if it had not been 
necessary, by another series of visions, 
to trace more particularly the history of 
Antichrist on the destiny of the church, 
•and the way in which that great and 
fearful power would be finally overcome. 
See the ' Analysis' of the book, Part 
Fifth. The way is then prepared for the 
description of the state of things which 



will exist when all the enemies of the 
church shall be subdued; when Chris- 
tianity shall triumph ; and when the 
predicted reign of God shall be set up 
on the earth, chs. xx., xxi., xxii. 

CHAPTER XII. 

ANALYSIS OP CH. XT. 19, XII. 

This portion of the book commences, 
according to the view presented in the 
closing remarks on the last chapter, a 
new series of visions, designed more 
particularly to represent the internal 
condition of the church; the rise of 
Antichrist, and the effect of the rise 
of that formidable power on the in- 
ternal history of the church to the 
time of the overthrow of that power, and 
the triumphant establishment of the 
kingdom of God. See the Analysis of 
the Book, Part Fifth. The portion 
before us embraces the following par- 
ticulars : — 

(1) A new vision of the temple of God 
as opened in heaven, disclosing the ark 
of the testimony, and attended with 
lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, 
and an earthquake, and great hail, ch. 
xi. 19. The view of the * temple,' and 
the i arle,' would naturally suggest a 
reference to the church, and would be 
an appropriate representation on the 
supposition that this vision related 
to the church. The attending circum- 
stances of the lightnings, &c, were weil 
fitted to impress the mind with awe, and 
to leave the conviction that great and 
momentous events were about to be dis- 
closed. I regard this verse, therefore, 
which should have been separted from 
the eleventh chapter and attached to the 
twelfth, as the introduction to a new 
series of visions, similar to what we have 
in the introduction of the previous 
series, ch. iv. 1. The vision was of the 
temple — the symbol of the church, — and 
it was i opened' so that John could sec 
into its inmost part — even within the 
veil where the ark was, — and could have 
a view of what most intimately per- 
tained to it. 

(2) A representation of the church, 
under the image of a woman about to 
give birth to a child, ch. xii. 1, 2. A 
woman is seen, clothed, as it were, with 
the sun — emblem of majesty, truth, in- 
telligence, and glory; she has the moon 
under her feet, as if she walked the 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER XI. 



— XII. 



333 



heavens: she has on her hend a glitter- 
ing diadem of stars ; she is about to 
become a mother. This seems to have 
been designed to represent the church 
as about to be increased, and as in 
that condition -watched by a dragon — a 
mighty foe — ready to destroy its off- 
spring, and thus compelled to flee into 
the wilderness for safety. Thus under- 
stood, the point of time referred to would 
be when the church was in a prosperous 
condition, and when it would be en- 
countered by Antichrist, represented 
here by the dragon, and compelled to 
flee into the wilderness,- that is, the 
church for a time would be driven into 
obscurity, and be almost unknown. 
It is no uncommon thing, in the Scrip- 
tures, to compare the church with a 
beautiful woman. See Xotes on Isa. 
i. 8. The following remarks of Prof. 
Stuart (vol. ii. 252), though he applies 
the subject in a manner very different 
from what I shall, seem to me accu- 
rately to express the general design of 
the symbol : " The daughter of Zion is a 
common personification of the church in 
the Old Testament; and in the writings 
of Paul, the same image is exhibited by 
the phrase, Jerusalem which is the mo- 
ther of us all; i. e. of all Christians, Gal. 
iv. 26. The main point before us is, the 
illustration cf that church, ancient or 
later, under the image of a woman. If the 
Canticles are to ha7e a spiritual sense 
given to them, ic is plain enough of 
course, how familiar such an idea was 
to the Jews. Whether the woman thus 
exhibited as a symbol be represented as 
bride or mother depends of course on the 
nature of the case, and the relations and 
exigencies of any particular passage." 

(3) The dragon that stood ready to 
devour the child, vs. 3, 4. This repre- 
sents some formidable enemy of the 
church, that was ready to persecute and 
destroy it. The real enemy here referred 
to is, undoubted!} 7 , Satan, the great ene- 
my of God and the church, but here it 
is Satan in the form of some fearful 
opponent of the church that would arise 
at a period when the church was pros- 
perous, and when it was about to be 
enlarged. We are to look, therefore, for 
some fearful manifestation of this for- 
midable power, having the characteris- 
tics here referred to, or some opposition 
fco the church such as we may suppose 
Satan would originate, and by which the 



existence of the church might seem to 
be endangered. 

(4) The fact that the child which the 
woman brought forth was caught up to 
heaven — symbolical of its real safety, 
and of its having the favor of God — a 
pledge that the ultimate prosperity of 
the church was certain, and that it was 
safe from real danger, ver. 5. 

(5) The fleeing of the woman into the 
wilderness, for the space of a thousand 
two hundred and threescore days, or 
1260 years, ver. 6. This act denotes the 
persecuted and obscure condition of the 
church during that time, and the period 
which would elapse before it would be 
delivered from this persecution, and re- 
stored to the place in the earth which it 
was designed to have. 

(6) The war in heaven; a struggle 
between the mighty powers of heaven 
and the dragon, vs. 7-9. Michael and 
his angels contend against the dragon, 
in behalf of the church, and finally pre- 
vail. The dragon is overcome, and is 
cast out, and all his angels with him ; 
in other words, the great enemy of God 
and his church is overcome and subdued. 
This is evidently designed to be sym- 
bolical, and the meaning is, that a state 
of things would exist in regard to the 
church, which would be well represented 
by supposing that such a scene should 
occur in heaven ; that is, as if a war 
should exist there between the great 
enemy of God and the angels of light, 
and as if, being there vanquished, Satan 
should be cast down to the earth, and 
should there exert his malignant power 
in a warfare against the church. The 
general idea is, that his warfare would 
be primarily against heaven, as if he 
fought with the angels in the very pre- 
sence of God, but that the form in which 
he would seem to prevail would be against 
the church, as if being unsuccessful in 
his direct warfare against the angels of 
God, he was permitted, for a time, to 
enjoy the appearance of triumph in con- 
tending with the church. 

(7) The shout of victory in view of 
the conquest over the dragon, vs. 10-12. 
A loud voice is heard in heaven, saying 
that now the kingdom of God is come, 
and that the reign of God would be set 
up, for the dragon is cast down and over- 
come. The grand instrumentality in 
overcoming this foe was ' the blood of th6 
Lamb, and the word of their testimony 



REVELATION, 



LA. D. 90. 



19 And the temple a of God was 
opened in heaven, and there was 
seen in his temple the ark of his 

a c. 15. 5. 8. 

that is, the great doctrines of truth per- 
taining to the work of the Redeemer 
would be employed for this purpose, and 
it is proclaimed that the heavens and 
all that dwell therein had occasion to 
rejoice at the certainty that a victory 
would be ultimately obtained over this 
great enemy of God. Still, however, his 
influence was not wholly at an end, for 
he would yet rage for a brief period on 
the earth. 

(8) The persecution of the woman, vs. 
13-15. She is constrained to fly, as on 
wings given her for that purpose, into 
the wilderness, where she is nourished 
for the time that the dragon is to exert 
his power — a 'time, times, and half a 
time' — or for 1260 years. The dragon 
in rage pours out a flood of water, that 
he may cause her to be swept away 
by the flood: referring to the perse- 
cutions that would exist while the 
church was in the wilderness, and the 
efforts that would be made to destroy it 
entirely. 

(9) The earth helps the woman, ver. 16. 
That is, a state of things would exist as 
if, in such a case, the earth should open 
and swallow up the flood. The meaning 
is, that the church would not be swept 
away, but that there would be an inter- 
position in its behalf, as if the earth 
should, in the case supposed, open its 
bosom, and swallow up the swelling 
waters. 

(10) The dragon, still enraged, makes 
war with all that pertain to the woman, 
ver. 17. Here we are told literally who 
are referred to by the 'seed' of the wo- 
man. They are those who 'keep the 
commandments of God, and have the 
testimony of Jesus Christ' (ver. 17); 
that is, the true church. 

The chapter, therefore, may be re- 
garded as a general vision of the per- 
secutions that would rage against the 
church. It seemed to be about to in- 
crease and to spread over the world. 
Satan, always opposed to it, strives to 
prevent its extension. The conflict is 
represented as if in heaven, where war 
is waged between the celestial beings 
and Satan, and where, being overcome, 
Satan is cast down to the earth, and 



I testament : and there were light- 
nings/ and roiees, and thunderings, 
and an earthquake, c and great hail. 

b c. 8. 5. c c. 16. 18, 21. 

permitted to wage the war there. The 
church is persecuted; becomes obscure 
and almost unknown, but still is myste- 
riously sustained, and when mcst iv 
danger of being wholly swallowed up, is 
kept as if a miracle were wrought in its 
defence. The detail — the particular 
form in which the war would be waged 
— is drawn out in the following chapters. 

Ch. xi. 19. And the temple of God was 
opened in heaven. The temple of God 
at Jerusalem was a pattern of the hea- 
I venly one, or of heaven. Heb. viii. 1-5. 
In that temple God was supposed to 
reside by the visible symbol of his pre- 
sence — the Shekinah — in the Holy of 
Holies. See Notes on Heb. ix. 7. Thus 
God dwells in heaven, as in a holy tem- 
ple, of which that on earth was the em- 
blem. When it is said that that was 
'opened in heaven/ the meaning is, that 
John was permitted, as it were, to look 
into heaven, the abode of God, and to 
see him in his glory, And there was 
seen in his temple the ark of his testament. 
See Notes on Heb. ix. 4. That is, the 
very interior of heaven was laid open, 
and John was permitted to witness what 
was transacted in its obscurest recesses, 
and what were its most hidden mysteries. 
It will be remembered, as an illustration 
of the correctness of this view of the 
meaning of the verse, and of its proper 
place in the divisions of the book — 
assigning it as the opening verse of a 
new series of visions — that in the firs> 
series of visions we have a statement 
remarkably similar to this, ch. iv. 1: — 
"After this I looked, and behold a door 
was opened in heaven;" that is, there 
was, as it were, an openiny made into 
heaven, so that John was permitted to 
look in and see what was occurring 
there. The same idea is expressed 
substantially here, by saying that the 
very interior of the sacred temple 
where God resides was 'opened in hea- 
ven/ so that John was pevmitted to 
look in and see what was transacted 
in his very presence. This, too, may 
go to confirm the idea suggested in the 
Analysis of tho book, Part Fifth, that 
this portion of the Apocalypse refers 
rather to the internal affairs of tha 



A. D. 96.1 



CHAPTER XII. 



335 



CHAPTER XII. 

A ND there appeared a great 
x_L ° wonder in heaven ; a woman 

a Or, sign. b Is. 54. 6. 

church, or the church itself — for of this 
the temple was the proper emblem. 
Then appropriately follows the series 
of visions describing, as in the former 
case, what was to occur in future times : 
this series referring to the internal affairs 
of the church, as the former did mainly 
to what would outwardly affect its form 
and condition. ^ And there icere light- 
nings, &c. Symbolic of the awful pre- 
Eence of God, and of his majesty and 
glory, as in the commencement of the 
first series of visions. See Notes on ch. 
iv. 5. The similarity of the symbols of 
the divine majesty in the two cases, may 
also serve to confirm the supposition that 
this is the beginning of a new series of 
visions, And an earthquake. Also a 
symbol of the divine majesty, and per- 
haps of the great convulsions that were 
to occur under this series of visions. 
Comp. Notes on ch. vi. 12. Thus, in 
the sublime description of God in the 
18th Psalm (ver. 7), "Then the earth 
shook and trembled; the foundations 
also of the hills moved and were shaken, 
because he was wroth." So in Ex. six. 
18, "And Mount Sinai was altogether in 
a smoke — and the whole mount quaked 
greatly." Comp. Amos viii. 8, 9; Joel 
ii. 10. And great hail. Also an em- 
blem of the presence and majesty of 
God, perhaps with the accompanying 
idea that he would overwhelm and pun- 
ish his enemies. So in Ps. xviii. 13, " The 
Lord also thundered in the heavens, and 
the Highest gave his voice : hailstones 
and coals of fire." So also Job xxxviii. 
22, 23 : 

*? Hast thou entered into the treasures of snow, 
Or hast thou seen the treasures of hail ? 
Which I have reserved against the day of trouble, 
Against the day of battle and war?" 

So in Ps. cv. 32 : 

" He gave them hail for ram, 
And flamine fire in their land." 

Comp. Ps. lxxviii. 48 ; Isa. xxx. 30 ; 
Ezek. xxxviii. 22. 

Ch. xii. 1. And there appeared a great 
tconder in heaven. In that heavenly 
world thus disclosed ; in the very pre- 
sence of God, he saw the impressive and 
remarkable symbol which he proceeds 



b clothed with the sun, c and the 
moon under her feet, and upon her 
head a crown of twelve stars : 

c Ps. 84.11; Mai. 4. 2. 



to describe. The word tconder — (r)7ftfio> 
— properly means something extraordi- 
nary, or miraculous, and is commonlj 
rendered sign. See Matt. xii. 38, 39 
xvi. 1,3,4, xxiv. 3, 24, 30, xxvi. 48; 
Mark, viii. 11, 12, xiii. 4, 22, xvi. 17, 20, 
— in all which, and in numerous othei 
places in the New Testament, it is ren- 
dered sign, and mostly in the sense oi 
miracle. When used in the sense of 
a miracle, it refers to the fact that the 
miracle is a sign or token by which the 
divine power or purpose is made known. 
Sometimes the word is used to denote a 
sign of future things — a portent or pre- 
sage of coming events ; that is, some re- 
markable appearances which foreshadow 
the future. Thus in Matt. xvi. 3 : " signs 
of the times;" that is, the miraculous 
events which foreshadow the coming of 
the Messiah in his kingdom. So also in 
Matt. xxiv. 3, 30; Mark, xiii. 4; Luke, 
xxi. 7, 11. This seems to be the meaning 
here, that the woman who appeared in 
this remarkable manner, was a portent oi 
token of what was to occur. ^[ A woman 
clothed with the sun. Bright; splendid; 
glorious, as if the sunbeams were her rai- 
ment. Comp. ch. i. 16, x. 1 ; Cant. vi. 10 — 
a passage which, very possibly, was in 
the mind of the writer when he penned 
this description: — "Who is this that 
looketh forth as the morning, fair as the 
moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as 
an army with banners." And the 
moon under her feet. The moon seemed 
to be under her feet. She seemed as if 
she stood on the moon, its pale light 
contrasted with the burning splendor of 
the sun, heightening the beauty of the 
whole picture. The woman, beyond all 
question, represents the church. See 
Notes on ver. 2. Is the splendor of the 
sun-light designed to denote the bright- 
ness of the gospel? Is the moon de- 
signed to represent the comparatively 
feeble light of the Jewish dispensation ? 
Is the fact that she stood upon the moon^ 
or that it was under her feet, designed 
to denote the superiority of the gospel 
to the Jewish dispensation ? Suzlx a 
supposition gives much teauty to the 
symbol, and is not foreign to the nature 



336 



REVELATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



2 And she being with child, 



of symbolic language, And upon her 
head a crown of twelve stars. A diadem 
in which there were placed twelve stars. 
That is, there were twelve sparkling 
gems in the crown which she wore. 
This would, of course, greatly increase 
the beauty of the vision ; and there can 
be no doubt that the number twelve here 
is significant. If the woman here is 
designed to symbolize the church, then 
the number twelve has, in all probability, 
some allusion either to the twelve tribes 
of Israel — as being a number which one 
who was born and educated as a Jew 
would be likely to use (comp. James, 
i. 1), or, to the twelve apostles — an allu- 
sion which it may be supposed an apos- 
tle would be more likely to make. 
Comp. Matt. xix. 28; Rev. xxi. 14. 

2. And she, being with child, cried, 
travailing in birth, &c. That is, there 
would be something which would be 
properly represented by a woman in 
such circumstances. 

The question now is, what is referred 
to by this woman ? And here it need 
hardly be said that there has been, as in 
regard to almost every other part of the 
book of Revelation, a great variety of 
interpretations. It would be endless to 
undertake to examine them ; and would 
not be profitable if it could be done ; and 
it is better, therefore, and more in ac- 
cordance with the design of these Notes, 
to state briefly what seems to me to be 
the true interpretation. (1) The woman 
is evidently designed to symbolize the 
church ; and in this there is a pretty 
general agreement among interpreters. 
The image, which is a beautiful one, was 
very familiar to the Jewish prophets. See 
Notes on Isa. i. 8, xlvii. 1 ; comp. Ezek. xvi. 
(2) But still, the question arises, to ichat 
time this representation refers : whether 
to the chuich before the birth of the 
Saviour, or after? According to the 
former of these opinions, it is supposed 
to refer to the church as giving birth to 
the Saviour, and the 1 man-child' that is 
born (ver. 5) is supposed to refer to 
Christ, who 'sprang from the church 
car 2 capKc' — according to the flesh. 
Prof. Stuart, ii. 252. The church, ac- 
covdi^£ to this view, is not simply 
resided as Jjivish, but, in a more 
general and theocratic sense, as the peopte 



cried, travailing in birth, and 
pained to be delivered. 



of God, " From the Christian church, 
considered as Christian, he could not 
spring ; for this took its rise only after 
the time of his public ministry. But 
from the bosom of the people of God the 
Saviour came. This church, Judaical 
indeed (at the time of his birth) in 
respect to rites and forms, but to be- 
come Christian after he had exercised 
his ministry in the midst of it, might 
well be f epresented here by the woman 
which is described in ch. xii." Prof. 
Stuart. But to this view there are some, 
as it seems to me, unanswerable objec- 
tions. For (a) There seems to be a 
harshness and incongruity in repre- 
senting the Saviour as the Son of the 
church, or, representing the church as 
giving birth to him. Such imagery is 
not found elsewhere in the Bible, and is 
not in accordance with the language 
which is employed, where Christ is rather 
represented as the Husband of the church 
than the Son. See Rev. xxi. 2, " pre- 
pared as a bride adorned for her hus- 
band;" ver. 9, " I will show thee the 
bride, the Lamb's wife." Comp. Isa. 
liv. 5, lxi. 10, Ixii. 5. (b) If this inter- 
pretation be adopted, then this must 
refer to the Jewish church, and thus the 
woman will personify the Jewish com- 
munity before the birth of Christ. But 
this seems contrary to the whole design 
of the Apocalypse, which has reference 
to the Christian church, and not to the 
ancient dispensation, (c) If this inter- 
pretation be adopted, then the statement 
about the dwelling in the wilderness for a 
period of 1260 days or years (ver. 14) 
must be assigned to the Jewish com- 
munity — a supposition every way im- 
probable and untenable. In what sense 
could this be true? When did any- 
thing happen to the Jewish people that 
could, with any show of probability, be 
regarded as the fulfilment of this ? (d) It 
may be added, that the statement about 
the ' man-child' (ver. 5), is one that can 
with difficulty be reconciled to this sup- 
position. In what sense was this true 
that the * man-child' was ' caught up 
unto God, and to his throne ?' The Sa- 
viour, indeed, ascended to heaven, but it 
was not, as here represented, that ho 
might be protected from the danger of 
being destroyed and when he cUd as 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XII. 



337 



3 And there appea.£d another 



cend, it was not as a helpless and unpro- 
tected babe, but as a man in the full matu- 
rity of his powers. — The other opinion is, 
that the woman here refers to the Chris- 
tian church, and that the object is to 
represent that church as about to be 
enlarged — represented by the condition 
of the woman, ver. 2. A beautiful wo- 
man appears, clothed with light — em- 
blematic of the brightness and purity of 
the church; with the moon under her 
feet — the ancient and comparatively 
obscure dispensation now made subor- 
dinate and humble,- with a glittering 
diadem of twelve stars on her head — the 
stars representing the usual well-known 
division of the people of God into twelve 
parts — as the stars in the American flag 
denote the original states of the Union ; 
and in a condition (ver. 2) which showed 
that the church was to be increased. 
The time there referred to, is at the early 
period of the history of the church, 
when, as it were, it first appears on the 
theatre of things, and going forth in its 
beauty and majesty over the earth. 
John sees this church as it was about to 
spread in the world, exposed to a mighty 
and formidable enemy — a hateful dragon 
— stationing itself to prevent its increase, 
and to accomplish its destruction. From 
that impending danger it is protected in 
a manner that would be well represented 
by the saving of the child of the woman, 
and bearing it up to heaven, to a place 
of safety — an act implying that, notwith- 
standing all dangers, the progress and 
enlargement of the church was ulti- 
mately certain. In the mean time, the 
woman herself flees into the wilderness 
— an act representing the obscure and 
humble and persecuted state of the 
church — till the great controversy is 
determined which is to have the ascen- 
dency — God or the Dragon. In favor 
of this interpretation, the following con- 
siderations may be suggested : — (a) It is 
the natural and obvious interpretation. 
{b) If it be admitted that John meant to 
describe what occurred in the world at 
the time when the true church seemed 
to be about to extend itself over the 
earth, and when that prosperity was 
checked by the rise of the Papal power, 
the symbol employed would be strikingly 
expressive and appropriate, (c) It ac- 



a wonder in heaven ; and behold 

a Or, sign. 



cords with the language elsewhere used 
in the Scriptures when referring to the 
increase of the church. Isa. lxvi. 7, 8 : 
" Before she travailed, she brought 
forth ; before her pain came, she was 
delivered of a man-child. Who hath 
heard such a thing ? — As soon as Zion 
travailed, she brought forth her child- 
ren." Isa. liv. 1 : " Sing, barren, thou 
that didst not bear; for more are the 
children of the desolate than the children 
of the married wife, saith the Lord." 
Isa. xlix. 20 : " The children which thou 
shalt have, after thou shalt have lost the 
other, shall say again in thy earz, The 
place is too strait for me ; give place tc 
me that I may dwell." The comparison 
of the church to a woman as the mother 
of children, is one that is very common 
in the Scriptures, (d) The future des- 
tiny of the child and of the woman 
agrees with this supposition. The child 
is caught up to heaven (ver. 5), em- 
blematic of the fact that God will pro- 
tect the Church, and not suffer its 
increase to be cut off and destroyed; 
and the woman is driven for 1260 years 
into the wilderness and nourished there 
(ver. 14) — emblematic of the long period 
of obscurity and persecution in the true 
church, and yet of the fact that it would 
be protected and nourished. The design 
of the whole, therefore, I apprehend, is 
to represent the peril of the church at 
the time when it was about to be greatly 
enlarged, or in a season of prosperity, 
from the rise of a formidable enemy 
that would stand ready to destroy it. 
I regard this, therefore, as referring to 
the time of the rise of the Papacy 
when, but for that formidable, cor- 
rupting, and destructive power, it might 
have been hoped that the church would 
have spread all over the world. In 
regard to the rise of that power, see 
all that I have to say, or can say, in the 
Notes on Dan. vii. 24-28. 

3. And there appeared another wonder 
in heaven. Represented as in heaven. 
Notes ver. 1. That is, he saw this as 
occurring at the time when the church 
was thus about to increase, f And be- 
hold, a great red dragon. The word 
rendered dragon — ipdxtov — occurs, in the 
New Testament, only in the book of 
i Revelation, where it is uniformly res- 



338 REVELATION, [A. D. 96. 

great red dragon, fl having seven heads and ten horns, and seven 
a ver. 9. ; crowns upon his heads. 

dered as here — dragon. Ch. xii. 3, 4, 7, which would be properly symbolized by 
9, 13, 16, 17,* xiii. 2, 4, 11; xvi. 13 ; such a monster. % Having seven heads. 
xx. 2. In all these places there is refer- It was not unusual to attribute many 
ence to the same thing. The word pro- heads to monsters, especially to fabulous 
perly means a large serpent; and the J monsters, and these greatly increased 
allusion in the word commonly is to the terror of the animal. " Thus Cerbe- 
some serpent, perhaps such as the ana- ! rus usually has three heads assigned to 
conda, that resides in a desert or wilder- him ; but Hesiod (Theog. 312) assigns 
ness. See a full account of the ideas him fifty, and Horace (Ode II. 13, 34) one 
that prevailed in ancient times respecting hundred. So the Hydra of the Lake 
the dragon, in Bochart, Hieroz. Lib. iii. j Lerna, killed by Hercules, had fifty 
c. xiv., vol. ii. pp. 428-440. There was heads (Virg. Aen. vi. 576) ; and in Kid- 
much that was fabulous respecting this \ dushim, fol. 29, 2, Rabbi Achse is said 
monster, and many notions were attached j to have seen a demon like a dragon with 
to the dragon which did not exist in real- ! seven heads." Prof. Stuart, in loc. The 
ity, and which were ascribed to it by the | seven heads would somehow denote 
imagination at a time when Natural ; poioer, or seats of power. Such a num- 
History was little understood. The j bSr of heads increase the terribleness, 
characteristics ascribed to the dragon, j and, as it were, the vitality of the mon- 
according to Bochart, are, that it was ster. What is here represented would 
distinguished (a) for its vast size; (b) 1 be as terrible and formidable as such a 
that it had something like a beard or j monster; or, such a monster would ap- 
dew-lap; (c) that it had three rows of j propriately represent what was designed 
teeth ; (d) that its color was black, red, i to be symbolized here. The number 
yellow, or ashy; (e) that it had a wide 1 seven may be used here 'as a perfect 
mouth ; (/) that in its breathing it not number/ or merely to heighten the ter- 
only drew in the air, but also birds that ror of the image, but it is more natural 
were flying over it; and (g) that its hiss to suppose that there would be some- 
was terrible. Occasionally, also, feet thing in what is here represented which 
and wings were attributed to the dragon, would lay the foundation for the use of 
and sometimes a lofty crest. The dra- this number. There would be something 
gon, according to Bochart, was supposed either in the origin of the power; or in 
to inhabit waste plaoes and solitudes the union of various powers now com- 
(comp. Notes on Isa. xiii. 22), and it bined in the one represented by the 
became, therefore, an object of great dragon; or in the seat of the power, 
terror. It is probable that the original \ which this would preperly symbolize, 
of this was a huge serpent, and that all I Comp. Notes on Daniel vii. 6. And 
the other circumstances were added by j ten horns. Emblems of power, denoting 
the imagination. The prevailing ideas j that, in some respects, there were ten 
in regard to it, however, should be borne \ powers combined in this one. See Notes 
in mind, in order to see the force and I on Dan. vii. 7, 8, 20, 24. There can be 
propriety of the use of the word by little doubt that John had those passages 
John. Two special characteristics are j of Daniel in his eye, and perhaps as little 
stated by John in the general description I that the reference is to the same thing, 
of the dragon: one is, its red color ; the j The meaning is, that, in some respects, 
other, that it was great. In regard to | there would be a tenfold origin or divi- 
the former, as above mentioned, the j sion of the power represented by the 
dragon was supposed to be black, red, ; dragon, And seven crowns upon hi§ 
yellow, or ashy. See the authorities heads. Gr. diadems. See Notes on ch. 
referred to in Bochart, ut sup. pp. 435, ix, 7. There is a reference here to some 
436. There was doubtless a reason why ; kingly power, and doubtless John haft 
the one seen by John should be repre- j some kingdom or sovereignty in his eye 
gented as red. As to the other charac- | that would be properly symbolized in 
teristic — great — the idea is, that it was this manner. The method in which 
a huge monster, and this would properly these heads and horns were arranged on 
refer to some mighty, terrible power , the dragon is not stated, and is not ma- 



A. D. 96.] 



C H APT 



EE XII. 



339 



terial. All that is necessary in the ex- 
planation is, that there was something in 
the power referred to that would be pro- 
perly represented by the seven heads, 
and something by the ten horns. 

In the application of this, it will be 
necessary to enquire what was properly 
symbolized by these representations, and 
to refer again to these particulars with 
this view. 

(a) The dragon. This is explained, 
ver. 9 of this chapter: "And the great 
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, 
called the Devil, and Satan, which de- 
ceiveth the whole world." So again, 
ch. xx. 2, "And he laid hold on the 
dragon, that old serpent, which is the 
Devil." Comp. Bochart, Hieroz. ii. pp. 
439, 440. There can be no doubt, there- 
fore, that the reference here is to Satan, 
considered as the enemy of God, and the 
enemy of the peace of man, and espe- 
cially as giving origin and form to some 
mighty power that would threaten the 
existence of the church. 

(b) Great. This will well describe the 
power of Satan as originating the organ- 
izations that were engaged for so long a 
time in persecuting the church, and 
endeavouring to destroy it. It was a 
work of vast power, controlling kings 
and princes and nations for ages, and 
could have been accomplished only by 
one to whom the appellation here used 
could be given. 

(c) Bed. This, too, is an appellation 
properly applied here to the dragon, or 
Satan, considered as the enemy of the 
church, and as originating this perse- 
cuting power, either (1) because it well 
represents the bloody persecutions that 
would ensue ; or (2) because this would 
be the favorite color by which this power 
would be manifest. Comp. ch. xvii. 3, 4, 
xviii. 12, 16. 

(d) The seven heads. There was doubt- 
less, as above remarked, something sig- 
nificant in these heads, as referring to 
the power designed to be represented. 
On the supposition that this refers to 
Rome, or to the power of Satan as mani- 
fested by Roman persecution, there can 
be no difficulty in the application, and, 
indeed, it is such an image as the writer 
would naturally use on the supposition 
that it had such a designed reference. 
Rome was built, as is well known, on 
seven hills (comp. Notes on ch. x. 3), 
and was called the seven-hilled city 



{Septicolis), from having been originally 
built on seven hills, though subsequently 
three hills were added, making the whole 
number ten. See Eschenburg, Manual 
of Classical Literature, P. 1, § 53. Thus 
Ovid: . 

"SeJ quae de septem totum circumspicit orbem 
Montibus, imperii Romse Deumque locus. 

Horace : 

" Dts quibus septem placuere collet." 

Propertius : 

"Septem urbs alta jugis, toti quae praesidet orbi." 

Tertullian : "I appeal to the citizens of 
Rome, the populace that dwell on the 
seven hills." Apol. 35. And again, Jer- 
ome to Marcella, when urging her to quit 
Rome for Bethlehem: "Read what is 
said in the Apocalypse of the seven 
hills," &c. The situation of the city, if 
that was designed to be represented by 
the dragon, would naturally suggest the 
idea of the seven-headed monster. Comp. 
Notes on ch. xiii. The explanation which 
is here given of the meaning of the ' seven 
heads/ is in fact one that is given in the 
book of Revelation itself, and there can 
be no danger of error in this part of the 
interpretation. See ch. xvii. 9 : " Tho 
seven heads are seven mountains, on 
which the woman sitteth." Comp. ver. 18. 

(e) The ten horns. These were em- 
blems of power, denoting that in refer- 
ence to that power there were, in some 
respects, ten sources. The same thing 
is referred to here which is in Dan. vii. 
7, 8, 20, 24. See the Notes on Dan. vii. 
24, where this subject is fully considered. 
The creature that John saw was indeed 
a monster, and we are not to expect 
entire congruity in the details. It is 
sufficient that the main idea is preserved, 
and that would be, if the reference wai 
to Rome considered as the place where 
the energy of Satan, as opposed to God 
and the church, was centered. 

(/) The seven croicns. This would 
merely denote that kingly or royal au- 
thority was claimed. 

The general interpretation which re- 
fers this vision to Rome may receive 
confirmation from the fact that the 
dragon was at one time the Roman 
standard, as is represented by the fol- 
lowing cut from Montfaucon. Ammianus 
Marcellinus (xvi. 10) thus describes this 
standard : " The dragon w'as covered with 
purple cloth, and fastened to the end of 
a pike gilt and adorned with preciou* 



340 



EEVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



4 And his tail ° drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did 
a is. 9. 15. cast them to the earth : and the 



stones. It opened its wide throat, and as if in a rage, with its tail floating in 
the wind blew through it ; and it hissed several folds through the air." He else- 




ROMAN ENSIGN 

where often gives it the epithet of pur- 
pureus — purple-red : purpureum signum 
draconis, &c. With this the description 
of Claudian well agrees also : — 

'* Hi volucres tollent aquilas ; hi picta draeonum 
Colla levant : multumque tumet per nubila serpens, 
Iratus stimulante noto, vivitque receptis 
Flatibus, et vario mentitur sibila flatu." 

The dragon was first used as an ensign 
near the close of the second century of 
the Christian era, and it was not until 
the third century that its use had become 
common, and the reference here, accord- 
ing to this fact, would be to that period 
of the Roman power when this had 
become a common standard, and when 
the applicability of this image would be 
readily understood. It is simply Rome 
that is referred to — Rome the great agent 
of accomplishing the purposes of Satan 
towards the church. The eagle was the 
common Roman ensign in the time of 



— THE DRAGON, 
the Republic and in the earlier periods 
of the empire, but in later periods the 
dragon became also a standard as com- 
mon and as well-known as the eagle. 
" In the third century it had become 
almost as notorious among Roman en- 
signs as the eagle itself; and is in the 
fourth century noted by Prudentius, 
Vegetius, Chrysostom, Ammianus, &c. ; 
in the fifth, by Claudian and others." 
Elliott, ii. 14. 

4. And his tail drew the third part of 
the stars of heaven. The word rendered 
drew — trvpu) — means to draw, drag, haul. 
Prof. Stuart renders it ' drew along f and 
explains it as meaning that " the danger 
is represented as being in the upper 
region of the air, so that his tail may be 
supposed to interfere with and sweep 
down the stars, which, as viewed by the 
ancients, were all set in the visible 
expanse or welkin/' So Daniel (viii. 10), 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XII. 



341 



dragon stood before the woman 
which was ready to be delivered, 
for to devour her child a% soon as 
it was born. 
5 And ° she brought forth a 



speaking of the little horn, says that " it 
waxed great, even to the host of heaven, 
and it cast down some of the host and 
of the stars to the ground." See Notes 
on that passage. The main idea here 
undoubtedly is that of power, and the 
object of John is to show that the power 
of the dragon was as if it extended to 
the stars, and as if it dragged down a 
third part of them to the earth, or swept 
them away with its tail, leaving two- 
thirds unaffected. A power that would 
sweep them all away would be universal ; 
a power that would sweep away one- 
third only would represent a dominion 
of that extent only. The dragon is 
represented as floating in the air — a 
monster extended along the sky — and 
one-third of the whole expanse was sub- 
ject to his control. Suppose, then, that 
the dragon here was designed to repre- 
sent the Roman Pagan power; suppose 
that it referred to that power about to 
engage in the work of persecution, and 
at a time when the church was about to 
be greatly enlarged, and to fill the 
world; suppose that it referred to a time 
when but one-third part of the Roman 
world was subject to Pagan influence, 
and the remaining two-thirds were, for 
some cause, safe from this influence, all 
the conditions here referred to would be 
fulfilled. Now it so happens that at a 
time when the 'dragon* had become a 
common standard in the Roi(hi armies, 
and had in, some measure superseded 
the eagle, a state of things did exist 
which well corresponds with this repre- 
sentation. There were times under the 
emperors when, in a considerable part of 
the empire, after the establishment of 
Christianity, the church enjoyed protec- 
tion, and the Christian religion was 
tolerated, while in other parts Pagan- 
ism still prevailed, and waged a bitter 
warfare with the church. "Twice, at 
least, before the Roman empire became 
divided permanently into the two parts, 
the Eastern and the Western, there was 
a tripartite division of the empire. The 
first occurred A. D. 311, when it was 
divided between Constantine, Licinius, 
29* 



man child, who * was to rule all 
nations with a rod of iron : and her 
child was caught up unto God, and 
to his throne. . 

a Is. 7. 14. b Ps. 2. 10. 



and Maximin ; the other A. D. 337, on 
the death of Constantine, when it was 
divided between his three sons, Constan 
tine, Constans, and Constantius. " In 
two-thirds of the empire, embracing its 
whole European and African territory, 
Christians enjoyed toleration; in the 
other, or Asiatic portion, they were still, 
after a brief and uncertain respite, ex- 
posed to persecution, in all its bitterness 
and cruelty as before." Elliott, ii. 17. 
I do not deem it absolutely essential, 
however, in order to a fair exposition 
of this passage, that we should be able 
to refer to minute historical facts with 
names and dates. A sufficient fulfilment 
is found, if there was a period when 
the church, bright, glorious, and pros- 
perous, was appareutly about to become 
greatly enlarged, but when the mon- 
strous Pagan power still held its sway 
over a considerable part of the world, 
exposing the church to persecution. 
Even after the establishment of the 
church in the empire, and the favor 
shown to it by the Roman government, 
it was long before the Pagan power 
ceased to rage, and before the church 
could be regarded as safe, And the 
dragon stood before the woman ready to 
be delivered, for to devour her child. To 
prevent the increase and spread of the 
church in the world. 

5. And she brought forth a man-child. 
Representing, according to the view 
above taken, the church in its increase 
and prosperity — as if a child were born 
that was to rule over all nations. See 
Notes on ver. 2. *j Who was to rule all 
nations. That is, according to this view, 
the church thus represented was des- 
tined to reign in all the earth, or all the 
earth was to become subject to its laws. 
Comp. Notes on Daniel, vii. 13, 14. 
^ With a rod of iron. The language 
here used is derived from Ps. ii. 9 : 
" Thou shalt break them with a rod 
of iron." The form of the expression 
here used 'who was to rule* — os fxiWei 
TToiuatvetv — is derived from the Septua- 
gint translation of the Psalm — iroipatvhs 
— 'thou shalt rule themj* to wi£ a* a 



342 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 9e. 



shepherd does his flock. The reference 
is to such control as a shepherd em- 
ploys in relation to his flock — protect- 
ing, guarding, and defending them, with 
the idea that the flock is under his 
care j and, on the supposition that this 
refers to the church, it means that it 
would yet have the ascendency or the 
dominion over the earth. The meaning 
in the phrase, 'with a rod of iron/ is, 
that the dominion would be strong or 
irresistible — as an iron sceptre is one 
that cannot be broken or resisted. The 
thoughts here expressed, therefore, are 
(a) that the church would become uni- 
versal — or that the principles of truth 
and righteousness would prevail every- 
where on the earth ; (b) that the ascend- 
ency of religion over the understandings 
and consciences of men would be irre- 
sistible — as firm as a government ad- 
ministered under a sceptre of iron ; yet 
(c) that it would be rather of a character 
of protection than of force or violence, 
like the sway which a shepherd wields 
over his flock. I understand the i man- 
child* here, therefore, to refer to the 
church in its increase under the Messiah, 
and the idea to be, that that church was, 
at the- time referred to, about to be en- 
larged, and that, though its increase was 
opposed, yet it was destined ultimately 
to assert a mild sway over all the world. 
The time here referred to would seem to 
be some period in the early history of 
the church when religion was likely to 
be rapidly propagated, and when it was 
opposed and retarded by violent perse- 
cution — perhaps the last of the perse- 
cutions under the Pagan Roman empire. 

And her child was caught up unto God. 
This is evidently a symbolical repre- 
sentation. Some event was to occur, or 
some divine interposition was to take 
place, as if the child thus born were 
caught up from the earth to save it from 
death, and was rendered secure by being 
In the presence of God, and near his 
throne. It cannot be supposed that any 
thing like this would literally occur. 
Any divine interposition to protect the 
church in its increase, or to save it from 
being destroyed by the dragon — the 
fierce Pagan power — would be properly 
represented by this. Why may we not 
suppose the reference to be to the times 
cf Constantine when the church came 
snder his protection ; when it was effec- 
' aally and finally saved from Pagan 



persecution ; when it was rendered safe 
from the enemy that waited to destroy it? 
On the supposition that this refers to aD 
increasing but endangered church, in 
whose defence a civil power was raised 
up, exalting Christianity to the throne, 
and protecting it from danger, this would 
be well represented by the child caught 
up to heaven. This view may derive 
confirmation from some well-known 
facts in history. The old Pagan power 
was concentrated in Maximin, who was 
emperor from the Nile to the Bosphorus, 
and who raged against the gospel and 
the church " with Satanic enmity." 
" Infuriate at the now imminent pros- 
pect of the Christian body attaining 
establishment in the empire, Maximin 
renewed the persecution against Chris- 
tians within the limits of his own domi- 
nion ; prohibing their assemblies, and 
degrading, and even killing their bish- 
ops." Comp. Gibbon, i. 325, 326. The 
last struggle of Pagan Rome to destroy 
the church by persecution, before the 
triumph of Constantine, and the public 
establishment of the Christian religion, 
might be well represented by the at- 
tempt of the dragon to destroy the 
child ; and the safety of the church, and 
its complete deliverance from Pagan per- 
secution, by the symbol of a child caught 
up to heaven, and placed near the 
throne of God. The persecution under 
Maximin was the last struggle of Pa- 
ganism to retain the supremacy, and to 
crush Christianity in the empire. " Be- 
fore the decisive battle," says Milner, 
" Maximin vowed to Jupiter that, if vic- 
torious, he would abolish the Christian 
name. The contest between Jehovah 
and JupBr was now at its height, and 
drawing to a crisis." The result was 
the defeat and death of Maximin, and 
the termination of the efforts of Pagan- 
ism to destroy Christianity by force. 
Respecting this event, Mr. Gibbon re- 
marks, " The defeat and death of Max- 
imin soon delivered the church from the 
last and most implacable of her ene- 
mies." i. 326. Christianity was, after 
that, rendered safe from Pagan persecu- 
tion. Mr. Gibbon says, 4< The gratitude 
of the church has exalted the virtues of 
the generous patron who seated Chris- 
tianity on the throne of the Roman 
world" If, however, it should be re- 
garded as a forced and fanciful inter- 
pretation to suppose that the pw?f« 



A. I). 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER XII. 



343 



6 And the woman fled into the 
wilderness, where she hath a place 
prepared of God, that they should 



before us refers to this specific event, 
yet the general circumstances of the 
times would furnish a fulfilment of what 
is here said, (a) The church would be 
well represented by the beautiful woman. 
(b) The prospect of its increase and uni- 
versal dominion would be well repre- 
sented by the birth of the child, (e) The 
furious opposing Pagan power would be 
well represented by the dragon in its 
attempts to destroy the child, (d) The 
safety of the church would be well 
represented by the symbol of the child 
caught up to God, and placed near his 
throne. 

6. And the woman. The woman re- 
presenting the church. Notes ver. 1. 

Fled. That is, she fled in the man- 
ner, and at the time, stated in ver. 14. 
John here evidently anticipates, by a 
summary statement, what he relates 
more in detail in vs. 14—17. He had 
referred (vs. 2-5) to what occurred to 
the child in its persecutions, and he here 
alludes, in general, to what befell the 
true church as compelled to flee into 
obscurity and safety. Having briefly 
referred to this, the writer (vs. 7-13) 
gives an account of the efforts of Satan 
consequent on the removal of the child 
to heaven, *jj Into the wilderness. On 
the meaning of the word wilderness in 
the New Testament, see Notes on Matt, 
iii. 1. It means a desert place, a place 
where there are few or no inhabitants ; 
a place, therefore, where one might be 
concealed and unknown — remote from 
the habitations and the observation of 
men. This would well represent the 
fact that the true church became for a 
time obscure and unknown — as if it had 
fled away from the habitations of men, 
and had retired to the solitude and lone- 
liness of a desert. Yet even there (vs. 
14, 16), it would be mysteriously nou- 
rished, though seemingly driven out 
into wastes and solitudes, and having its 
abode among the rocks and sands of a 
desert, Where she hath a place pre- 
pared of God. A place where she might 
be safe, and might be kept alive. The 
meaning is, that during that time, the 
true church, though obscure and almost 



feed her there ° a thousand two 
hundred and threescore days. 
7 And there was war in heaven : 
d c. 11. 3. 



unknown, would be the object of the 
divine protection and care — a beautiful 
representation of the church during the 
corruptions of the Papacy and the dark- 
ness of the Middle Ages, % That they 
shoidd feed her. That they should nou- 
rish or sustain her — rpi^otciv — to wit, as 
specified in vs. 14, 16. Those who were 
to do this, represented by the word 4 they/ 
are not particularly mentioned, and the 
simple idea is that she would be nou- 
rished during that time. That is, stripped 
of the figure, the church during that time 
would find true friends, and would be 
kept alive. It is hardly necessary to say 
that this has in fact occurred in the 
darkest periods of the history of the 
church. % A thousand two hundred and 
threescore days. That is, regarding these 
as prophetic days, in which a day de- 
notes a year, twelve hundred and sixty 
years. The same period evidently is 
referred to in ver. 14, in the words 'for 
a time, and times, and half a time/ And 
the same period is undoubtedly referred 
to in Daniel vii. 25, "And they shall be 
given into his hand until a time, and 
times, and the dividing of time." For a 
full consideration of the meaning of this 
language, and its application to the Pa- 
pacy, see Notes on Daniel vii. 25. The 
full investigation there made of the 
meaning and application of the lan- 
guage, renders its consideration here 
unnecessary. I regard it here, as I do 
there, as referring to the proper continu- 
ance of the Papal power, during which 
the true church would remain in com- 
parative obscurity, as if driven into a 
desert. Comp. Notes on ch. xi. 2. The 
meaning here is, that during that period 
the true church would not become whol- 
ly extinct. It would have an existence 
upon the earth, but its final triumph 
would be reserved for the time when this 
great enemy should be finally over- 
thrown. Comp. Notes on vs. 14-17. 

7. And there was war in heaven. 
There was a state of things existing in 
regard to the woman and the child — the 
church in the condition in which it would 
then be — which would be well represent, 
ed by a war in heaven ; that is, by a 



344 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



Michael and hia angels fought 
against the dragon; and the dra- 
gon fought and his angels, 



conflict between the powers of good and 
evil, of light and darkness. Of course, 
it is not necessary to understand this 
literally, any more than the other sym- 
bolical representations in the book. All 
that is meant is, that a vision passed 
before the mind of John as if there was 
a conflict, in regard to the church, be- 
tween the angels in heaven and Satan. 
There is a vision of the persecuted church 
— of the woman fleeing into the desert — 
and the course of the narrative is here 
interrupted by going back (vs. 7-13) to 
describe the conflict which led to this 
result, and the fact that Satan, as it were 
cast out of heaven, and unable to achieve 
a victory there, was suffered to vent his 
malice against the church on earth. 
The seat of this warfare is said to be 
heaven. This language sometimes refers 
to heaven as it appears to us — the sky — 
the upper regions of the atmosphere, and 
some have supposed that that was the 
place of the contest. But the language 
in ch. xi. 19, xii. 1 (see Notes on those 
places), would rather lead us to refer it 
to heaven considered as lying beyond 
the sky. This accords too with other 
representations in the Bible, where Satan 
is described as appearing before God, 
and among the sons of God. See Notes 
on Job i. 6. Of course, this is not to be 
understood as a real transaction, but as 
a symbolical representation of the con- 
test between good and evil — as if there 
was a war waged in heaven between 
Satan and the leader of the heavenly 
hosts, *j Michael. There have been 
rery various opinions as to who Michael 
is. Many Protestant interpreters have 
supposed that Christ is meant. The 
reasons usually alleged for this opinion, 
many of which are very fanciful, may be 
seen in Hengstenburg (Die Offenbarung 
des lieiliges Johannes), i. 611-622. The 
reference to Michael here is probably 
derived from Daniel x. 13, xii. 1. In 
those places he is represented as the 
Guardian Angel of the people of God, 
and it is in this sense, I apprehend, that 
the passage is to be understood here. 
There is no evidence in the name itself, 
or in the circumstances referred to, that 
Christ is intended, and if he had been it 



8 And prevailed not; neither 
was their place found any more in 
heaven. 



is inconceivable why he was not referred 
to by his own name, or by some of the 
usual appellations which John gives him. 
Michael, the Archangel, is here repre- 
sented as the Guardian of the church, 
and as contending against Satan for its 
protection. Comp. Notes on Dan. x. 13. 
This representation accords with the 
usual statements in the Bible respecting 
the interposition of the angels in behalf 
of the church (see Notes on Heb. i. 14), 
and is one which cannot be proved to be 
unfounded. All the analogies which 
throw any light on the subject, as well 
as the uniform statements of the Bible, 
lead us to suppose that good beings of 
other worlds feel an interest in the wel- 
fare of the redeemed church below. 

And his angels. The angels under 
him. Michael is represented as the 
Archangel, and all the statements in the 
Bible suppose that the heavenly hosts 
are distributed into different ranks and 
orders. See Notes on Jude 9, Eph. i. 21. 
If Satan is permitted to mnke war against 
the church, there is no improbability in 
supposing that, in those higher regions 
where the war is carried on, and in those 
aspects of it which lie beyond the power 
and the knowledge of man, good angels 
should be employed to defeat his plans. 

Fought. See Notes on Jude 9. 

Against the dragon. Against Satan. 
Notes ver. 3. And the dragon fought 
and his angels. That is, the master- 
spirit — Satan, and those under him. 
See Notes on Matt. iv. 1. Of the nature 
of this warfare, nothing is definitely 
stated. Its whole sphere lies beyond 
mortal vision, and is carried on in a 
manner of which we can have little con- 
ception. What weapons Satan may use 
to destroy the church, and in what way 
his efforts may be counteracted by holy 
angels, are points on which we can have 
little knowledge. It is sufficient to know 
that the fact of such a struggle is not 
improbable, and that Satan is success- 
fully resisted by the leader of the hea- 
venly host. 

8. And prevailed not, Satan and his 
angels failed in their purpose, Neiihe.i 
was their place found any more in heaven. 
They were cast out, and were seen there 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XII. 



345 



9 And the great dragon was cast 
out, that old serpent, ° called the 
Devil, b and Satan, c which deceiv- 
er Ge. 3. 1, 4. 6 Jno. 8. 44. c Zee. 3. 1. 



no more. The idea is, that they were 
defeated and driven away, though for a 
time they were suffered to carry on the 
warfare elsewhere. 

9. And the great dragon was cast out. 
See Notes on ver. 3. That there may be 
an allusion in the language here to what 
actually occurred in some far-distant 
period of the past, when Satan was 
ejected from heaven, there can be no 
reason to doubt. Our Saviour seems* to 
refer to such an event in the language 
which he uses when he says (Luke x. 18), 
" I beheld Satan as lightning fall from 
heaven;"" and Jude perhaps (ver. 6) 
may refer to the same event. All that 
we know on the subject leads us to sup- 
pose that at some time there was a revolt 
among the angels, and that the rebel- 
lious part were cast out of heaven, for 
an allusion to this is not unfrequent in 
the Scriptures. Still, the event here 
referred to is a symbolical representation 
of what would occur at a later period, 
when the church would be about to 
spread and be triumphant, and when 
Satan would wage a deadly war against 
it. That opposition would be as if he 
made war on Michael the Archangel, 
and the heavenly hosts, and his failure 
would be as great as if he were van- 
quished and cast out of heaven, That 
old serpent. This doubtless refers to the 
serpent that deceived Eve (Gen. iii. 1- 
11 ; Rev. xx. 2 ; comp. Notes on 2 Cor. 
xi. 3) ,* and this passage may be adduced 
as a proof that the real tempter of Eve 
was the devil, who assumed the form of 
a serpent. The word old here refers to 
the fact that his appearance on earth 
was at an early stage of the world's his- 
tory, and that he had long been em- 
ployed in the work which is here 
attributed to him — that of opposing the 
church. Called the Devil. To whom 
the name Devil is given. That is, this 
is the same being that is elsewhere and 
commonly known by that name. See 
Notes on Matt. iv. 1. And Satan. 
Another name given to the same being ; 
a name, like the other, designed to refer 
to something in his character. See it 
explained in the Notes on Job i. 6. 



eth the whole world ; he was cast 
out into the earth, and his angels 
were cast out with him. 

10 And I hmrd a loud voice say- 



% Which deceiveth the whole world. 
Whose character is that of a deceiver j 
whose agency extends over all the earth. 
See Notes on John viii. 44, and 1 John 
v. 19. ^[ He teas cast out into the earth. 
That is, he was not suffered to pursue 
his designs in heaven, but was cast down 
to the earth, where he is permitted for 
a time to carry on his warfare against 
the church. According to the interpre- 
tation proposed above, this refers to the 
period when there were indications that 
God was about to set up his kingdom on 
the earth. The language, however, is 
such as would be used on the supposition 
that there had been, at some period, a 
rebellion in heaven, and that Satan and 
his followers had been cast out to return 
there no more. It is difficult to explain 
this language except on that supposition; 
and such a supposition is, in itself, no 
more improbable than the apostacy and 
rebellion of man. % And his angels 
were cast out icith him. They shared 
the lot of their leader. As applicable to 
the state of things to which this refers, 
the meaning is, that all were overthrown ; 
that no enemy of the church would re- 
main unsubdued ; that the victory would 
be final and complete. As applicable to 
the event from which the language is 
supposed to have been derived — the 
revolt in heaven — the meaning is, that 
the followers in the revolt shared the 
lot of the leader, and that all who 
rebelled were ejected from heaven. The 
first and the only revolt in heaven was 
quelled ; and the result furnished to the 
universe an impressive proof that none 
who rebelled there would be forgiven — 
that apostasy so near the throne could 
not be pardoned. 

10. And I heard a loud voice saying in 
heaven. The great enemy was expelled ; 
the cause of God and truth was triumph- 
ant; and the conquering hosts united in 
celebrating the victory. This repre- 
sentation of a song, consequent on vic- 
tory, is in accordance with the usual 
representations in the Bible. See the 
Song of Moses at the Red Sea, Ex. xv. ; 
the Song of Deborah, Judges v.; the 
Song of David when the Lord had 



346 



REVEL 



AT ION, 



[A. D. 96. 



ing in heaven, Now a is come sal- 
vation and strength, and the king- 

a c. 11. 15. 



delivered him out of the hand of all his 
enemies, 2 Sam. xxii., and Isa. xii. xxv. 
On no occasion could such a song be 
more appropriate than on the complete 
routing and discomfiture of Satan and 
his rebellious hosts. Viewed in reference 
to the time here symbolized, this would 
relate to the certain triumph of the 
church and of truth on the earth; in 
reference to the language, there is an 
allusion to the joy and triumph of the 
heavenly hosts when Satan and his 
apostate legions were expelled, Now 
is come salvation. That is, complete 
deliverance from the power of Satan. 
«|f And strength. That is, now is the 
mighty power of God manifested in 
casting down and subduing the great 
enemy of the church, And the king- 
dom of our God. The reign of our God. 
See Notes on Matt. iii. 2. That is now 
established among men, and God will 
henceforward rule. This refers to the 
certain ultimate triumph of his cause in 
the world. And the power of his 
Christ. His anointed; that is, the king- 
dom of Christ as the Messiah, or as 
anointed and set apart to rule over the 
world. See Notes on Matt. i. 1. *j For 
the accuser of our brethen is cast down. 
The phrase ' our brethren* shows by 
whom this song is celebrated. It is 
sung in heaven ; but it is by those who 
belonged to the redeemed church, and 
whose brethren were still suffering per- 
secution and trial on the earth. It shows 
the tenderness of the tie which unites all 
the redeemed as brethren whether on 
earth or in heaven; and it shows the 
interest which they 'who have passed 
the flood" have in the trials, the sorrows, 
and the triumphs of those who are still 
upon the earth. We have here another 
appellation given to the great enemy : — 
'accuser of our brethren/ The word 
here used — tcarrtyopog, in later editions of 
the New Testament Kartfup — means pro- 
perly an accuser ; one who blames an- 
other or charges another with crime. 
The word occurs in John viii. 10; Acts 
xxiii. 30, 35, xxiv. 8, xxv. 16, 18 ; Rev. 
xii. 10, in all which places it is rendered 
accuser or accusers, though only in the 
latter place applied to Satan. The verb 



dom of our God, and the power of 
his Christ : for the accuser of our 
brethren is cast down, which ac- 



frequently occurs, Matt. xii. 10, xxvii. 
12; Mark iii. 2, xv. 3, et al. The 
description of Satan as an accuser ac- 
cords with the opinion of the ancient 
Hebrews in regard to his character. 
Thus he is represented in Job i. 9-11, 
ii. 4, 5 ; Zech. iii. 1,2; 1 Chron. xxi. 1. 
The phrase i of the brethren' refers to 
Christians, or to the people of God ; and 
the meaning here is, that one of the 
characteristics of Satan — a characteristic 
so well-known as to make it proper to 
designate him by it — is that he is an ac~. 
cuser of the righteous; that he is em- 
ployed in bringing against them charges 
affecting their character and destroying 
their influence. The propriety of this 
appellation cannot be doubted. It is, as 
it has always been, one of the charac- 
teristics of Satan — one of the means by 
which he keeps up his influence in the 
world — -to bring accusations against the 
people of God. Thus, under his sug- 
gestions, and by his agents, they are 
charged with hypocrisy; with insin- 
cerity; with being influenced by bad 
motives ; with pursuing sinister designs 
under the cloak of religion ; with secret 
vices and crimes. Thus it was that the 
martyrs were accused; thus it is that 
unfounded accusations are often brought 
against ministers of the gospel, palsying 
their power and diminishing their influ- 
ence, or that when a professed Christian 
falls the church is made to suffer by an 
effort to cast suspicion on all who bear 
the Christian name. Perhaps the most 
skilful thing that Satan does, and the 
thing by which he most contributes to 
diminish the influence of the church, is 
in thus causing ' accusations' to be 
brought against the people of God. 
^ Is cast down. The period here re- 
ferred to was, doubtless, the time when 
the church was about to be established 
and to flourish in the world, and when 
accusations would be brought against 
Christians by various classes of calum- 
niators and informers. It is well-known 
that in the early ages of Christianity 
crimes of the most horrid nature were 
charged on Christians, and that it was 
by these slanders that the effort was 
made to prevent the extension of tbo 



K. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER Xll. 



347 



sused them before our God day 
and night. 

11 And they overcame a him by 
the blood of the Lamb, and by 
the word of their testimony; and 



Christian church. Which accused 
them be/ore our God. See Notes on Job i. 
9, 10. The meaning is, that he accused 
them, as it were, in the very presence 
of Grod. *[ Day and night. He never 
ceased bringing these accusations, and 
sought by the perseverance and con- 
stancy with which they were urged, to 
convince the world that there was no 
sincerity in the church, and no reality 
in religion. 

11. And they overcame him. That is, 
he was foiled in his attempt thus to 
destroy the church. The reference here, 
undoubtedly, is primarily to the martyr 
age, and to the martyr spirit ; and the 
meaning is, that religion had not become 
extinct by these accusations, as Satan 
hoped it would be, but lived and tri- 
umphed. By their holy lives ; by their 
faithful testimony ; by their patient suf- 
ferings, they showed that all these ac- 
cusations were false, and that the religion 
which they professed was from God, 
and thus in fact gained a victory over 
their accuser. Instead of being them- 
selves subdued, Satan himself was van- 
quished, and the world was constrained 
to acknowledge that the persecuted 
religion had a heavenly origin. No 
design was ever more ineffectual than 
that of crushing the church by persecu- 
tion ; no victory was ever more signal 
than that which was gained when it 
could be said that ( the blood of the 
martyrs is the seed of the church/ By 
the blood of the Lamb. The Lord Jesus 
— the Lamb of God. Notes, ch. v. 6 ; 
comp. Notes on John i. 29. The blood 
of Christ was that by which they were 
redeemed, and it was in virtue of the 
efficacy of the atonement that they were 
enabled to achieve the victory. Comp. 
Notes on Phil. iv. 13. Christ himself 
achieved a victory over Satan by his 
death (see Notes on Col. ii. 15 ; Heb. ii. 
15), and it is in virtue of the victory 
which he thus achieved, that we are 
sow able to triumph over our great foe. 

" I ask them whence their victory came j 
They, with united breath, 
Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb, 
Their triumph to his death." 



they loved not their lives unto * thp 
death. 

12 Therefore c rejoice, ye hea- 
vens, and ye that dwell in them. 

a Ro. 8. 83, 37. b Lu. 14. 26. 
c Ps. 96.11; Is. 49, 13. 

«[ And by the word of their testimony. The 
faithful testimony which they bore to 
the truth. That is, they adhered to the 
truth in their sufferings ; they declared 
their belief in it, even in the pains of 
martyrdom, and it was by this that they 
overcame the great enemy ; that is, by 
this that the belief in the gospel wa* 
established and maintained in the world. 
The reference here is to the effects of 
persecution, and to the efforts of Satan 
to drive religion from the world by per- 
secution. John says that the result, as 
he saw it in vision, was that the perse- 
cuted church bore a faithful testimony 
to the truth, and that the great enemy 
was overcome. *[ Because they loved not 
their lives unto the death. They did not 
so love their lives that they were un- 
willing to die as martyrs. They did no* 
shrink back when threatened with death, 
but remained firm in their attachment 
to their Saviour, and left their dying 
testimony to the truth and power of re- 
ligion. It was by these means thai 
Christianity was established in the 
world, and John, in the scene before 
us, saw it thus triumphant, and saw the 
angels and the redeemed in heaven 
celebrating the triumph. The result of 
the attempts to destroy the Christian 
religion by persecution demonstrated 
that it was to triumph. No more 
mighty power could be employed tf 
crush it than was employed by the Ro 
man emperors, and when it was sees 
that Christianity could survive thosi 
efforts to crush it, it was certain that ii 
was destined to live for ever. 

12. Therefore, rejoice, ye heavens. I\ 
is not unusual in the Scripture to call on 
the heavens and the earth to sympa- 
thize with the events that occur. Comp. 
Notes on Isa. i. 2. Here the heavens 
are called on to rejoice because of the 
signal victory which it was seen would 
be achieved over the great enemy. 
Heaven itself was secure from any 
further rebellion or invasion, and the 
foundation was laid for a final victory 
over Satan every where, ^ And ye that 
dwell in them. The angels and the re- 



348 



REVEL 



AT ION, 



[A. D. 96 



Woe a to the inhabiters of the j 
earth, and of the sea ! for the devil 
is come down unto you, having 
great wrath because * he knoweth 
that he hath but a short time. 
13 And when the dragon saw 

a c. 8. 13. b c. 10. 6. 



deemed. This is an instance of the 
sympathy of the heavenly inhabitants — 
the unfallen and holy beings before the 
throne — with the church on earth, and 
with all that may affect its welfare. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Pet. i. 12. ^ Woe to 
the inhabiters of the earth. This is not 
an imprecation, or a wish that woe might 
come upon them, but a prediction that 
it would. The meaning is this : — Satan 
would ultimately be entirely overcome — 
a fact that was symbolized by his being 
cast out of heaven; but there would 
be still temporary woe upon the earth, 
as if he were permitted to roam over the 
world for a time, and to spread woe and 
sorrow there, And of the sea. Those 
who inhabit the islands of the sea, and 
those who are engaged in commerce. 
The meaning is, that the world as such 
would have occasion to mourn — the 
dwellers both on the land and on the 
sea. ^[ For the devil is come down to 
you. As if cast out of heaven. ^Having 
great wrath. Wrath shown by the sym- 
bolical war with Michael and his angels 
(ver. 7) ; wrath increased and inflamed 
because he has been discomfited ; wrath 
the more concentrated because he knows 
that his time is limited, Because he 
knoweth that he hath but a short time. 
That is, he knows that the time is 
limited in which he will be permitted 
to wage war with the saints on the 
earth. There is allusion elsewhere to 
the fact that the time of Satan is limited, 
and that he is apprised of that. Thus 
in Matt. viii. 29, "Art thou come to 
torment us before the time ?" See Notes 
on that passage. Within that limited 
space, Satan knows that he must do all 
that he ever can do to destroy souls, and 
to spread woe through the earth, and 
hence it is not unnatural that he should 
be represented as excited to deeper 
wrath, and as arousing all his energy to 
destroy the church. 

13. And when the dragon saw that he 
«ws* cast out unto the earth. That is ; 



| that he was cast unto the earth, 
he persecuted the woman which 
brought forth the man child, 

14 And to the woman were given 
two wings c of a great eagle that 
she might fly into the wilderness, 

c Is. 40. 31. 



when Satan saw that he was doomed to 
discomfiture and overthrow, as if he had 
been cast out of heaven ; when he saw 
that his efforts must be confined to the 
earth, and that only for a limited time, 
he 'persecuted the woman/ and was 
more violently enraged against the 
church on earth, He persecuted the 
woman which brought forth the man- 
child. See Notes on ver. 5. The child 
is represented as safe ; that is, the ulti- 
mate progress and extension of the 
church was certain. But Satan was 
permitted still to wage a warfare against 
the church — represented here by his 
wrath against the woman, and by her 
being constrained to flee into the wil- 
derness. It is unnecessary to say 
that, after the Pagan persecutions 
ceased, and Christianity was firmly es- 
tablished in the empire; after Satan 
saw that all hope of destroying the 
church in that manner was at an end, 
his enmity was vented in another form — 
in the rise of the Papacy, and in the per- 
secutions under that — an opposition to 
spiritual religion no less determined and 
deadly than that which had been waged 
by Paganism. 

14. And to the woman were given two 
wings of a great eagle. The most pow- 
erful of birds, and among the most rapid 
in flight. See Notes on ch. iv. 7. The 
meaning here is, that the woman is rep- 
resented as prepared for a rapid flight; 
so prepared as to be able to outstrip her 
pursuer, and to reach a place of safety. 
Divested of the figure, the sense is, that 
the church, when exposed to this form 
of persecution, would be protected as 
if miraculously supplied with wings. 
^[ That she might fly into the wilderness. 
There is here a more full description of 
what is briefly stated In ver. 6. A wil- 
derness or desert is often represented as 
a place of safety from pursuers. Thus 
David (1 Sam. xxiii. 14, 15) is repre- 
sonted as fleeing into the wilderness 
ft om the persecutions of Saul. So Elijah 



A. D. 96.] CHAPT 



ER XII. 



349 



into her place, where she is nou- 
rished for a time, and times, and half 
a time, from the face of the serpent. 

(1 Kings xix. 4) fled into the wilderness 
from the persecutions of Jezebel. The 
simple idea here is, that the church, in 
the opposition which would come upon 
it, would find a refuge, Into her 
place. A place appointed for her, that 
is, a place where she could be safe. 
*\\ Where she is nourished. The word 
here rendered nourished is the same — 
rp/0a) — which occurs in ver. 6, and which 
is there rendered feed. It means to feed, 
nurse, or nourish, as the young of ani- 
mals (Matt. vi. 26, xxv. 37; Luke xii. 
24; Acts xii. 20) ; that is, to sustain by 
proper food. The meaning here is, that 
the church would be kept alive. It is 
not indeed mentioned by whom this 
would be done, but it is evidently in.- 
plied that it would be by God. During 
this long period in which the church 
would be in obscurity, it would not be 
suffered to become extinct. Comp. 1 
Kings xvii. 3-6. 1[ For a time, and 
times, and half a time. A year, two 
years, and half a year ; that is, forty-two 
months (see Notes on ch. xi. 2), or, reck- 
oning the month at thirty days, twelve 
hundred and sixty days ; and regarding 
these as prophetic days, in which a day 
stands for a year, twelve hundred and 
sixty years. For a full discussion of the 
meaning of this language, see Notes on 
Daniel vii. 25. For the evidence, also, 
that the time thus specified refers to the 
Papacy, and to the period of its contin- 
uance, see the Notes on that place. The 
full consideration given to the subject 
there, renders it unnecessary to discuss 
it here. For, it is manifest that there is 
an allusion here to the passage in Dan- 
iel; that the twelve hundred and sixty 
days refer to the same thing ; and that 
the true explanation must be made in 
the same way. The main difficulty, as 
is remarked in the Notes (ju that pas- 
sage, is in determining the time when 
the Papacy properly commenced. If 
that could be ascertained with certainty, 
there would be no difl&culty in deter- 
mining when it would come to an end. 
But though there is considerable uncer- 
tainty as to the exact time when it arose, 
and though different opinions have been 
entertained on that point, yet it is true 
that all the periods assigned for the rise 
30 



15 And the serpent cast out of 
his mouth water as a flood, ° after 

a Is. 59. 19. 

of that power lead to the conclusion that 
the time of its downfall cannot be remote. 
The meaning in the passage before us 
is, that during all the time of the con- 
tinuance of that formidable, persecuting 
power, the true church would not in fact 
become extinct. It would be obscure 
and comparatively unknown, but it would 
still live. The fulfilment of this is found 
in the fact that during all the time here 
referred to, there has been a true church 
on the earth. Pure, spiritual religion — 
the religion of the New Testament — has 
never been wholly extinct. In the his- 
tory of the Waldenses and Albigenses, 
the Bohemian brethren, and kindred 
people; in deserts and places of ob- 
scurity; among individuals and among 
small and persecuted sects: here and 
there in the cases of individuals in mon- 
asteries,* the true religion has been kept 
up in the world, as in the days of Elijah 
God reserved seven thousand men who 
had not bowed the knee to Baal; and it 
is possible now for us, with a good de- 
gree of certainty, to show, even during 
the darkest ages, and when Rome seemed 
to have entirely the ascendency, where 
the true church was. To find out this, 
was the great design of the Ecclesiastical 
History of Milner; it has been done, also, 
with great learning and skill, by Nean- 
der. ^[ From the face of the serpent. 
The dragon — or Satan represented by 
the dragon. Notes ver. 3. The refer- 
ence here is to the opposition which 
Satan makes to the true church under 
the persecutions and corruptions of the 
Papacy. 

15. And the serpent cast out of his 
mouth water, as a flood. This is pecu- 
liar and uncommon imagery, and it is 

# An affecting instance of this kind — perhaps one of 
many cases that existed — is mentioned by D'Aubiyne 
(B. I, p. 79, Eng. Trans.), which came to light on the 
pulling down, in the year 1776, of an old building that 
had formed a part of the Carthusian convent at Basle. 
A poor Carthusian brother, by the name of Martin, had 
written the following confession, which he had placed 
in a wooden box, and enclosed in a hole which he had 
made in the wall of his cell, where it was found :— 
" most merciful God, I know that I can only be 
saved, and satisfy thy righteousness, by the merit, the 
innocent suffering, and death of thy well-beloved Son. 
Holy Jesus ! my salvation is in thy hands. Thou cantt 
not withdraw the hands of thy love from me ; for they 
have created and redeemed me. Thou hast inscribed 
my name with a pen of iron in rich mercy, and so a* 
nothing can efface it, on thy siu*, thy hands, and thy 
feet," &c. 



350 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



the woman, that he might cause 
her to be carried away of the 
flood. 

16 And the earth helped the 
woman, and the earth opened her 
mouth, and swallowed up the flood 



not necessary to suppose that any thing 
like this literally occurs in nature. Some 
serpents are indeed said to eject from 
their mouths poisonous bile when they 
are enraged, in order to annoy their pur- 
suers, and some sea-monsters, it is 
known, spout forth large quantities of 
water ; but the representation here does 
not seem to be taken from either of those 
cases. It is the mere product of the 
imagination, but the sense is clear. The 
woman is represented as having wings, 
and as being able thus to escape from 
the serpent. But, as an expression of 
his wrath, and as if with the hope of 
destroying her in her flight by a deluge 
of water, he is represented as pouring a 
flood from his mouth, that he might, if 
possible, sweep her away. The figure 
here would well represent the continued 
malice of the Papal body against the 
true church, in those dark ages when it 
was sunk in obscurity, and, as it were, 
driven out into the desert. That malice 
never slumbered, but was continually 
manifesting itself in some new form, as 
if it were the purpose of Papal Rome 
to sweep it entirely away, That he 
might cause her to be carried away 
of the flood. Might cause the church 
wholly to be destroyed. The truth 
taught is, that Satan leaves no effort 
untried to destroy the church. 

16. And the earth helped the woman. 
The earth seemed to sympathize with the 
woman in her persecutions, and to inter- 
pose to save her.* The meaning is, that 
a state of things would exist in regard 
to the church thus driven into obscurity, 
which would be well represented by 
what is here said to occur. It was cut 
off from human aid. It was still in 
danger; still persecuted. In this state, 
it was nourished from some unseen 
source. It was enabled to avoid the 
direct attacks of the enemy, and when 
he attacked it in a new form, a new 
mode of intervention in its behalf was 
granted, as if the earth should open and 
Bwallow up a flood of water. We are 
not, therefore, to look for any literal ful- 



which the dragon cast out of his 
mouth. 

17 And the dragon was wroth 
with the woman, ° and went to 
make war with the remnant of her 

a Ge. 3. 15. 



filment of this, as if the earth interposed 
in some marvellous way to aid the 
church. The sense is, that, in that state 
of obscurity and solitude, the divine 
interposition was manifested, in an un- 
expected manner, as if when an impe- 
tuous stream was rolling along that 
threatened to sweep every thing away, a 
chasm should suddenly open in the 
earth and absorb it. During the dark 
ages, many such interventions occurred, 
saving the church from utter destruc- 
tion. Overflowing waters are often in 
the Scriptures an emblem of mighty 
enemies. Ps. cxxiv. 2-5, " If it had not 
been the Lord who was on our side, 
when men rose up against us • then they 
had swallowed us up quick, when their 
wrath was kindled against us : then the 
waters had overwhelmed us, the stream 
had gone over our soul : then the proud 
waters had gone over our soul." Ps. 
xviii. 16, "He sent me from above, he 
took me, he drew me out of many 
waters." Jer. xlvii. 2, " Behold, waters 
rise up out of the' north, and shall 
be an overflowing flood, and shall over- 
flow the land," &c. Comp. Jer. xlvi. 7, 
8, and Notes on Isa. viii. 7, 8. And the 
earth opened her mouth. A chasm was 
made sufficient to absorb the waters. 
That is, John saw that the church was 
safe from this attack, and that, in order 
to preserve it, there was an interposi- 
tion as marked and wonderful as if the 
earth should suddenly open and swallow 
up a mighty flood. 

17. And the dragon was wroth with 
the woman. This wrath had been vented 
by his persecuting her (ver. 13) ; by his 
pursuing h^; aud by his pouring out 
the flood of water to sweep her away 
(ver. 15.), and the same wrath was now 
vented against her children. As he 
could not reach and destroy the woman 
herself, he turned his indignation against 
all who were allied to her. Stripped of 
the imagery, the meaning is, that as he 
could not destroy the church as such, he 
vented his malice against all who were 
the friends of the church, and endea- 



A. D, 96.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



351 



seed, which kept the command- 



vored to destroy them. " The church, 
as such, he could not destroy ; therefore 
he turned his wrath against individual 
Christians, to bring as many of them as 
possible to death." Be Wette. ^ And 
went to make war with the remnant of her 
seed. No mention is made before of his 
persecuting the children of the woman 
except his opposition to the ' man-child/ 
which she bore, vs. 1-4. The 'woman' 
represents the church, and the phrase 
' the remnant of her seed' must refer 
to her scattered children, that is, to 
the scattered members of the church, 
wherever they could be found. The 
reference here is to persecutions against 
individuals, rather than a general perse- 
cution against the church itself, and all 
that is here said would find an ample 
fulfilment in the vexations and troubles 
of individuals in the Roman communion 
in the dark ages, when they evinced the 
spirit of pure, evangelical piety ; in the 
cruelties practised in the Inquisition on 
individual Christians under the plea that 
they were heretics; and in the perse- 
cutions of such men as Wiclif, John 
Huss, and Jerome of Prague. This war- 
fare against individual Christians was 
continued long in the Papal church, and 
tens of thousands of true friends of the 
Saviour suffered every form of cruelty 
and wrong as the result, \ Which keep 
the commandments of God. Who were 
true ^Christians. This phrase charac- 
terizes correctly those who, in the dark 
ages, were the friends of God, in the 
midst of abounding corruption, And 
have the testimony of Jesus Christ. That 
is, they bore a faithful testimony to 
his truth, or were real martyrs. See 
ch. ii. 13. 

The scene, then, in this chapter is 
this : — John saw a most beautiful wo- 
man, suitably adorned, representing the 
church as about to be enlarged, and to 
become triumphant in the earth. Then 
he saw a great red monster, representing 
Satan about to destroy the church : — 
the Pagan power, infuriated, and putting 
forth its utmost energy for its destruction. 
He then saw the child caught up into 
heaven, denoting that the church would 
be ultimately safe, and would reign over 
all the world. Another vision appears. 
It is that of a contest betweec Michael, 



merits of God, and have the testi- 
mony of J esus Christ. 

the protecting angel of the people of 
God, and the great foe, in which victory 
declares in favor of the former, and 
Satan suffers a discomfiture, as if he 
were cast from heaven to earth. Still, 
however, he is permitted for a time to 
carry on a warfare against the church, * 
though certain that he would be ulti- 
mately defeated. He puts forth his 
power, and manifests his hostility, in 
another form — that of the Papacy — and 
commences a new opposition against tho 
spiritual church of Christ. The church 
is, however, safe from that attempt to 
destroy it, for the woman is represented 
as fleeing to the wilderness beyond the 
power of the enemy, and is there kept 
alive. Still filled with rage, though in- 
capable of destroying the true church 
itself, he turns his wrath, under the 
form of Papal persecutions, against in- 
dividual Christians, and endeavors to 
cut them off in detail. 

This is the general representation in 
this chapter, and on the supposition that 
it was designed to represent the various 
forms of opposition which Satan would 
make to the church of Christ, under 
Paganism and the Papacy, it must be 
admitted, I think, that no more ex- 
pressive or appropriate symbols could 
have been chosen. This fact should be 
allowed to have due influence in confirm- 
ing the interpretation suggested above ; 
and i/it be admitted to-be a correct inter- 
pretation, it is conclusive evidence of the 
inspiration of the book. Further details 
of this opposition of Satan to the church 
under the Papal form of persecution are 
made in the subsequent chapters. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter is closely connected with 
ch. xii., which is properly introductory 
to this and to the subsequent portions 
of the book to ch. xx. See the Analysis 
of the book. The vision in this chapter 
is of two distinct ' beasts/ each with 
peculiar characteristics, yet closely re- 
lated, deriving their power from a com- 
mon source; aiding each other in the 
accomplishment of the same object, and 
maniifestly relating to the same power 
under different forms. To see the design 



352 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



of the chapter, it will be necessary to 
exhibit the peculiar characteristics of the 
two 'beasts/ and the points in which 
they resemble each other, and sustain 
each other. 

I. The characteristics of the beasts. 

A. The characteristics of the first 
beast, vs. 1-10. 

(a) It conies up out of the sea (ver. 
1) — out of the commotion, the 
agitation of nations — a new power 
that springs up from those dis- 
turbed elements. 

(b) It has seven heads, and ten 
horns, and upon its horns ten 
crowns or diadems, ver. 1. 

(c) In its general form, it resembles 
a leopard ; its feet are like those 
of a bear ; its mouth like that of 
a lion. Its connexion with the 
great ' dragon' — with Satan— is 
indicated by the statement that 
it derives its 'power, and its 
seat, and its authority* from him; 2 
a striking representation of the 
fact that the civil or secular Ro- 
man power which supported the 
church of Rome through all its 
corrupt and bloody progress, was 
the putting forth of the power of 
Satan on the earth. Ver. 2. 

(d) One of the heads of this beast 
is 'wounded to death;' that is, 
with a wound that is in itself 
mortal. This wound is, however, 
in some way as yet unexplained, 
so healed that the vitality yet 
remains, and all the world pays 
homage to the beast, ver. 3. A 
blow is aimed at this authority 
which seems to be fatal ; but there 
is some healing or restorative 
process, by which its power is 
recovered, and by which the uni- 
versality of its dominion and in- 
fluence is again restored. 

(«) The effect of this is, that the 
world renders homage really to 
the 'dragon/ the source of this 
power, though in the form of ado- 
ration of the ' beast/ ver. 4. That 
is, while the outward homage is 
rendered to the 'beast/ the real 
worship is that of the 'dragon/ 
or Satan. This beast is regarded 
as (1) incomparable — 'Who is 
like unto the ' beast V and (2) in- 
vincible — 'Who is able to war 
with him V 



(/) In this form the beast is en- 
dowed with a mouth that 'speaks 
great things and blasphemies/ 
ver. 5; that is, the power here 
referred to is arrogant, and reviles 
the God of heaven. 

{g) The time during which he is 
to continue is 'forty and two 
months / that is, twelve hundred 
and sixty days, or twelve hundred 
and sixty years. Notes ch. xi. 2. 

" h) The characteristics of this beast, 
and of his dominion, are these : 

1. He opens his mouth in blas- 
phemy against God, and his 
church, and all holy beings, 
ver. 6. 

2. He makes war with the 
saints and overcomes them, 
ver. 7. 

3. He asserts his power over 
all nations, ver. 7. 

4. He is worshipped by all that 
dwell on the earth, whose 
names are not in the book 
of life, ver. 8. 

(i) All are called on to hear — as if 
the announcement were important 
for the church, ver. 9. 

(/) The result or issue of the power 
represented by this monster, ver. 
10. It had led others into cap- 
tivity, it would itself be made 
captive; it had been distinguished 
for slaying others, it would itself 
feel the power of the sword. Un- 
til this is accomplished, t^ pa- 
tience and faith of the saints 
must be sorely tried, ver. 10. 
B. The characteristics of the second 
beast, vs. 11-18. 

(a) It comes out of the earth (ver. 
11) — having a different origin 
from the former; not springing 
from troubled elements, as of na- 
tions at strife, but from that which 
is firm and established — like the 
solid earth. 

(b) It has two horns like a lamb, 
but it speaks as a dragon (ver« 
11). It is apparently mild, gentle, 
lamb-like, and inoffensive ; but it 
is in fact arrogant, haughty, and 
imperative. 

(c) Its dominion is co-extensive 
with that of the first beast, and 
the effect of its influence is to in- 
duce the world to do homage to 
the first beast, ver. 12. 



A- D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



353 



(d) It has the power of performing 
great wonders, and particularly 
of deceiving the world by the 
'miracles' which it performs. 
This power is particularly mani- 
fested in restoring what might be 
regarded as an * image* of the 
beast which was wounded, though 
not put to death, and by giving 
life to that image, and causing 
those to be put to death who will 
not worship it, vs. 13-15. 

(e) This beast causes a certain mark 
to be affixed to all, small and great, 
and attempts a jurisdiction over 
all persons, so that none may buy 



or sell, or engage in any business, 
who have not the mark affixed to 
them ; that is, the power repre- 
sented attempts to set up a con- 
trol over the commerce of the 
world, vs. 16, 17. 
(/) The way by which the power 
here referred to may be known, 
is by some proper application 
of the number 666. This is 
stated in an enigmatical form, 
and yet with such clearness that 
it is supposed that it would be 
sufficient to indicate the power 
here referred to. 



TI. Points in which the two beasts resemble or sustain each other. 

ffeis manifest on the slightest inspection of the characteristics of the 'beasts' 
referred to in this chapter, that they have a close relation to each other ; that, 
in important respects, the one is designed to sustain the other, and that both 
are manifestations or embodiments of that one and the same power represented 
by the 'dragon/ ver. 4. He is the great original source of power to both, 
and both are engaged in accomplishing his purposes, and are combined to keep 
up his dominion over the earth. The points of resemblance which- it is very 
Important to notice are the following : — 

(1) They have the same origin ; that is, they both owe their power to the 
'dragon/ and are designed to keep up his ascendency in human affairs, chs. xii. 
3. xiii. 2, 4, 12. 

//•) They have the same extent of power and dominion. 



FIRST BEAST. 

The world wonders after the beast, 
ver. 3. They worship the dragon and 
the beast, ver. 4, and all that dwell 
upon the earth shall worship him, 
ver. 8. 



(3) They do the same things. 

FIRST BEAST. 

The dragon gives power to the beast, 
■»er. 4. There is given unto him a 
.aiouth speaking great things and blas- 
phemies, ver. 5. He opens his mouth 
in blasphemy against God, ver 6. It 
is given him to make war with the 
saints, and to overcome them, ver. 7. 



SECOND BEAST. 

He exercises all the power of the 
first beast, ver. 12. He causes the 
earth and them which dwell therein to 
worship the first beast, ver. 12. He has 
power to give life unto the image of the 
beast, ver. 15. He sets up jurisdiction 
over the commerce of the world, vs. 
16, 17. 



SECOND BEAST. 

He exercises all the power of the 
first beast, ver. 12. He does great won- 
ders, ver. 13. He makes fire come down 
from heaven in the sight of men, ver. 13. 
He performs miracles, ver. 14. He causes 
that as many as would not worship the 
first beast should be killed, ver. 15. He 
claims dominion over all, vs. 16, 17. 



(4) The one is the means of healing the wounded head of the other, and of re- 
storing its authority. 



FIRST BEAST. 

One of his heads is, as it were, wound- 
ed to death: — a wound that would be 
mortal if it were not healed, ver. 3. 

30* 



SECOND BEAST. 

Has power to heal the wound of the 
first beast (ver. 12); for it is manifest 
that the healing comes from some influ- 
ence of the second beast. 



354 



REVELATION, 



[A. D 96, 



CHAPTER XIII. 

AND I stood upon the sand of 
the sea, and saw a beast rise 
up out of the sea, having b seven 



heads and ten horns, and 'upon his 
horns ten crowns, and upon his 
heads the nanie c of blasphemy. 

a Da. 7. 2, &c. b c. 12. 13 ; 17. 3, 9, 12. 
c Or, names. 



(5) The one restores life to the other when dying. 



FIRST BEAST. 



Is wounded (ver. 3), and his power 
manifestly becomes exhausted. 



SECOND BEAST. 



Causes an ' image* of the first beast- 
something that should resemble that, or 
be the same power revived, to be made, 
and to be worshipped, ver. 15. 

6) They have the same general characteristics. 

SECOND BEAST. 

Speaks like a dragon, ver. 11 ; deceives 
those that dwell upon the earth, ver. 
14; is a persecuting power — causing 
those who would not worship the image 
of the first beast to be killed, ver. 15. 



FIRST BEAST. 

Has a mouth given him to speak great 
things and blasphemies, ver. 5 ; opens 
his mouth in blasphemy, ver. 6; blas- 
phemes the name of God, and his taber- 
nacle, and his people, ver. 6 ; makes war 
with the saints and overcomes them, 
ver. 7. 



From this comparison of the two beasts, the following things are plain : — 



(1) That the same general power is 
referred to, or that they are both modi- 
fications of one general dominion on the 
earth : having the same origin, having 
the same locality, and aiming at the 
same result. 

(2) It is the same general domination 
prolonged; that is, the one is, in another 
form, but the continuation of the other. 

(3) The one becomes weak, or is in 
some way likely to lose its authority 
and power, and is revived by the other; 
that is, the other restores its waning 
authority, and sets up substantially the 
same dominion again over the earth, and 
causes the same great power to be ac- 
knowledged on the earth. 

(4) The one runs into the other; that 
is, one naturally produces, or is follow- 
ed by the other. 

(5) One sustains the other. 

(6) They therefore, have a very close 
relation to each other :— having the same 
object ; possessing the same general cha- 
racteristics ; and accomplishing substan- 
tially the same thing on the earth. 
What this was, will be better seen after 
the exposition of the chapter shall have 
been made. It may be sufficient here 
to remark that on the very face of this 
statement, it is impossible not to have 
the Roman power suggested to the 
mind, as a mighty persecuting power, in 
the two forms of the civil and ecclesi- 



astical authority, both having the same 
origin; aiming at the same object; the 
one sustaining the other ; and both com- 
bined to keep up the dominion of the 
great enemy of God and man upon the 
earth. It is impossible, also, not to be 
struck with the resemblance, in many 
particulars, between this vision and that 
of Daniel (ch. vii.), and to be impressed 
with the conviction that they are in- 
tended to refer to the same kingdom in 
general, and to the same events. But 
this will be made more manifest in the 
exposition of the chapter. 

1. And I stood uj)on the sand of the 
sea. The sand upon the shore of the 
sea. That is, he seemed to stand there, 
and then had a vision of a beast rising 
out of the waters. The reason of this 
representation, may, perhaps, have been 
that among the ancients the sea was re- 
garded as the appropriate place for the 
origin of huge and terrible monsterb. 
Prof. Stuart, in loc. This vision strongly 
resembles that in Daniel vii. 2, seq., 
where the prophet saw four beasts 
coming up in succession from the sea. 
See Notes on that place. In Daniel, the 
four winds of heaven are described as 
striving upon the great sea (ver. 2), and 
the agitated ocean represented the na- 
tions in commotion, or in a state of dis- 
order and anarchy, and the four beasta 
represent four successive kingdoms that 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



355 



2 And the beast which I saw" 

a Da. 7. 4-7. 

would spring up. See Notes on Dan. 
vii. 2. In the passage before us, John 
indeed describes no storm or tempest, 
but the sea itself, as compared with the 
land (see Notes on ver. 11) represents 
an agitated or unsettled state of things, 
and we should naturally look for that in 
the rise of the power here referred to. 
_r the reference be to the civil or secular 
Roman power that has always appeared 
in connexion with the Papacy, and that 
has always followed its designs, then it 
is true that it rose amidst the agitations 
of the world, and from a state of com- 
motion that might well be represented 
the restless ocean. The sea in either 
car.:? naturally describes a nation or 
people, for this image is frequently so 
employed in the Scriptures. Comp. as 
above, Dan. vii. 2, and Ps. Ixv. 7 ,- Jer. 
xl. 42 ; Isa. lx. 5 ; Rev. x. 2. The natural 
idea, therefore, in this passage would be, 
that the power that was represented by 
the ' beast' would spring up among the 
nations, when restless or unsettled, like 
the waves of the ocean. ^ And saw a 
beast. Daniel saw four in succession 
(ch. vii. 3-7), all different, yet succeed- 
ing each other; John saw two in suc- 
cession, yet strongly resembling each 
other, vs. 1. 11. On the general mean- 
ing of the word beast — Srjptov, — see Notes 
on ch. xi. 7. The beast here is evidently 
a symbol of some power or kingdom 
that would arise in future times. See 
Notes on Dan. vii. 3. ^Having seven 
heads. So also the dragon is represent- 
ed in ch. xii. 3. See Notes on that pas- 
sage. The representation there is of 
Satan, as the source of all the power 
lodged in the two beasts that John sub 
sequently saw In ch. xvii. 9, referring 
substantially to the same vision, it is 
said that 'the seven heads are seven 
mountains and there can be no diffi- 
culty, therefore, in referring this to Ihe 
seven hills on which the city of Rome 
was J)uilt (comp. Notes on ch. xii. 3), 
and consequently this must be regarded 
as designed, in some way, to be a repre- 
sentation of Rome. ^[ And ten horns. 
See this also explained in the Notes on 
ch. xii. 3 ; comp. also the more extended 
illustration in the Notes on Dan. vii. 25, 
i?eq. The reference here is to Rome, or 
the one Roman power, contemplated as 



was like unto a leopard, and his 



made up of ten subordinate kingdoms, 
and therefore subsequently to the inva- 
sions of the Northern hordes, and to the 
time when the Papacy was about to rise. 
Comp. Rev. xvii. 12, " And the* ten 
horns which thou sawest are ten kings 
[marg. kingdoms], which have received 
no kingdom as yet, but receive power as 
kings with the beast." For a full illus- 
tration of this, see the copious Notes at 
the close of the seventh chapter of 
Daniel, And upon his horns ten crowns. 
Greek, ten diadems. See Notes on ch. 
xii. 3. These indicated dominion or 
authority. In ch. xii. 3, the ' dragon is 
represented as having seven diadems on 
his head; here, the beast is represented 
as having ten. The dragon there repre- 
sents the Roman domination as such, the 
seven-hilled, or seven-headed power, and, 
therefore properly described as having 
seven diadems ; the beast here represents 
the Roman power, as now broken up 
into the ten dominations which sprung 
up (see Notes on Daniel as above) from 
the one original Roman power, and that 
became henceforward the supporters of 
the Papacy, and, therefore, properly re- 
presented here as having ten diadems. 

And vpon his heads the name of blas- 
phemy. That is, the whole power was 
blasphemous in its claims and preten- 
sions. The word blasphemy here seems 
to be used in the sense that titles and 
attributes were claimed by it which be- 
longed only to God. On the meaning 
of the word blasphemy, see Notes on 
Matt. ix. 3, xxvi. 65. The meaning 
here is, that each one of these heads 
appeared to have a frontlet, with an in- 
scription that was blasphemous, or that 
ascribed some attribute to this power 
that properly belonged to God; and that 
the whole power thus assumed, was in 
derogation of the attributes and claims 
of God. In regard to the propriety of 
this description considered as applicable 
to the Papacy, see Notes on 2 Thess. 
ii. 4. 

2. And the beast tchich I saw teas like 
unto a leopard. Por a description of the 
leopard, see Notes on Dan. vii. 6. It is 
distinguished for blood-thirstiness and 
cruelty, and thus becomes an emblem of 
a fierce, tyrannical power. In its gene- 
ral character it resembles a lion, and the 



856 



EEVEL 



ATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



feet were as the feet of a bear, and 
his mouth as the mouth of a lion : 
and the dragon a gave him his 

a e. 12. 9. b c. 16. 10. c Slain. 



lion and the leopard are often referred 
to together. In this description, it is 
observable that John has combined in 
one animal or monster, all those which 
Daniel brought successively on the scene 
of action, as representing different em- 
.pires. Thus in Daniel (vii. 2-7), the 
lion is introduced as the symbol of the 
Babylonian power; the bear, as the sym- 
bol of the Medo-Persian ; the leopard, as 
the symbol of the Macedonian; and a 
nondescript animal, fierce, cruel, and 
mighty, with two horns, as the symbol 
of the Roman. See Notes on that pas- 
sage. In John, there is one animal rep- 
resenting the Roman power, as if it were 
made up of all these: a leopard with the 
feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion, 
with two horns, and with the general 
description of a fierce monster. There 
was an obvious propriety in this, in 
speaking of the Roman power, for it was 
in fact made up of the empires repre- 
sented by the other symbols in Daniel, 
and " combined in itself all the elements 
of the terrible and the oppressive, which 
had existed in the aggregate in the other 
great empires that preceded it." At the 
same time, there was an obvious pro- 
priety in the symbol itself; for the blood- 
thirstiness and cruelty of the leopard 
would" well represent the ferocity and 
cruelty of the Roman power, especially 
as John saw it here as, the great antago- 
nistic power of the true church, sustain- 
ing the Papal claim, and thirsting for 
blood, And his feet were as the feet 
of a bear. See Notes on Dan. vii. 5. 
The idea here seems to be that of strength, 
as the strength of the bear resides much 
in its feet and claws. At the same time, 
there is the idea of a combination of 
fierce qualities — as if the blood-thirsti- 
ness, the cruelty, and the agility of the 
leopard were united with the strength 
of the bear, And his mouth as the 
mouth of the lion. See Notes on Dan. vii. 
4. The mouth of the lion is made to 
seize and hold its prey, and is indicative 
of the character of the animal as a beast 
of prey. J ohn has thus brought together 
the qualities of activity, blood-thirsti- 
ness, strength, ferocity, all as symbolical 



power, and his seat, h and great au- 
thority. 

3 And I saw one of his heads, as 
it were wounded c to death ; and his 



of the power that was intended to be 
represented. It is hardly necessary to 
say that this description is one that 
would apply well, in all respects, to 
Rome; nor is it necessary to say that if 
it be supposed that he meant to refer to 
Rome, this is such a description as he 
would have adopted, And the dragon. 
Notes ch. xii. 3. Gave him his power. 
Satan claimed, in the time of the Saviour, 
all power over the kingdoms of the 
world, and asserted that he could give 
them to whomsoever he pleased. See 
Notes on Matt. iv. 8, 9. How far the 
power of Satan in this respect may ex- 
tend, it may not be possible to deter- 
mine ; but it cannot be doubted that the 
Roman power seemed to have such an 
origin, and that in the main it was such 
as, on that supposition, it would be. In 
its arrogance and haughtiness ; in its 
thirst for dominion ; in its persecutions, 
it had such characteristics as we may 
suppose Satan would originate. If, 
therefore, as the whole connexion leads 
us to suppose, this refers to the Roman 
secular power, considered as the support 
of the Papacy, there is the most evident 
propriety in the representation, And 
the seat. &p6vov. Hence our word throne. 
The word properly means a seat; then a 
high seat; then a throne, as that on 
which a king sits. Here it refers to this 
power as exercising dominion on the 
earth. ^[ And great authority. The au- 
thority was great. It extended over a 
large part of the earth, and alike in its 
extent and character, it was such as we 
may suppose Satan would set up in the 
world. 

3. And I saxo one of his heads, as it 
were wounded to death. The phrase 
'wounded to death* means properly that it 
received a mortal wound; that is, that the 
wound would have been mortal if it had 
not been healed. A blow was struck that 
would be naturally fatal, but there was 
something that prevented the fatal result. 
John does not say, however, by whom 
the wound was inflicted, nor does he de- 
scribe farther the nature of the wound. 
He says that ' one of the heads' — that is, 
one of the seven heads, was thus wound- 



A. D. 96.1 



CHAPTER XIII. 



357 



deadly wound was healed : and all 

a c 17. 8. 



ed. In ch. xvii. 9, he says that "the 
seven heads are seven mountains on 
which the woman sitteth." In ch. xvii. 
10, he says, " there are seven kings." 
And this would lead us to suppose that 
there were ' seven' administrations, or 
forms of dominion, or dynasties, that 
were presented to the eye of John ; and 
that while the number 'seven/ as ap- 
plied to the 'heads/ so far identified the 
power as to fix its location on the seven 
'hills/ (ch. xvii. 9), in another respect 
also the number 'seven' suggested forms 
of administration or dynasties, ch. xvii. 
10. What is meant by saying that one 
of these heads was wounded to . death, 
has been among the most perplexing of 
all the enquiries pertaining to the book 
of Revelation. The use of the word 
seven, and the explanation in ch. xvii. 
9, make it morally certain that Borne , 
in some form of its administration, is 
referred to. Of this there can be no 
doubt, and in this all are agreed. It is 
not, however, the Papal power as such, 
that is here referred to; for (a) the Pa- 
pal power is designated under the image 
of the second beast; (b) the descriptions 
pertaining to the first beast are all appli- 
cable to a secular power ; and (c) there 
was no form of the Papal spiritual do- 
minion which would properly correspond 
with what is said in ch. xvii. 10. The 
reference in this place is, therefore, to 
Rome considered as a civil or secular 
power, yet Rome regarded as giving 
support to the second beast — the Papal 
power. The general idea here is, that a 
state of things would exist in regard to 
that power, at the time referred to, as if 
one of the seven heads of the monster 
should receive a wound which would be 
fatal, if it were not healed in some way. 
That is, its power would be weakened; 
its dominion would be curtailed, and that 
portion of its power would have come to 
an end, if there had not been something 
which would, as it were, restore it, and 
save it from the wrath that was impend- 
ing. The great point of difficulty relates 
to the particular application of this; to 
the facts in history that would corres- 
pond with the symbol. On this there 
have been almost as many opinions as 
there have been interpreters of the Apoc- 



the world wondered * after the 
beast. 



alypse, and there is no impropriety in 
saying that none of the solutions are 
wholly free from objection. The main 
difficulty, so far as the interpretation 
proposed above is concerned, is, in the 
fact that 'one* of the seven heads is re- 
ferred to as wounded unto death; as if 
just one-seventh part of the power was 
endangered. I confess I am not able 
wholly to solve this difficulty; but, after 
all, is it certain that the meaning is that 
just one-seventh part of the power was 
in peril; that the blow affected just such 
a portion that it might be described as 
the one-seventh part? Is not the num- 
ber seven so used in the Scriptures as to 
denote a considerable portion ; a portion 
quite material and important? And 
may not all that is intended here be, 
that John saw a wound inflicted on that 
mighty power, which would have been fa- 
tal if it had not been marvellously healed ? 
And was it not true that the Roman civil 
and secular power was so waning and 
decaying that it might properly be rep- 
resented as if one of the seven heads of 
the monster had received a fatal wound, 
until its power was restored by the influ- 
ence of the spiritual domination of the 
church of Rome? If this be the correct 
exposition, then what is implied here 
maybe thus stated: — (a) The general 
subject of the representation is the 
Roman power, as seen at first in its vigor 
and strength ; (b) then that power is said 
to be greatly weakened, as if one of its 
heads were smitten with a deadly wound; 
(c) then the wound was healed — this 
power was restored — by being brought 
into alliance with the Papacy; that is, 
the whole Roman power over the world 
would have died away, if it had not been 
restored and perpetuated by means of 
this new and mighty influence. Yer. 12. 
Under this new form, Rome had all the 
power which it had ever had, and was 
guilty of all the atrocities of which it 
had ever been guilty: it teas Borne still. 
Every wound that was inflicted on that 
power by the incursion of Barbarians, 
and by the dividing off of parts of the 
empire, was healed by the Papacy, and 
under this form its dominion became as 
wide and as formidable as under its an- 
cient mode of administration. If a mort 



358 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A.D. DC. 



4 And they worshipped the dra- 
gon which gave power unto the 
beast : and they worshipped the 



particular application of this is sought 
for, 1 see no reason to doubt that it 
z.my be found in the quite common in- 
terpretation of the passage given by- 
Protestants, that the reference is to 
the forms of administration under which 
this power appeared in the world. The 
forms of government which the Roman 
power assumed, from first to last, were 
the following: kings, consuls, dictators, 
decemvirs, military tribunes, emperors. 
These seven forms of administration 
were, at least, sufficiently prominent and 
marked to be represented by this sym- 
bol, or to attract the attention of one 
contemplating this formidable power — 
for it was under these forms that its con- 
quests had been achieved, and its do- 
minion set up over the earth. In the 
time of John, and the time contemplated 
in this vision, all these had passed away 
but the imperial. That too was soon to 
be smitten with a deadly wound by the 
invasion of the Northern hordes; and 
that would have wholly and for ever 
ceased if it had not been restored — the 
deadly wound being healed — by the in- 
fluence of the Papal power, giving Rome 
its former ascendency. See Notes at 
the close of ver. 15. And his deadly 
wound was healed. That is, as explained 
above, the waning Roman secular power 
was restored by its connexion with the 
spiritual power — the Papacy. This was 
(a) a simple matter of fact, that the 
waning secular power of Rome was thus- 
restored by connecting itself with the 
spiritual or ecclesiastical power, thus 
prolonging what might properly be called 
the Roman domination far beyond what 
it would otherwise have been; and (6) 
this would be properly represented by 
just the symbol employed here — the 
fatal wound inflicted on the head, and 
the healing of that wound, or preventing 
what would naturally be the effects. On 
the fulfilment of this, see Notes on ver. 
15, at the close, And all the world 
wondered after the beast. The word here 
used — $av!Jid$<a — means properly to be 
astonished ; to be amazed ; then to won- 
der at, then to admire and follow. Rob. 
Lex. In ver. 4, it is said that the wor.ld 



beast, saying, Who is like unto the 
beast ? who a is able to make was 
with him ? 

a c. 17. 14. 



'worshipped the beast; and the general 
idea is, tha; the beast received such a 
universal reverence, or inspired such uni- 
versal awe, as to be properly called wor 
ship or adoration. There can be no doubt 
of the propriety of this, considered as 
applicable to that secular Roman power 
which sustained the Papacy. The homage 
was as wide as the limits of the Roman 
empire had ever been, and might be said 
to embrace ' all the world.' 

4. And they worshipped the dragon 
which gave power unto the beast. Notes 
ch. xii. 3, xiii. 2. That is, they in fact 
worshipped him. The word worship — 
TrpocKvviu — is not always, however, used 
in a religious sense. It means, properly, 
to kiss ; to kiss towards any one; that 
is, to kiss his own hand and to extend 
it towards a person, in token of respect 
and homage. Rob. Lex. Comp. Job 
xxxi. 27. Then it means to show respect 
to one who is our superior; to kings ana 
princes; to parents; and pre-eminently 
to God. See Notes on Matt. ii. 2. The 
word may be used here to mean thai; 
homage or reverence, as to a higher 
power, was rendered to the 1 dragon; 1 
not strictly that he was openly wor- 
shipped in a religious sense as God. 
Can any one doubt that this was the 
case under Papal Rome; that the power 
which was set up under that entire domi- 
nation, civil and ecclesiastical, was such 
as Satan approved, and such as he sought 
to have established on the earth ? And 
can any one doubt that the homage thus 
rendered, so contrary to the law of God, 
and so much in derogation of his claims, 
was in fact homage rendered to this 
presiding spirit of evil? % And they 
worshipped the beast. That is, they did 
it, as is immediately specified, by saying 
that he was incomparable and invincible 
in other words, that he was superior to 
all others, and that he was almighty. 
For the fulfilment of this, see Notes on 
2 Thess. ii. 4. <§ Who is like tinto the 
beast? That is, he is to be regarded as 
unequalled and as supreme. This was, 
in fact, ascribing honcrs to him which 
belonged only to God; and this was the 
manner in which that rivil and secular 



A» D. 96.] 



CHAPTEK XIII. 



359 



5 And there was given unto him 
a mouth ° speaking great things 
and blasphemies; and power was 

power was regarded in the period here 
supposed to be referred to. It was the 
policy of rulers and princes in those 
times to augment in every way possible 
the respect in which they were held ; to 
maintain that they were the vicegerents 
of heaven j to claim for themselves sa- 
eredness of character and of person ; and 
to secure from the people a degree of 
reverence which was in fact idolatrous. 
Never was this more marked than in the 
times when the Papacy had the ascend- 
ency, for it was its policy to promote 
reverence for the power that sustained 
itself, and to secure for itself the idola- 
trous veneration of the people, Who 
ia able to make war with him ? That is, 
he is invincible. They thus attributed 
to him omnipotence — an attribute be- 
longing only to God. This found a ful- 
filment in the honor shown to the civil 
authority which sustained the Papacy ; 
tor the policy was to impress the publie 
mind with the belief that that power was 
invincible. In fact it was so regarded. 
Nothing was able to resist that absolute 
despotism, and the authority of princes 
and rulers that were allied with the 
Papal rule was of the most absolute 
kind, and the subjugation of the world 
was complete. There was no civil, as 
there was no religious liberty ; and the 
whole arrangement was so ordered as to 
subdue the world to an absolute and 
uncontrollable power. 

5. And there was given him a mouth 
tpeaking great things. John does not 
say by whom this was given; but we 
may suppose that it was by the 'dragon/ 
who is said (ver. # 2) to have given him 
his power, and seat, and authority. The 
fulfilment of this is found in the claims 
set up by the princes and rulers here 
referred to — that mighty secular power 
that sustained the Papacy, and that was, 
in some sort, a part of the Papacy itself. 
These arrogant claims consisted in the 
assertion of a divine right ; in the power 
assumed over the liberty, the property, 
and the consciences of the people; in 
the arbitrary commands that were is- 
sued ; and in the right asserted of giving 
absolute law. The language here used 
i» tno same as that which is found in 



given unto him to b continue forty 1 
and two months. 

a Da. 7. 8, 11, 25; 11.36. 
b Or, make war. c c. 11. 2, 3 ; 12. 6. 



Daniel (vii. 8), when speaking of the 
'little horn:' "In this horn were eyes 
like the eyes of a man, and a mouth 
speaking great things." For an illus- 
tration of the meaning of this, see Notes 
on that passage. Comp. Notes on Dan. 
vii. 25. And blasphemies. That is, 
the whole power represented by th€ 
'beast' will be blasphemous. See Notes 
on ver. 1. Comp. Notes on Dan. vii. 26. 
^[ And power was given unto him to con- 
tinue forty and two months. Three years 
and an half, reckoned as months; or 
twelve hundred and sixty days, reckon- 
ing thirty days for a month ; or twelve 
hundred and sixty years, regarding the 
days as prophetic days. For the evi- 
dence that this is to be so regarded, see 
Notes on Daniel vii. 25. This is the 
same period that we meet with in eh. xi. 
2, and in ch. xii. 6. See Notes on those 
places. This fact proves that the same 
power is referred to in these places and 
in Daniel ; and this fact may be regarded 
as a confirmation of the views here taken 
that the power here referred to is de- 
signed to have a connexion in some 
form with the Papacy. The duration 
of the existence of this power is the same 
as that which is everywhere ascribed to 
the Papacy, in the passages which refer 
to it; and all the circumstances, as before 
remarked, show that the same general 
power is referred to by the two ' beasts' 
which are described in this chapter. If 
so, the continuance or duration may be 
supposed to be the same; and this is 
indicated in the passage before us, where 
it is said that it would be twelve hun- 
dred and sixty years. In regard to the 
application of this to the Papal power, 
and the manner in which the calculation 
is to be made of the duration of that 
power, see the Notes on Dan. vii. 25, 
and the remarks at the end of that chap- 
ter. The meaning in the passage before 
us I take to be, that the Papal power, 
considered as a civil or secular institu- 
tion, will have, from the time when that 
properly commenced, a duration of 
twelve hundred and sixty years. In the 
Scriptures there is nothing more defi- 
nite in regard to any future event than 
this. 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



6 And he opened his mouth in 
blasphemy against God, to blas- 
pheme his name and his taberna- 
cle, ° and them that b dwell in 
heaven. 

7 And it was given unto him to 
make war c with the saints, and to 

a Col. 2. 9 ; He. 9. 11, 24. b He. 12. 22, 23. 
c Da. 7. 21; c. 11.7; 12. 17. 



6. And he opened his mouth in blas- 
phemy against God, to blaspheme his 
name. By his own arrogant claims ; by 
his assumed authority in matters of con- 
science ; by setting aside the divine au- 
thority ; and by impious declarations in 
derogation of the divine claims. See 
Notes on vev. 1. And his tabernacle. 
Lkerally, 'hi.) tent' — cKrjvrjv. This is the 
word which is commonly applied to the 
sacred tent or tabernacle among the 
Hebrews, in which the ark was kept, and 
which was the seat of the Jewish wor- 
ship before the building of the temple. 
It is thus used to denote a place of wor- 
ship, considered as the dwelling-place 
of God, and is, in this sense, applied to 
heaven, Heb. viii. 2, ix. 11 ; Eev. xv. 5. 
It seems to be used here in a general 
sense to denote the place where God was 
worshipped; and the meaning is, that 
there would be a course of conduct in 
regard to the true church — the dwelling- 
place of God on the earth — which could 
properly be regarded as blasphemy. Let 
any one remember the anathemas and 
excommunications uttered against the 
Waldenses and Albigenses, and those 
of kindred spirit that appeared in the 
long period of the Papal rule, and he 
will find no difficulty in perceiving a 
complete fulfilment of all that is here 
said. ^[ And them that dwell therein. 
The true worshippers ; the members of 
the true church, represented as dwelling 
in this holy tabernacle. No one ac- 
quainted with the reproaches cast on the 
devoted and sincere followers of the 
Saviour during the dark periods of the 
Papal rule, can fail to see that there was, 
in that, a complete fulfilment of all that 
is here predicted. 

7. And it was given unto him. By the 
same power that taught him to blas- 
pheme God and his church. Notes on 
Ts. 2, 5. To make war with the saints. 
See this fully illustrated in the Notes on 



overcome them: and power d was 
given him over all kindreds, and 
tongues, and nations. 

8 And all that dwell upon the 
earth shall worship him, whose 
names are not written in the book • 
of life of the Lamb slain from ' the 
foundation of the world. 

d Lu. 4. 6. t Da. 12. 1; c. 21. 27. / c. 17. 8 



the parallel passage in Daniel vii. 21, 
and at the end of that chapter (/). 
%„And to overcome them. In those wars. 
This was abundantly fulfilled in the 
wars with the Waldenses, the Albigen- 
ses, and the other sincere followers of 
the Saviour in the time of the Papal 
persecutions. The language here used 
is the same as that which is found in 
Dan. vii. 21 : " The same horn made war 
with the saints, and prevailed against 
them." See Notes on that passage, 

And power ioas given him. See Notes 
on ver. 2. Over all kindreds, and 
tongues, and nations. For the meaning 
of these words, see Notes on cb. vii. 9. 
The meaning here is, that this dominion 
was set up over the world. Comp. Dan. 
vii. 25. The fact that so large a portion 
of the kingdoms of the earth was under 
the influence of the Papacy, and sus- 
tained it; and the claim which it set up 
to universal dominion, and to the right 
of deposing kings, and giving away 
kingdoms, corresponds entirely with the 
language here used. 

8. And all that dwell upon the earth 
shall icorship him. That is, as imme- 
diately stated, all whose names are not 
in the book of life. On the word wor- 
ship, see Notes on ver. 4. % Whose 
names are not written in the book of life 
of the Lamb. That is, of the Lord Je- 
sus — the Lamb of God. See Notes on 
Phil. iv. 3. Comp. Notes on John i. 29. 
The representation here is, that the Lord 
Jesus keeps a book or register, in which 
are recorded the names of all who shall 
obtain everlasting life, ^ Slain from the 
foundation of the world. See Notes on 
ch. v. 6. Comp. Notes on ch. iii. 5. The 
meaning here is, not that he was actually 
put to death i from the foundation of the 
world/ but that the intention to give 
him for a sacrifice was formed then, and 
that it was so certain that it might b% 
spoken of as actually then occurring. 



A. D. 96. J 



CHAPTER XIII. 



361 



9 If any man have an ear, let 
him hear. 

10 He a that leadeth into cap 



See Rom. iv. 17. The purpose was so 
certain ; it was so constantly represented 
by bloody sacrifices from the earliest 
ages, all typifying the future Saviour, 
chat it might be said that he was ' slain 
from the foundation of the world/ Prof. 
Stuart, however (com. in loc), supposes 
that this phrase should be connected 
with the former member of the sentence 
— "whose names are not written, from 
the foundation of the world, in the life- 
book of the Lamb which was slain." 
Either construction makes good sense ; 
but it seems to me that that which is 
found in our common version is the 
most simple and natural. 

9. If any man have an ear, let him 
hear. See Notes on ch. ii. 7. The idea 
here is, that what was here said re- 
specting the ' beast* was worthy of spe- 
cial attention, as it pertained to most 
important events in the history of the 
church. 

10. He that leadeth into captivity. 
This is clearly intended to refer to the 
power or government which is denoted 
by the beast. The form of the expres- 
sion here in the Greek is peculiar — ' If 
any one leadeth into captivity/ &c. — 
Ei tis ai%(m\(i)c{av cvvdyei. The state- 
ment is general, and it is intended to 
make use of a general or prevalent truth 
with reference to this, particular case. 
The general truth is, that men will, in 
the course of things, be dealt with ac- 
cording to their character and their 
treatment of others; that nations cha- 
racterized by war and conquest, w T ill be 
subject to the evils of war and conquest 
— or that they may expect to share the 
same lot which they have brought on 
others. This general statement accords 
with what the Saviour says in Matt, 
xxvi. 52, " All they that take the sword, 
shall perish with the sword." This has 
been abundantly illustrated in the world; 
and it is a very important admonition 
to nations not to indulge in the purposes 
of conquest, and to individuals not to 
engage in strife and litigation. The 
particular idea here is, that it would be 
a characteristic of the power here re- 
ferred to, that it would ' lead others into 
taptivity/ This would be fulfilled if it , 

31 



tivity shall go into captivity: 
he * that killeth with the sword 



a Is. 33. l. 



b Ge. 9. 6. 



was the characteristic of this power to 
invade other countries and to make their 
inhabitants prisoners of war ; if it made 
slaves of other people; if it set up an 
unjust dominion over other people; or 
if it was distinguished for persecuting 
and imprisoning the innocent, or for de- 
priving the nations of liberty. It is un- 
necessary to say that this is strikingly 
descriptive of Rome — considered in any 
and every point of view — whether under 
the republic or the empire; whether 
secular or ecclesiastical ; whether Pagan 
or Papal. In the following forms there 
has been a complete fulfilment under 
that mighty power of what is here said : 

(a) In the desire of conquest, or of ex- 
tending its dominion, and, of course, 
leading others captive as prisoners of 
war, or subjecting them to slavery. 

(b) In its persecutions of true Chris- 
tians — alike pursued under the Pagan 
and the Papal form of the administra- 
tion, (c) Especially in the imprison- 
ments practised under the Inquisition — 
where tens of thousands have been re- 
duced to the worst kind of captivity. In 
every way this description is applicable 
to Rome, as seeking to lead the world 
captive, or to subject it to its own abso- 
lute sway. *[ Shall go into captivity. 
As a just recompense for subjecting 
others to bondage, and as an illustra- 
tion of a general principle of the divme 
administration. This is yet, in a great 
measure, to be fulfilled ; and, as I un- 
derstand it, it discloses the Manner in 
which the Papal secular power will come 
to an end. It will be by being subdued, 
so that it might seem to be made captive, 
and led off by some victorious host. Rome 
now is practically held in subjection by 
foreign arms, and has no true inde- 
pendence; perhaps this will be mor« 
and more so as its ultimate fall ap- 
proaches. He that killeth with the 
sword. See Notes, as above, on Matt, 
xxvi. 52. There can be no doubt that 
this is applicable to Rome in all the 
forms of its administration considered as 
a Pagan power, or considered as a nomi 
nally Christian power; either with re- 
ference to its secular or its spiritual 
dominion. Compute the numbers of 



KEVELATION, 



must be killed with the sword. 
Here is the patience ° and the faith 
of the saints. 

11 And I beheld another b beast 



human beings that have been put to 
death by that Roman power; and no 
better language could have been chosen 
to characterize it than that which is here 
used — 'killeth with the sword/ Comp. 
Notes on Dan. vii. 24-28, II. (3), (g). 
^ Must be killed with the sword. This 
domination must be brought to an end 
by war and slaughter. Nothing is more 
probable than this in itself; nothing 
could be more in accordance with the 
principles of the divine dealings in the 
world. Such a power as that of Rome 
will not be likely to be overcome but by 
the force of arms ; and the probability 
is, that it will ultimately be over- 
thrown in a bloody revolution, or by 
foreign conquest. Indeed, there are not 
a few intimations now that this result is 
hastening on. Italy is becoming im- 
patient of the secular power swayed in 
connexion with the Papacy, and sighs 
for freedom; and it is every way pro- 
bable that that land would have been 
free, and that the secular power of the 
Papacy, if not every form of the Papacy 
itself, would have come to an end, in 
the late convulsion (1848) if it had 
not been for the intervention of Prance 
and Austria. The period designated by 
prophecy for the final overthrow of that 
power had not arrived ; but nothing can 
secure its continuance for any very con- 
siderable period longer, % Here is the 
patience and the faith of the saints. 
That is, the trial of their patience and 
of their faith. Nowhere on earth have 
the patience and the faith of the saints 
been put to a severer test than under 
the Roman persecutions. The same idea 
occurs in ch. xiv. 12. 

11. And I beheld another beast. Comp. 
Notes on ver. 1. This was so distinct 
from the first that its characteristics could 
be described, though as shown in the 
Analysis of the chapter, there was, in 
many points, a strong resemblance be- 
tween them. The relations between the 
two will be more fully indicated in the 
Notes. ^[ Coming up out of the earth. 
Prof. Stuart renders this, " ascending 
from the land." The former was repre- 
sented as rising up out of the sea (ver. 



[A. D. 96. 

coming up out of the earth ; and he 
had two horns like a lamb, and he 
spake as a dragon. 

a He. 6. 12. 6 c. 11. 7. 



1); indicating that the power was to 
rise from a perturbed or unsettled state 
of affairs — like the ocean. This, from 
that which was more settled and stable 
— as the land is more firm than the 
waters, It may not be necessary to 
carry out this image; but the natural 
idea as applied to the two forms of the 
Roman power supposed to be here re- 
ferred to, would be that the former — the 
secular power that sustained the Pa 
pacy — rose out of the agitated state of 
the nations in the invasions of the 
Northern hordes, and the convulsions 
and revolutions of the falling empire of 
Rome ; and that the latter, the spiritual 
power itself — represented by the beast 
coming up from the land — grew up undei 
the more settled and stable order of 
things. It was comparatively calm in 
its origin, and had less the appearance 
of a frightful monster rising up from the 
agitated ocean. Comp. Notes on ver. 1. 

And he had two horns like a lamb. 
In some respects he resembled a lamb > 
that is, he seemed to be a mild, gentle,, 
inoffensive animal. It is hardly neces- 
sary to say that this is a most striking 
representation of the actual manner in 
which the power of the Papacy has 
always been put forth — putting on the 
apparent gentleness of the lamb; or 
laying claim to' great meekness and 
humility, even when deposing kings, 
and giving away crowns, and driving 
thousands to the stake, or throwing 
them into the dungeons of the Inqui- 
sition. ^ And he spake as a dragon. 
See Notes on ch. xii. 3. The meaning 
here is, that he spake in a harsh, haughty, 
proud, arrogant tone — as we should sup- 
pose a dragon would if he had the power 
of utterance. The general sense is, that 
while this ' beast ' had, in one respect — 
in its resemblance to a lamb — the ap- 
pearance of great gentleness, meekness, 
and kindness, it had, in another respect, 
a haughty, imperious, and arrogant 
spirit. How appropriate this is, as a 
symbol, to represent the Papacy, occ- 
sidered as a spiritual power, it is «a- 
necesssary to say. It will be admitted, 
whatever may be thought of the design 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



363 



12 And ho exereiseth all the 
power of the first beast before him, 
and causeth the earth and them 



which dwell therein to worship ih* 
first beast, whose deadly wound 
was healed. 3 

a ver. 3. 



of this symbol, that if it was in fact 
intended to refer to the Papacy, a more 
appropriate one could not have been 
chosen. 

12. And he exereiseth all the power of 
the first beast before him. The same 
amount of power : the same kind of 
power. This shows a remarkable rela- 
tionship between these two beasts; and 
proves that it was intended to refer to 
the same power substantially, though 
manifested in a different form. In the 
fulfilment of this, we should naturally 
look for some government whose autho- 
rity extended far, and which was abso- 
lute and arrogant in its character, for 
this is the power attributed to the first 
beast. See Notes on verses 2, 3, 4, 7, S. 
This description had a remarkable fulfil- 
ment in the Papacy, considered as a 
spiritual dominion. The relation to the 
secular power is the same as would be 
indicated by these two beasts: the do- 
minion was as wide-spread; the authority 
was as absolute and arrogant. In fact, 
on these points they have been identical. 
The one has sustained the other ; either 
one would long since have fallen if it 
had not been upheld by the other. The 
Papacy, considered as a spiritual domi- 
D, was in fact a new power starting 
up in the same place as the old Pwoman 
dominion, to give life to that as it was 
tending to decay, and to continue its 
ascendency over the world. These two 
things, the secular and the spiritual 
power, constituting the Papacy in the 
proper sense of the term, are in fact but 
the continuance or the prolongation of 
the old Roman dominion — the fourth 
kingdom of Daniel — united so as to con- 
stitute in reality but one kingdom, and 
yet so distinct in their origin, and in 
their manifestations, as to be capable of 
separate contemplation and description, 
and thus properly represented by the 
two *' beasts' that were shown in vision to 
John. r And causeth the earth and them 
Which dwell therein to worship the first 
beast. That is, to respect, to reverence, 
to honor. The word worship here refers 
to civil respect, and not to religious ado- 
ration. See Notes on ver. -i. The mean- 



ing here, according to the interpretation 
proposed all along in this chapter, is, 
that the Papacy, considered in its reli- 
gious influence, or as a spiritual power- 
represented by the second beast — secured 
for the civil or secular power — repre- 
sented by the first beast — the homage 
of the world. It was the means of keep- 
ing up that dominion, and of giving it 
its ascendency among the nations of the 
earth. The truth of this, as an historical 
fact, is well known. The Roman civil 
power would have long ago lost all its 
influence and been unknown, if it had 
not been for the Papacy; and, in fact, 
all the influence which ii has had since 
the irruption of the Northern barbarians, 
and the changes which their invasion 
produced, can be traced to that new 
power which arose in the form of the 
Papacy — represented in Daniel (ch. vii. 
S), by the 'little horn.' That new power 
gave life and energy to the declining in- 
fluence of Rome, and brought the world 
again to respect and honor its authority. 
* Whose deadly wound was healed. See 
Notes on ver. 3. That is, was healed by 
the influence of this new power repre- 
sented by the second beast. A state of 
things occurred, on the rise of that new 
power, as if a wound in the head, other- 
wise fatal, was healed. The striking 
applicability of this to the decaying 
Roman power — smitten as with a deadly 
wound by the blows inflicted by the 
Northern hordes, and by internal dissen- 
sions — will occur to every one. It was 
as if a healing process had been imparted 
by some life-giving power, and, as a 
consequence, the Roman dominion — the 
prolongation of Daniel's fourth kingdom 
— has continued to the present time. 
Other kingdoms passed away — the Assy- 
rian, the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, 
the Macedonian; Rome alone, of all the 
ancient empires, has prolonged its power 
over men. In all changes elsewhere, an 
influence has gone forth from the seven- 
hilled city as wide and as fearful as it 
was in the brightest days of the republic, 
the triumvirate, or the empire, and a 
large part of the world still listens reve- 
rently to the mandates which issue from 



364 



REVEL 



AT 10 N, 



[A. D. 96, 



13 And he doeth great wonders, 
so that he maketh tire come down 
from heaven on the earth in the 
sight of men, 

a Matt. 24. 24. 2 Th. 2. 9,10. 



the seat which so long gave law to 
mankind. The fact that it is so is to be 
traced solely to the influence of that 
power represented here by the second 
beast that appeared in vision to John— 
the Papacy. 

13. And he doeth great wonders. 
Signs — arjfxeia — the word commonly em- 
ployed to denote miracles (Comp. Notes 
on Acts ii. 19); and the representation 
here is, that the power referred to by 
the second beast would found its claim 
on pretended miracles, and would ac- 
complish an effect on the world as if it 
actually did work miracles. The appli- 
cability of this to Papal Rome no one 
can doubt. See Notes on 2 Thess. ii. 9. 
Comp. ver. 14. <[ That he maketh fire come 
down from heaven on the earth in the 
night of men. That is, he pretends to do 
this; he accomplishes an effect as if he 
did it. It is not necessary to suppose 
that he actually did this, any more than 
it is to suppose that he actually per- 
formed the other pretended miracles re- 
ferred to in other places. John describes 
him as he saw him in the vision ; and he 
saw him laying claim to this power, and 
actually producing an effect as if by a 
miracle he actually made fire descend 
from heaven upon the earth. This is to 
be understood as included in what the 
Apostle Paul (2 Thess., ii. 9) calls i signs 
and lying wonders/ as among the things 
by which the 1 man of sin and the son 
of perdition* would be characterized, and 
by which he would be sustained. See 
Notes on that passage. Why this par- 
ticular pretended miracle is specified 
here is not certain. -It may be because 
this would be among the most striking 
and impressive of the pretended miracles 
wrought — as if lying beyond all human 
power — as Elijah made fire come down 
from heaven to consume the sacrifice, 
(1 Kings xviii. 37, 38), and as the apos- 
tles proposed to do on the Samaritans, 
(Luke ix. 54), as if fire were called down 
on them from heaven. The phrase ' in 
the sight of men* implies that this 
would be done publicly, and is such 
language as would be used of pretended 



14 And deceiveth them that dwell 
on the earth by the means of those 
miracles which he had power to do 
in the sight of the beast ; saying to 
them that dwell on the earth, that 



miracles designed for purposes of os- 
tentation. Amidst the multitudes of 
pretended miracles of the Papacy, it 
would probably not be difficult to find 
instances in which the very thing here 
described was attempted, in which va- 
rious devices of pyrotechnics were shown 
off as miracles. For an illustration of 
the wonders produced in the dark ages 
in reference to fire, having all the ap- 
pearance of miracles, and regarded as 
miracles by the masses of men, the reader 
is referred to Dr. Brewster's Letters on 
Natural Magic, particularly Letter xii. 

14. And deceiveth them that dwell on 
the earth by the means of those miracles. 
Nothing could possibly be more descrip- 
tive of the Papacy than this. It has 
been kept up by deception and delusion, 
and its pretended miracles have been, 
and are to this day, the means by which 
this is done. Any one in the slightest 
degree acquainted with the pretended 
miracles practised at Rome, will see the 
propriety of this description as applied 
to the Papacy. The main fact here 
stated, that the Papacy would endeavor 
to sustain itself by pretended miracles, 
is confirmed by an incidental remark of 
Mr. Gibbon, when, speaking of the Pon- 
tificate of Gregory the Great, he says, 
" The credulity, or the prudence of Gre- 
gory, was always disposed to confirm the 
truths of religion by the evidence of 
ghosts, miracles, and resurrections." 
Bee. and Fall. iii. 210. Even within 
a month of the time that I am writing 
(Oct. 5, 1850), intelligence has been 
received in this country of extraordinary 
privileges conferred on some city in 
Italy, because the eyes of a picture of 
the Virgin in that city have miraculously 
moved — greatly to the "confirmation of 
the faithful/' Such things are constantly 
occurring; and it is by these that the 
supremacy of the Papacy has been, and 
is, sustained. The 'Breviary' teems 
with examples of miracles wrought by 
the saints. For instance : St. Francis 
Xavier turned a sufficient qualitity of 
salt water into fresh to save the Uvea 
of five hundred travellers who were 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



365 



they should make an image to the 

a ver. 3. 12. 



dying of thirst, enough being- left to 
allow a large exportation to different 
parts of the world, where it wrought 
astonishing cures. St. Raymond de 
Pennafort laid his cloak on the sea, and 
sailed from Majorca to Barcelona, a dis- 
tance of a hundred and sixty miles, in 
six hours. St. Juliana lay on her death- 
bed ; her stomach rejected all solid food, 
and in consequence she was prevented 
from receiving the eucharist. In com- 
pliance with her earnest solicitations, 
the consecrated wafer was laid on her 
breast; the priest prayed; the wafer 
vanished, and Juliana expired. Many 
pages might be filled with accounts of 
modern miracles, of the most ridiculous 
description, yet believed by Roman 
Catholics; — the undoubted means by 
which Papal Rome 'deceives the world/ 
and keeps up its ascendency in this age. 
See Forsyth's Italy, ii. pp. 154-157; 
Rome in the Nineteenth Century, i. p. 40, 
86, ii. p. 356, iii. pp. 193-201; Lady 
Morgan's Italy, ii. p. 306, iii. p. 189; 
Graham's Three Jlonths' Residence, &c, 
p. 241. ^[ Saying to them that dwell on 
the earth. That is, as far as its influence 
would extend. This implies that there 
would be authority, and that this author- 
ity would be exercised to secure this 
object. \ That they should make an 
ir.mge to the beatst. That is, something 
that would represent the beast, and that 
might be an object of worship. The 
word rendered image — uk&v — means pro- 
perly (a) an image, effigy, figure, as an 
idol image or figure; (b) a likeness, 
resemblance, similitude. Here the mean- 
ing would seem to be, that, in order to 
secure the acknowledgment of the beast, 
and the homage to be rendered to him, 
there was something like a statue made, 
or that John saw in vision such a repre- 
sentation ; that is, that a state of things 
existed as if such a statue were made, 
and men were constrained to acknow- 
ledge this, All that is stated here would 
be fulfilled if the old Roman civil power 
should become to a large extent dead, 
or cease to exert its influence over men, 
and if then the Papal spiritual power 
should cause a form of domination to 
exist, strongly resembling the former in 
its general character and extent, and if 
it should secure this result — that the 
31* 



beast, which had the a v/ound by a 
sword, and did live. 



world would acknowledge its sway, or 
render it homage as it did to the old 
Roman government. This would receive 
its fulfilment if it be supposed that the 
first 'beast' represented the ancient Ro- 
man civil power as such; that this died 
away — as if the head had received a 
fatal wound; that it was again revived 
under the influence of the Papacy ; and 
that, under that influence, a civil govern- 
ment strongly resembling the old Roman 
dominion was caused to exist, depending 
for its vital energy on the Papacy, and, 
in its turn, lending its aid to support the 
Papacy. All this in fact occurred in the 
decline of the Roman power after the 
time of Constantine, and its final appa- 
rent extinction, as if ' wounded to death/ 
in the exile of the last of the emperors, 
the son of Orestes, who assumed the 
names of Romulus and Augustus, names 
which were corrupted, the former by the 
Greeks into Momyllus, and the latter by 
the Latins " into the contemptible dim- 
inutive, Augustulus." See Gibbon, ii. 381. 
Under him the empire ceased, until it 
was revived in the days of Charlemagne. 
In the empire which then sprung up, and 
which owed much of its influence to the 
sustaining aid of the Papacy, and which 
seems to have been made to sustain the 
Papacy, we discern the 'image' ef the 
former Roman power; the prolongation 
of the Roman ascendency over the world. 
On the exile of the feeble son of Orestes 
(A. D. 476), the government passed into 
the hands of Odoacer, "the first Barba- 
rian who reigned in Italy" (Gibbon), and 
then the authority was divided among 
the sovereignties which sprang up after 
the conquests of the Barbarians, until the 
'empire' was again restored in the time 
and the person of Charlemagne. See 
Gibbon, iii. 344, seq. ^ Which had the 
wound by a sword, and did live. Which 
had a wound that was naturally fatal, 
but whose fatal consequences were pre- 
vented by the intervention of another 
power. Notes on ver. 3. That is, ac- 
cording to the explanation given above, 
the Roman imperial power was 'wounded 
with a fatal wound' by the invasions of 
the Northern hordes — the sword of the 
conquerors. Its power, however, was 
restored by the Papacy, giving life to 
that which resembled essentially tho 



366 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. B. 96. 



15 And he had power to give 
• life unto the image of the beast, 
that the image of the beast should 

a Breath. 



Roman civil jurisdiction — the * image' 
of, the former beast; and that power, 
thus restored, asserted its dominion 
again, as the prolonged Roman domin- 
ion — the fourth kingdom of Daniel (see 
Notes on Dan. vii. 19, seq.) — over the 
world. 

15. And he had power to give life unto 
the image of the beast. That is, that 
image of the beast would be naturally 
powerless, or would have no life in itself. 
This second beast, however, had power 
to impart life to it, so that it would be 
invested with authority, and would ex- 
ercise that authority in the manner spe- 
cified. If this refers, as is supposed, to 
the Roman civil power — the power of 
the empire restored — it would find a ful- 
ment in some act of the Papacy by which 
the empire that resembled in the extent 
of its jurisdiction, and in its general 
character, the former Roman empire, 
received some vivifying impulse, or was 
invested with new power. That is, it 
would have power conferred on it through 
the Papacy which it would not have in 
itself, and which would confirm its juris- 
diction. How far events actually oc- 
curred corresponding with this, will be 
considered in the Notes at the close of 
this verse, That the image of the beast 
should both speak. Should give signs 
of life ; should issue authoritative com- 
mands. The speaking here referred to 
pertains to that which is immediately 
specified in issuing a command that they 
who ' would not worship the image of the 
beast should be killed/ ^ And cause that 
as many as would not worship the image of 
the beast, Would not honor it, or acknow- 
ledge its authority. The ' worship' here 
referred to is civil, not religious homage. 
See Notes on ver. 4. The meaning is, that 
what is here called the ' image of the 
beast/ had power given it, by its con- 
nexion with the second * beast,' to setup 
its jurisdiction over men, and to secure 
their allegiance on pain of death. The 
power by which this was done was de- 
rived from the second beast ; the obe- 
dience and homage demanded was of the 
most entire and submissive character; 
the nature of the government was in a 



both speak, and cause that as many 
as would not worship * the image 
of the beast should be killed. 

b c. 16. 2. 



high degree arbitrary; and the penalty 
enforced for refusing this homage was 
death. The facts that we are to look for 
in the fulfilment of this, are (1) that the 
Roman imperial power was about to 
expire — as if wounded to death by the 
sword ; (2) that this was revived in the 
form of what is here called the ' image 
of the beast' — that is, in a form closely 
resembling the former power; (3) that 
this was done by the agency of the Papal 
power, represented by the second beast ; 
(4) that the effect of this was to set up 
over men a wide-extended secular juris- 
diction, of a most arbitrary and absolute 
kind, where the penalty of disobedience 
to its laws was death — and where the 
infliction of this was, in fact, to be traced 
to the influence of the second beast — 
that is, the Papal spiritual power. The 
question now is, whether facts occurred 
that corresponded with this emblematic 
representation. Now as to the leading 
fact — the decline of the Roman imperial 
power — the fatal wound inflicted on that 
by the ' sword/ there can be no doubt. 
In the time of 'Augustulus/ as above 
stated, it had become practically extinct 
— 1 wounded as it were to death/ and so 
wounded that it would* never have been 
revived again had it not been for some 
foreign influence. It is true, also, that 
when the Papacy arose, the necessity 
was felt of allying itself with some wide- 
extended civil or secular dominion, that 
might be under its own control, and that 
would maintain its spiritual authority. 
It is true, also, that the empire was re- 
vived — the very ' image' or copy, so far 
as it could be, of the former Roman 
power, in the time of Charlemagne, and 
that the power which was wielded in 
what was called the ' empire/ was that 
which was, in a great measure, derived 
from the Papacy, and was designed to 
sustain the Papacy, and was actually 
employed for that purpose. These are 
the main facts, I suppose, which are 
here referred to, and a few extracts from 
Mr. Gibbon will show with what propri- 
ety and accuracy the symbols here em- 
ployed were used, on the supposition 
that this was the designed reference. 



k. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



367 



(«) The rise, or restoration of this impe- 
rial power in the time and the person of 
Charlemagne. Mr. Gibbon says (iii. 362), 
" It was after the Nicene Synod, and 
under the reign of the pious Irene, that 
the Popes consummated the separation 
of Rome and Italy [from the Eastern 
empire] by the translation of the empire 
to the less orthodox Charlemagne. They 
were compelled to choose between the 
rival nations ; religion was not the sole 
motive of their choice ; and while they 
dissembled the failings of their friends, 
they beheld with reluctance and suspi- 
jion tie Catholic virtues of their foes. 
The difference of language and manners 
uad perpetcated the enmity of the two 
capitals [Rome and Constantinople] ; 
,tnd they were alienated from each other 
by the hostile opposition of seventy years. 
In that schism, the Romans had tasted 
of freedom and the Popes of sovereignty: 
their submission would have exposed 
them to the revenge of a jealous tyrant, 
and the revolution of Italy had betrayed 
the impotence as well as the tyranny of 
the Byzantine court." Mr. Gibbon then 
proceeds to state reasons why Charle- 
magne was selected as the one who was 
to be placed at the head of the revived 
imperial power, and then adds (p. 343), 
" The title of patrician was below the 
merit and greatness of Charlemagne ; 
and it was only by reviving the Western 
empire that they could pay their obliga- 
tions, or secure their establishment. By 
this decisive measure they would finally 
eradicate the claims of the Greeks; from 
the debasement of a provincial town the 
majesty of Rome would be restored; the 
Latin Christians would be united under 
a supreme head in their ancient metro- 
polis ; and the conquerors of the West 
would receive their crown from the suc- 
cessors of St. Peter. The Roman church 
would acquire a zealous and respectable 
advocate; and, under the shadow of the 
Carlovingian power, the bishop might 
exercise, with honor and safety, the go- 
vernment of the city." All this seems 
as if it were a designed commentary on 
such expressions as these: — "And he 
exerciseth all the power of the first beast, 
and causeth the earth and them that 
dwell therein to worship the first beast, 
whose deadly wound was healed," "say- 
ing to them that dwell on the earth that 
they should make an image to the beast 
which had the wound by a sword, and 



did live ; and he had power to give life 
unto the image of the beast," &,c. (6) 
Its extent. It is said (ver. 12), "And 
he exerciseth all the power of the first 
beast, and causeth the earth and them 
which dwell therein to worship the first 
beast, whose deadly wound was healed." 
Comp. vs. 14, 15. That is, the extent of 
the jurisdiction of the revived power, or 
the restored empire, would be as great 
as it was before the wound was inflicted. 
Of the extent of the restored empire un- 
der Charlemagne, Mr. Gibbon has given 
a full account, iii. pp. 546-549. The 
passage is too long to be copied here in 
full, and a summary of it only can be 
given. He says, " The empire was not 
unworthy of its title ; and some of the 
fairest kingdoms of Europe were the pa- 
trimony or the conquest of a prince who 
reigned at the same time in France, 
Spain, Italy, Germany, and Hungary. 
I. The Roman province of Gaul had 
been transformed into the name and 
monarchy of France, &c. II. The Sa- 
racens had been expelled from France 
by the grandfather and father of Char- 
lemagne, but they still possessed the 
greatest part of Spain, from the rock 
of Gibraltar to the Pyrenees. Amidst 
their civil divisions, an Arabian emir 
of Saragossa implored his protection in 
the diet of Paderborn. Charlemagne 
undertook the expedition, restored the 
emir, and, without distinction of faith, 
impartially crushed the resistance of 
the Christians, and rewarded the obe- 
dience and service of the Mahometans. 
In his absence he instituted the Spa~ 
nish March, which extended from the 
Pyrenees to the river Ebro : Barce- 
lona was the residence of the French 
governor; he possessed the counties of 
Rousillon and Catalonia; and the infant 
kingdoms of Navarre and Arragon were 
subject to his jurisdiction. III. As 
king of the Lombards, and patrician of 
Rome, he reigned over the greatest part 
of Italy, a tract of a thousand miles 
from the Alps to the borders of Cala- 
bria, &G. IV. Charlemagne was the 
first who united Germany under the 
same sceptre, &c. V. He retaliated on 
the Avars, or Huns of Pannonia, the 
same calamities which they had in- 
flicted on the nations : — the royal resi* 
dence of the Chagan was left desolate 
and unknown ; and the treasures, the 
rapine of two hundred and fifty years, 



368 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



snriched the victorious troops, or decc 
rated the churches of Italy and Gaul. 
" If we retrace the outlines of the geo- 
graphical picture/' continues Mr. Gib- 
bon, " it will be seen that the empire of 
the Franks extended, between the east 
and the west, from the Ebro to the Elbe, 
or Vistula; between the north and the 
south, from the dutchy of Beneventum 
to the river Eyder, the perpetual boun- 
dary of Germany and Denmark. Two- 
thirds of the Western empire were 
subject to Charlemagne, and the defi- 
ciency was amply supplied by his com- 
mand of the inaccessible or invincible 
nations of Germany." (c) The depend- 
ence of this civil or revived secular 
power on the Papacy. " His deadly 
wound was healed." " And causeth the 
earth to worship the first beast." " Say- 
ing..to them that dwell on the earth that 
they should make an image to the beast." 
" He had power to give life unto the 
image of the beast." Thus Mr. Gibbon 
(iii. 343) says, " From the debasement 
of a provincial town, the majesty of 
Rome would be restored ; the Latin 
Christians would be united under a 
supreme head, in their ancient metro- 
polis ; and the conquerors of the West 
would receice their crown from the suc- 
cessors of St. Peter.' 3 And again (iii. 
344) he says, " On the festival of Christ- 
mas, the last year of the eighth century, 
Charlemagne appeared in the church of 
St. Peter; and to gratify the vanity of 
Rome, he exchanged the simple dress 
of his country for the habit of a patri- 
cian. After the celebration of the holy 
mysteries, Leo suddenly placed a pre- 
cious crown on his head, and the dome 
resounded with the acclamations of the 
people, ' Long life and victory to Charles, 
the most pious Augustus, crowned by 
God the great and pacific emperor of the 
Romans !' The head and body of 
Charlemagne were consecrated by the 
royal unction ; his coronation oath re- 
presents a promise to maintain the faith 
and privileges of the church; and the 
first fruits are paid in rich offerings to 
the shrine of the apostle. In his familiar 
conversation the emperor protested his 
ignorance of the intentions of Leo, which 
he would have disappointed by his ab- 
sence on that memorable day. But the 
preparations of the ceremony must have 
disclosed the secret; and the journey of 
Charlemagne reveals his knowledge and 



expectation : he had acknowledged that 
the imperial title was the object of his 
ambition, and a Roman senate had pro- 
nounced that it wa3 the only adequate 
reward of his merit and services." So 
again (iii. 350) Mr. Gibbon, speaking 
of the conquests of Otho (A. D. 962), 
and of his victorious march over the 
Alps, and his subjugation of Italy, says, 
" From that memorable era, two maxims 
of public jurisprudence were introduced 
by force, and ratified by time. I. That 
the prince who was elected by the Ger- 
man diet, acquired from that instant the 
subject kingdoms of Italy and Rome. 
II. But that he might not legally assume 
the titles of emperor and Augustus, till hi 
had received the crown from the hands of 
the Roman pontiff" In connexion with 
these quotations from Mr. Gibbon, we 
may add, from Sigonius, the oath which 
the emperor took on the occasion of his 
coronation : " I, the Emperor, do engage 
and promise, in the name of Christ, 
before God and the blessed Apostle 
Peter, that I will be a protector and 
defender of this holy Church of Rome, in 
all things wherein I can be useful to it, 
so far as divine assistance shall enable 
me, and so far as my knowledge and 
power can rench." Quoted by Prof. 
Bush, Hicroph. Nov. 1842, p. 141. We 
learn, also, from the biographers of 
Charlemu-iie that a commemorative 
coin was struck at Home under his 
reign, bearing this inscription, u Reno- 
vatio Imperii Romani" — "Revival of 
the Roman Empire." Ibid. These quo- 
tations, whose authority will not be 
questioned, and whose authors will not 
be suspected of having had any design 
to illustrate these passages in the Apo- 
calypse, will serve to confirm what is 
said in the Notes of the decline and 
restoration of the Roman secular pewer ; 
of its dependence on the Papacy to give 
it life and vigor ; and of the fact that ii 
was designed to sustain the Papacy, and 
to perpetuate the power of Rome. It 
needs only to be added, that down to the 
time of Charles the Fifth — the period of 
the Reformation — nothing was more re- 
markable in history than the readiness 
of this restored secular power to sustain 
the Papacy and to carry out its designs; 
or than the readiness of the Papacy to 
sustain an absolute civil despotism, and to 
make the world subject to it by suppres- 
sing all attempts in favor of civft liberty. 



A- D. 96.J 



CHAPTER XIII. 



369 



16 And he caused all, both small I bond, to receive a a mark in their 



and great, rich and poor, free and 



16. And he caitseth all. He claims 
jurisdiction, in the matters here referred 
to, over all classes of persons, and com- 
pels them to do his will. This is the 
second beast, and, according to the in- 
terpretation given above, it relates to 
the Papal power, and to its claim of 
universal jurisdiction. ^ Both small 
and great. All these expressions are 
designed to denote universality — refer- 
ring to various divisions into which the 
human family may be regarded as di- 
vided. One of those divisions is into 
'small and great/ that is, into young 
and old,* those small in stature and 
those large in stature ; those of humble, 
and those of elevated rank. % Rich and 
poor. Another way of dividing the 
human race, and denoting here, as in 
the former case, all — for it is a common 
method, in speaking of mankind, to de- 
scribe them as 'the rich and poor/ 

Free and bond. Another method still 
of dividing the human race, embracing 
all — for all the dwellers upon the earth 
are either free or bond. These various 
forms of expression, therefore, are de- 
signed merely to denote, in an emphatic 
manner, universality. The idea is, that, 
in the matter referred to, none were ex- 
empt, either on account of their exalted 
rank, or on account of their humble 
condition ; either because they were so 
mighty as to be beyond control, or so 
mean and humble as to be beneath no- 
tice. And if this refers to the Papacy, 
every one will see the propriety of the 
description. The jurisdiction set up by 
that power has been as absolute over 
kings as over their subjects; over the 
rich and mighty, as over the feeble and 
the poor; over masters and over their 
slaves ; alike over those in the humblest 
and in the most elevated walks in life. 

To receive a mark in their right hand, 
or in their foreheads. The word here 
rendered mark — ^apayfxa — occurs only 
in one place in the New Testament ex- 
cept in the book of Revelation, Acts 
xvii. 29, where it is rendered graven. 
In all the other places where it is found 
(Rev. xiii. 16, 17, xiv. 9, 11, xv. 2, xvi. 
2, xix. 20, xx. 4), it is rendered mark, 
and is applied to the same thing — the 
' mark of the beast' The word properly 



right hand, or in their foreheads : 

a Give them. 

means something graven or sculptured ; 
hence (a) a graving, sculpture, sculp- 
tured work, as images or idols; (6) a 
mark cut in or stamped — as the stamp 
on coin. Applied to men, it was used 
to denote some stamp or mark on the 
hand or elsewhere — as in the case of a 
servant on whose hand or arm the name 
of the master was impressed; or of a 
soldier on whom some mark was im- 
pressed denoting the company or pha- 
lanx to which he belonged. It was no 
uncommon thing to mark slaves or sol- 
diers in this way ; and the design was 
either to denote their ownership or rank, 
or to prevent their escaping so as not to 
be detected.* Most of us have seen 
such marks made on the hands or arms 
of sailors, in which, by a voluntary tat- 
tooing, their names, or the names of their 
vessels, were written, or the figure of an 
anchor, or some other device, was indeli- 
bly made by punctures in the skin, and 
by inserting some kind of coloring mat- 
ter. The thing which it is here said wae 
engraven on the hand or the forehead, 
was the 'name* of the beast, or the 
'number' of bis name, ver. 17. That is, 
the 'name' or the 'number* was so in- 
delibly inscribed either on the hand or 
the forehead, as to show that he who 
bare it appertained to the 'beast/ and 
was subject to his authority — as a slave 
is to his master, or a soldier to his com- 
mander. Applied to the Papacy, the 
meaning is, that there would be some 
mark of distinction ; some indelible sign; 
something which would designate, with 
entire certainty, those persons who be- 
longed to it, and who were subject to it. 
It is hardly necessary to say that, in 
point of fact, this has eminently charac- 
terized the Papacy. All possible care 
has been taken to designate with accu- 
racy those who belong to that commu- 



* Among the Romans, slaves vrere stigmatized with 
the master's name or mark on their foreheads. So Val 
erius Maximus speaks of the custom for slaves, "liter- 
arum notis inuri aDd Flautus cz Is the slave " litera- 
tus." Ambrose (De Obit. Valentin.) says, Charactere 
Domini inscribuntur servuli. Peironius mentions 'ho 
forehead as the place of the m?rk : Servitia ecre in 
frontibus cernitis. In many ca.?»s, soldiers bor« the 
emperor's name or mark imprinioa on the hand. Ae- 
tius says, Stigmata vocant quae in facie, vel in alia 
parte corporis, inscribuntur; qualia sunt milrtum in 
manibus. So Ambrose says, Nomine imperatoria sig- 
nantur milites. Gomp. Notes on Gal. vi. 17. 



370 



KEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



17 And that no man might buy 
or sell, save he that had the mark, 
or the name of the beast, or the 
number a of his name. 

a c. 15. 2. 



nion, and, all over the world, it is easy 
to distinguish those who render allegi- 
ance to the Papal power. Comp. Notes 
on ch. vii. 3. 

17. And that no man might buy or sell. 
That is, this mighty power would claim 
jurisdiction over the traffic of the world, 
and endeavor to make it tributary to its 
own purposes. Comp. ch. xviii. 11-13, 
17-19. This is represented by saying 
that no one might 'buy or sell' except 
by its permission; and it is clear that 
where this power exists of determining 
who may ' buy and sell/ there is absolute 
control over the wealth of the world. 

Save he that had the mark. To keep 
it all among its own friends; among 
those who showed allegiance to this 
power, \ Or the name of the beast. 
That is, the 'mark' referred to was either 
the name of the beast, or the number of 
his name. The meaning is, that he had 
something branded on him that showed 
that he belonged to the beast — as a slave 
had the name of his master; m other 
words, there was something that cer- 
tainly showed that he was subject to its 
authority, Or the number of his name. 
In regard to what is denoted by the 
number of the beast, see Notes on ver. 18. 
The idea here is, that that 'number/ 
whatever it was, was so marked on him 
as to show to whom he. belonged. Ac- 
cording to the interpretation here pro- 
posed, the meaning of this passage is, 
that the Papacy would claim jurisdiction 
over traffic and commerce ; or would 
endeavor to bring it under its control, 
and make it subservient to its own ends. 
Traffic or commerce is one of the princi- 
pal means by which property is acquired, 
and he who has the control of this has, 
to a great degree, the control of the 
wealth of a nation; and the question 
now is, whether any such jurisdiction 
has been set up, or whether any such 
control has in fact been exercised, so 
that the wealth of the world has been 
subject to Papal Rome. For a more 
full illustration of this I may refer to the 
Notes on ch. xviii. 11-13, 16, 17; but at 
present it may be sufficient to remark 



18 Here is wisdom. Let him 
that hath understanding count the 
number of the beast : for it is the 
number of a man ; and his number 
is six hundred threescore and six. 



that the manifest aim of the Papacy in 
all its history has been to control the 
world, and to get dominion over its 
wealth, in order that it might accomplish 
its own purposes. But besides this, there 
have been numerous specified acts more 
particularly designed to control the busi- 
ness of 'buying and selling.' It has 
been common in Rome to prohibit, by 
express law, all traffic with heretics. 
Thus a canon of the Lateran Council, 
under Pope Alexander III., commanded 
that no man should entertain or cherish 
them in his house or land, or traffic with 
them. Hard. vi. ii. 1684. The Synod 
of Tours, under the same Pope Alexan- 
der, passed the law that no man should 
presume to receive or assist the heretics, 
no, not so much as to exercise commerce 
with them in selling or buying. And so, 
too, the Constance Council, as expressed 
in Pope Martin's bull. Elliott, iii. 220, 
221. 

18. Here is wisdom. That is, in what 
is stated respecting the name and the 
number of the name of the beast. The 
idea is, either that there would be need 
of peculiar sagacity in determining what 
the 'number' of the 'beast' or of his 
'name' was, or that peculiar 'wisdom' 
was shown by the fact that the number 
could be thus expressed. The language 
used in the verse would lead the reader 
to suppose that the attempt to make out 
the ' number' was not absolutely hopeless, 
but that the number was so far enigmati- 
cal as to require much skill in determin- 
ing its meaning. It may also be implied 
that, for some reason, there was true 
'wisdom' in designating the name by 
this number, either because a more 
direct and explicit statement might ex- 
pose him who made it to persecution, 
and it showed practical wisdom thus tc 
guard against this danger ; or because 
there was 'wisdom' or skill shown in 
the fact that a number could be found 
which would thus correspond with the 
name. On either of these suppositions, 
peculiar wisdom would be required in 
decyphering its meaning, Let him 
that hath understanding. Implying (a) 



A.. V. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIII. 



37 



lhat it was practicable to ' count the 
number of the name;' and (b) that it 
would require uncommon skill to do it. 
It could not be successfully attempted 
by all; but still there were those who 
might do it. This is such language as 
would be used respecting some difficult 
matter, but where there was hope that, 
by diligent application of the mind, and 
by the exercise of a sound understanding, 
there would be a prospect of success. 
% Count the number of the beast. In ver. 
16, it is ' the number of his name/ The 
word here rendered ' count' — xpTj^KTaru — 
means properly to count or reckon with 
pebbles, or counters ; then to reckon, to 
estimate. The word here means compute ; 
thaMs, ascertain the exact import of the 
number, so as to identify the beast. The 
' number* is that which is immediately 
specified, 'six hundred threescore and 
six' — 666. The phrase 'the number of 
the beast' means, that somehow this 
number was so connected with the beast, 
or would so represent its name or cha- 
racter, that the ' beast' would be identi- 
fied by its proper application. The men- 
tion in ver. 17 of * the name of the beast/ 
and ' the number of his name,' shows that 
this 'number' was somehow connected 
with his proper designation, so that by 
this he would be identified. The plain 
meaning is, that the number 666 would 
be so connected with his name, or with 
that which would properly designate 
him, that it could be determined who 
was meant by finding that number in 
his name or in his proper designation. 
This is the exercise of the skill or wisdom 
to which the writer here refers: substan- 
tiantially that which is required in the 
solution of a riddle or a conundrum. If 
it should be said here that this is undig- 
nified and unworthy of an inspired book, 
it may be replied (a) that there might 
be some important reason why the name 
or designation should not be more plainly 
made ; (6) that it was important, never- 
theless, that it should be so made that it 
would be possible to ascertain who was 
referred to ; (c) that this should be done 
only in some way which would involve 
the principle of the enigma — 'where a 
known thing was concealed under ob- 
scure language' ( Webster's Die.) ; (d) that 
the use of symbols, emblems, hieroglyph- 
ics, and riddles was common in the early 
periods of the world j and (e) that it was 
no uncommon thing in ancient times, as 



it is in modern, to test the capacity and 
skill of men by their ability to unfold 
the meaning of proverbs, riddles, and 
dark sayings. Comp. the riddle of 
Samson, Judges xiv. 12, seq. See also 
Ezek. xvii. 2-8 ; Prov. i. 2-6 ; Ps. xlix. 4, 
lxxviii. 2 ; Dan. viii. 23. It would be a 
sufficient vindication of the method 
adopted here if it was certain or proba- 
ble that a direct and explicit statement 
of what was meant would have been at- 
tended with immediate danger, and if 
the object could be secured by an enig- 
matical form. ^[ For it is the number of 
a man. Various interpretations of this 
have been proposed-. Clericus renders 
it, " The number is small, or not such 
as cannot be estimated by a man." Ro- 
senmiiller : " The number indicates a 
man, or a certain race of men." Prof. 
Stuart : " The number is to be computed 
more humano, not more angelica j" "it i3 
a man's number." De Wette : " It is 
such a number as is commonly reckoned 
or designated by men." Other interpre- 
tations may be seen in Poole's Synopsi*. 
That which is proposed by Rosenmiiller, 
however ; meets all the circumstances of 
the case. The idea is, evidently, that 
the number indicates or refers to a cer- 
tain man, or order of men. It does not 
pertain to a brute, or to angelic beings. 
Thus it would be understood by one 
merely interpreting the language, and 
thus the connexion demands, \ And 
his number is six hundred threescore and 
six. The number of his name, ver. 17. 
This cannot be supposed to mean that 
his name would be composed of six hun- 
dred and sixty-six letters ; and it must, 
therefore, mean that somehow the num- 
ber 666 would be expressed by his name 
in some well-understood method of com- 
putation. The number here — six hun- 
dred and sixty-six — is, in Walton's Poly- 
glott, written out in full : fli-aKdcrioi f|rf- 
Kovra l\. In Wetstein, Griesbach, Hahn, 
Tittmann, and the common Greek text, 
it is expressed by the characters = 
666. There can be no doubt that this is 
the correct number, though, in the time 
of Irenaeus, there was in some copies 
another reading — ^«j = 616. This read- 
ing was adopted by the Expositor Ty- 
chonius; but against this, Irenaeus in- 
veighs. Lib. v. c. 30. There can be no 
doubt that the number 666 is the correct 
reading, though it would seem that this 
was sometimes expressed in letters, and 



372 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 98. 



sometimes written iu full. Wetstein 
supposes that both methods were used by- 
John ; that in the first copy of his book 
he used the letters, and in a subsequent 
copy wrote it in full. This inquiry is not 
of material consequence. 

It need not be said that much has 
been written on this mysterious ' num- 
ber/ and that very different theories 
have been adopted in regard to its appli- 
cation. For the views which have, been 
entertained on the subject, the reader 
may consult, with advantage, the article 
in Calmet's Die, under the word Anti- 
christ. It was natural for Calmet, being 
a Roman Catholic, to endeavor to show 
that the interpretations have boen so 
various, that there could be no certainty 
in the application, and especially in the 
common application to the Papacy. In 
endeavoring to ascertain the meaning of 
the passage, the following general re- 
marks may be made, as containing the 
result of the investigation thus far: — (a) 
There was some mystery in the matter — 
some designed concealment — some rea- 
son why a more explicit statement was 
not adopted. The reason of this is not 
stated; but it may not be improper to 
suppose that it arose from something in 
the circumstances of the writer, and that 
the adoption of this enigmatical expres- 
sion was designed to avoid some peril 
to which he or others might be exposed 
if there were a more explicit statement. 
(b) It is implied, nevertheless, that it 
could be understood; that is, that the 
meaning was not so obscure that, by 
proper study, the designed reference 
could not be ascertained without mate- 
rial danger of error, (c) It required 
skill to do this ; either natural sagacity, 
or particular skill in interpreting hie- 
roglyphics and symbols, or uncommon 
spiritual discernment, (d) Some man, 
or order of men, is referred to that could 
properly be designated in this manner, 
(e) The method of designating persons 
obseurety by a reference to the numeri- 
cal signification of the letters in their 
names was not very uncommon, and was 
one that was not unlikely, in the circum- 
stances of the case, to have been resorted 
to by John. " Thus, among the Pagans, 
the Egyptian mystics spoke of Mercury, 
or Thouth, under the name 1218, be- 
cause the Greek letters composing the 
word Thouth, when estimated by their 
numerical value, together mada up that 



number. By others, Jupiter was invoked 
under the mystical number 717: because 
the letters of *H APXH — Beginning, or 
First Origin, which was a characteristic 
of the supreme deity worshipped as Ju- 
piter, made up that number. And Apollo 
under the number 608, as being that of 
t]vg or hng, words expressing certain 
solar attributes. Again, the pseudo- 
Christian or semi-Pagan Gnostics, from 
St. John's time and downwards, affixed 
to their gems and amulets, of which mul- 
titudes remain to the present day, the 
mystic word afipaarai; [abrasax] or afipat-as 
[abraxas'] under the idea of some magic 
virtue attaching to its number 365, as 
being that of the days of the annual 
solar circle," &c. See other instances 
referred to in Elliott, iii. 205. These 
facts show that John would not be un- 
likely to adopt some such method of ex- 
pressing a sentiment which it was de- 
signed should be obscure in form, but 
possible to be understood. It should be 
added here, that this was more common 
among the Jews than among any othei 
people. (/) It seems clear that some 
Greek word is here referred to, and that 
the mystic number is to be found in some 
word of that language. The reasons for 
this opinion are these: (1) John was 
writing in Greek, and it is most natural 
to suppose that this would be the refe- 
rence ; (2) he expected that his book 
would be read by those who under- 
stood the Greek language, and it would 
have been unnatural to have increased 
the perplexity in understanding what he 
referred to by introducing a word of a 
foreign language ; (3) the first and last 
letters of the Greek alphabet, and not 
those of the Hebrew, are expressly 
selected by the Saviour, to denote his 
eternity, " I am Alpha and Omega/' 
ch. i. 8, 11; and (4) the numerals by 
which the enigma is expressed — — are 
Greek. It has indeed been supposed by 
many that the solution is to be found in 
the Hebrew language, but these reasons 
seem to me to show conclusively that we 
are to look for the solution in some 
Greek word. 

The question now is, whether there is 
any word which corresponds with these 
conditions, and which would naturally 
be referred to by John in this manner. 
The exposition thus far has led us to 
suppose that the Papacy in some form 
is referred to ; and the enquiry now U, 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XII. 



whether there is any word which is so 
certain and determinate as to make it 
probable that John meant to designate 
that. The word Aarcivos — Lateinos—ih* 
Latin [Man], actually has all the con- 
ditions supposed in the interpretation of 
this passage. From this word the num- 
ber specified — 666 — is made out as fol- 
lows : — 

A A T E I N O 2 

30 1 300 5 10 50 70 200 = 666. 
In support of the opinion that this is the 
word intended to be referred to, the fol- 
lowing suggestions may be made : — 
(a) It is a Greek word, (b) It expresses 
the exact number, and corresponds in 
this respect with the language used by 
John, (c) It was early suggested as 
the probable meaning, and by those 
who lived near to the time of John; 
who were intimately acquainted with 
the Greek language; and who may 
be supposed to have been familiar with 
this mode of writing. Thus it was sug- 
gested by Irenseus, who says, " It seems 
to me very probable ; for this is a name 
of the last of Daniel's four kingdoms ; 
they being Latins that now reign." It 
is true that he also mentions two other 
words as those which may be meant — 
tvavSas — a word which had been sug- 
gested by others, but concerning which 
he makes no remarks, and which, of 
course, must have been destitute of any 
probability in his view; and Teirav — 
which he thinks has the clearest claims 
for admission — though he speaks of the 
word Lateinos as having a claim of pro- 
bability, (d) This word would properly 
denote the Roman power, or the then 
Latin power, and would refer to that 
dominion as a Latin dominion — as it 
properly was ; and if it be supposed that 
it was intended to refer to that, and, at 
the same time, that there should be some 
degree of obscurity about it, this would 
be more likely to be selected than the 
word Roman, which was better known ; 
and (e) there was a special propriety in 
this on the supposition that it was in- 
tended to refer to the Papal Latin 
power. The most appropriate appel- 
lation, if it was designed to refer to 
Rome as a civil power, would undoubt- 
edly have been the word Roman; but 
if it was intended to refer to the ecclesias- 
tical power, or to the Papacy, this is the 
pery word to express the idea. In earlier 
32 



times the more common appellation wa? 
Roman. This continued until the sepa- 
ration of the Eastern and Western em- 
pires, when the Eastern was called the 
Greek, and the Western the Latin; 
or when the Eastern empire assumed the 
name of Roman, and affixed to the 
Western kingdoms one and all that were 
connected with Rome, the appellation of 
Latin. This appellation, originally ap- 
plied to the language only, was adopted 
by the Western kingdoms, and came to 
be that by which they were best desig- 
nated. It was the Latin world, the 
Latin kingdom, the Latin church, the 
Latin patriarch, the Latin clergy, the 
Latin councils. To use Dr. More's 
words, " They Latinize every thing : 
Mass, prayers, hymns, Litanies, canons, 
decretals, bulls, are conceived in Latin. 
The Papal councils speak in Latin, 
women themselves p*ay in Latin. The 
Scriptures are read in no other language 
under the Papacy than Latin. In slu>'rt, 
all things are Latin." With what prcu 
priety, then, might John, under the 
influence of inspiration, speak, in this 
enigmatical manner of the new power 
that was symbolized by the beast, as 
Latin. 

The only objection to this solution that 
has been suggested is that the ortho- 
graphy of the Greek word is Aanv«j— 
Latinos — and not Areivog — Lateinos — 
giving the number 616, and not 666 ; 
and Bellarmine asserts that this is the 
uniform method of spelling in Greek 
authors. All that is necessary in reply 
to this, is to copy the following remark 
from Prof. Stuart, vol. ii. p. 456 : " As to 
the form of the Greek word Aareivos 
[Lateinos], viz., that et is employed for 
the Latin long I, it is a sufficient vindi- 
cation of it to cite "Zafiuvos, Qavcreivos, 
HavXeivog, Avrm'eivog, AruXtog, McraA«os, 
Ylcnrtzpios, OvuPiog;etc. Or we may refer 
to the custom of the more ancient Latin, 
as in Plautus, of writing /by ei, e. g., 
solitei, Diveis, captivei, preimus, Lateina, 
etc." See this point examined further, 
in Elliott, iii. 210-213. 

As a matter of historical interest, it 
may be observed that the solution of the 
difficulty has been sought in numerous 
other words, and the friends of the Pa- 
pacy,~ and the enemies of the Bible, have 
endeavored to show that such terms are 
so numerous that there can be no cer- 
tainty in the application. Thus Calms* 



374 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



(.Die, art. Antichrist), after enumerating 
oiany of these terms, says, " The num- 
ber 666 is found in names the most 
sacred, the most opposite to Antichrist. 
The wisest and best way is to be 
iilent." 



We have seen that, besides the name 
Lateinos, two other words had been re- 
ferred to in the time of Irenaeus. Some 
of the words in which the mysterious 
number has been since supposed to be 
found, are the following : — 



011 !D*p, Caesar Romae (Emperor of Rome), that is 100 + 10 + 60 + 
1 200 and 200 + 6 + 40= 

Xp JTtf Nero Caesar, 50 + 200 + 6 + 50, and 100 + 60 + 200 = 

Diocles Augustus (Dioclesian) = 

C. F. Julianus Cesar Atheus (the Apostate) = 

Luther— Th) 1 } = 200 + 400 + 30 + 6 + 30 = 

Lampetis, \anvcrts = 30 + 1 + 40 + 80 + 5 + 300 + 10 + 200 = 

17 Aaravrj Qaaikua = 8 + 30 + 1 + 300 + 10 + 50 + 8 + 2 + 1 + 200 + 
10 + 30 + 5 + 10 + 1= 

rraW eKtAtjoia = 10 + 300 + 1 + 30 + 10 + 20 + 1 + 5 + 20 + 20 + 

30 + 8 + 200 + 10 + 1 = 

teoGrarrjg (the Apostate) 1 + 80 + 70 + 6 + 1 + 300 + 8 + 200 = .. 

TVDn (Roman, Sc. Sedes) =200 + 6 + 40 + 10 + 10 + 400 = 

BMJJDI (Romanus, Sc. Man) = 200 + 40 + 70 + 50 + 6 + 300 = ... 



666. 
666. 

DCLXVI. 
DCLXVI. 

666. 
666. 

666. 



666. 
666. 
666. 



It will be admitted that many of these, 
and others that might be named, are 
fanciful, and perhaps had their origin in 
a determination, on the one hand, to find 
Rome referred to somehow, or in a de- 
termination, on the other hand, equally 
strong, not to find this ; but still it is re- 
markable how many of the most obvious 
solutions refer to Rome and the Papacy. 
But the mind need not be distracted, nor 
need doubt be thrown over the subject 
by the number of the solutions proposed. 
They show the restless character of the 
human mind, and the ingenuity of men ; 
but this should not be allowed to bring 
into doubt a solution that is simple and 
natural, and that meets all the circum- 
stances of the case. Such a solution, I 
believe, is found in the word Aareivog — 
Lateinos, as illustrated above ; and as 
that, if correct, settles the case, it is un- 
necessary to pursue the matter further. 
Those who are disposed to do so, how- 
ever, may find ample illustration in 
Calmet, Diet., Art. Antichrist; Elliott, 
Horae Apoca. iii. 207-221 j Prof. Stuart, 
Com. vol. ii., Excursus, iv. ; Bibliotheca 
Sacra, i. 84-86 ; Robert Fleming on the 
Rise and Fall of the Papacy, 28, seq. ; 
DeWette, Exegetisches Handbuch, N. T., 
iii. 140-142,- Vitringa, Com. 625-637, 
Excursus, iv. ; Nov. Tes. Edi. Koppi- 
anae, vol. x. b, pp. 235-265 ; and the 
Commentaries generally. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

In the previous chapters (xii. xiii.) 
there is a description of the woes and 
sorrows which, for a long period, would 
come upon the church, and which would 
threaten to destroy it. It was proper 
that this gloomy picture should be re- 
lieved, and accordingly this chapter, 
having much of the aspect of an episode, 
is thrown in to comfort the hearts of 
those who should see those troublous 
times. There were bright scenes beyond, 
and it was important to direct the eye to 
them, that the hearts of the sad might 
be consoled. This chapter, therefore, 
contains a succession of symbolical re- 
presentations designed to show the ulti- 
mate result of all these things — " to hold 
out the symbols of ultimate and certain 
victory." Prof. Stuart. Those symbols 
are the following : — 

(1) The vision of the hundred and 
forty-four thousand on Mount Zion, as 
emblematic of the final triumph of the 
redeemed, vs. 1-5. They have the 
Father's name in their foreheads (ver. 
1) ; they sing a song of victory (vs. 2, 3) ; 
they are found without fault before God 
— representatives, in this respect, of all 
that will be saved, vs. 4, 5. 

(2) The vision of the final triumph of 
the gospel, vs. 6, 7. An angel is seen 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIY. 



375 



CHAPTER XIY. 

AND I looked, and, lo, a Lamb a 
stood on the mount Sion, and 
with him an hundred forty and four 



flying in the midst of heaven, having 
the everlasting gospel to preach to all 
that dwell upon the earth, and an- 
nouncing that the end is near : — a repre- 
sentation designed to show that the 
gospel icill be thus preached among all 
nations ; and when that is done, the 
time will draw on when the affairs of the 
world will be wound up. 

(3) The fall of Babylon, the mighty 
Anti- christian power, ver. 8. An angel 
is seen going forth announcing the glad 
tidings that this mighty power is over- 
thrown, and that, therefore, its oppres- 
sions are come to an end. This, to the 
church in trouble and persecution, is one 
of the most comforting of all the assur- 
ances that God makes in regard to the 
future. 

(4) The certain and final destruction 
of all the upholders of that Anti-christian 
power, vs. 9-12. Another angel is seen 
making proclamation that all the sup- 
porters and abettors of this formidable 
power would drink of the wine of the 
wrath of God ; that they would be tor- 
mented with fire and brimstone,* and 
that the smoke of their torment would 
ascend up for ever and ever. 

(5) The blessedness of all those who 
die in the Lord; who, amidst the perse- 
cutions and trials that were to come 
upon the church, would be found faithful 
unto death, ver. 13. They would rest 
from their labors ; the works of mercy 
which they had done on the earth would 
follow them to the future world, securing 
rich and eternal blessings there. 

(6) The final overthrow of all the en- 
emies of the church, vs. 14-20. This is 
the grand completion ; to this all things 
are tending; this will be certainly ac- 
complished in due time. This is repre- 
sented under various emblems : — 

(a) The Son of man appears seated 
on a cloud, having on his head a 
golden crown, and in his hand a 
sharp sickle — emblem of gather- 
ing in the great harvest of the 
earth, and of his own glorious 
reign in heaven, ver. 14. 

(b) An angel is seen coming out of 
the ?emple, announcing that the 



thousand, b having his Father's 
name c written in their foreheads. 

a c. 5. 12. 
b c. 7. 4. c c. 3. 12. 



time had come, and calling on 
the Great Reaper to thrust in his 
sickle, for the harvest of the world 
was ripe, ver. 15. 
(c) He that has the sickle thrusts in 
his sickle to reap the great har- 
vest, ver. 16. 
(c?) Another angel is seen represent- 
ing the final judgment of God on 
the wicked, vs. 17-20. He also 
has a sharp sickle; he is com- 
manded by an angel that has 
power over fire to thrust in his 
sickle into the earth ; he goes forth 
and gathers the clusters of the 
vine of the earth, and casts them 
into the great wine-press of the 
wrath of God. 
This whole chapter, therefore, is de- 
signed to relieve the gloom of the former 
representations. The action of the grand 
moving panorama is stayed that the 
mind may not be overwhelmed with 
gloomy thoughts, but that it may be 
cheered with the assurance of the final 
triumph of truth and righteousness. The 
chapter, viewed in this light, is intro- 
duced with great artistic skill, as well 
as great beauty of poetic illustration; 
and, in its place, it is adapted to set forth 
this great truth, that, to the righteous, 
and to the church at large, in the dark- 
est times, and with the most threatening 
prospect of calamity and sorrow, there 
is the certainty of final victory, and that 
this should be allowed to cheer and sus- 
tain the soul. 

1. And I looked. My attention was 
drawn to a new vision. The eye was 
turned away from the beast and his 
image to the heavenly world — the Mount 
Zion above. ^ And lo a Lamb. See Notes 
on ch. v. 6. Stood on the Mount Sion. 
That is, in heaven. See Notes on Heb. 
xii. 22. Zion, literally the Southern hill 
in the city of Jerusalem, was a name also 
given to the whole city; and, as that was 
the seat of the divine worship on earth, 
it became an emblem of heaven — the 
dwelling-place of God. The scene of the 
vision here is laid in heaven, for it is a 
vision of the ultimate triumph of the re- 
deemed, designed to sustain the church 



376 



KE V EL 



ATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



2 And I heard a voice from hea- 
ven, as the voice a of many waters, 
and as the voice of a great thunder: 
and I heard the voice of harpers b 
harping with their harps. 

3 And they sung as it were a 

a c. 19. 6. b c. 5. 8, 9. 



in view of the trials that had already- 
come upon it, and of those which were 
yet to come. ^ And with him a hundred 
forty and four thousand. These are evi- 
dently the same persons that were seen 
in the vision recorded in chapter vii. 3-8, 
and the representation is made for the 
same purpose — to sustain the church in 
trial, with the certainty of its future glory. 
See Notes on ch. vii. 4. Having his 
Father's name written in their foreheads. 
Showing that they were his. See Notes 
on ch. vii. 3, xiii. 16. In ch. vii. 3, it is 
merely said that they were ' sealed in 
their foreheads ;' the passage here shows 
how they were sealed. They had the 
name of God so stamped or marked on 
their foreheads as to show that they be- 
longed to him. Comp. Notes on ch.vii. 3-8. 

2. And I heard a voice from heaven. 
Showing that the scene is laid in heaven, 
but that John in the vision was on the 
earth, As the voice of many icaters. 
As the sound of the ocean, or of a mighty 
cataract. That is, it was so loud that it 
could be heard from heaven to earth. No 
comparison could express this more sub- 
limely than to say that it was like the 
roar of the ocean, As the voice of a 
great thunder. As the loud sound of 
thunder. ^ And I heard the voice of 
harpers. In heaven : — the song of re- 
demption accompanied with strains of 
sweet instrumental music. For a de- 
scription of the harp, see Notes on Isa. 
v. 12. ^[ Harping with their harps. 
Playing on their harps. This image 
gives new beauty to the description. 
Though the sound was loud and swell- 
ing, so loud that it could be heard on the 
earth, yet it was not mere shouting, or 
merely a tumultuous cry. "It was like 
the sweetness of symphonious harps." 
The music of heaven, though elevated 
and joyous, is sweet and harmonious; 
and perhaps one of the best representa- 
tions of heaven on earth is the effect pro- 
duced on the soul by strains of sweet and 
solemn music. 
S2* 



new c song before the throne, and 
before the four beasts, and the el- 
ders : and no man could learn that 
song but the d hundred and forty 
and four thousand, which were re- 
deemed from the earth. 

c c. 15. 3. d ver. 1. 



3. And they sung as it were a new song. 
See Notes on ch. v. 9. It was proper to 
call this 'new,' because it was on a new 
occasion, or pertained to a new object. 
The song here was in celebration of the 
complete redemption of the church, and 
was the song to be sung in view of its 
final triumph over all its foes. Gomp. 
Notes ch. vii. 9, 10. *jj Before the throne. 
The throne of God in heaven. See Notes 
on ch. iv. 2. ^ And before the four beasts. 
See Notes on ch. iv. 6-8. % And the el- 
ders. See Notes on eh. iv. 4. \ And no 
man could learn that song, &g. None 
could understand it but the redeemed. 
That is, none who had not been redeemed 
could enter fully into the feelings and 
sympathies of those who were. A great 
truth is taught here. To appreciate fully 
the songs of Zion ; to understand the lan- 
guage of praise ; to enter into the spirit 
of the truths which pertain to redemp- 
tion, one must himself have been re- 
deemed by the blood of Christ. He must 
have known what it is to be a sinner un- 
der the condemnation of a holy law; he 
must have known what it is to be in dan- 
ger of eternal death; he must have ex- 
perienced the joys of pardon, or he can 
never understand in its true import the 
language used by the redeemed. And 
this is only saying what we are familiar 
with in other things. He who is saved 
from peril ; he who is rescued from long 
captivity; he who is pardoned at the foot 
of the scaffold; he who is recovered from 
dangerous illness; he who presses to his 
bosom a beloved child just rescued from 
a watery grave, will have an apprecia- 
tion of the language of joy and triumph 
which he can never understand who has 
not been placed in such circumstances; 
but of all the joy ever experienced in the 
universe, so far as we can see, that must 
be the most sublime and transporting 
which will be experienced when the 
redeemed shall stand on Mount Zion 
above, and shall realize that they ar» 
saved. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



377 



4 These are they which were not 
defiled with women ; for they are 

a Ca. 1. 3. 6. 8. 

4. These are they. In this verse, and 
in the following verse, the writer states 
the leading characteristics of those who 
are saved. The general idea is, that 
they are chaste ; that they are the fol- 
lowers of the Lamb ; that they are re- 
deemed from among men ; and that they 
are without guile, Which were not 
defiled with women. Who were chaste. 
The word defiled here determines the 
meaning of the passage, as denoting taat 
they were not guilty of illicit intercourse 
with women. It is unnecessary to show 
that this is a virtue every where required 
in the Bible, and every where stated as 
among the characteristics of the re- 
deemed. On no point are there more 
frequent exhortations in the Scriptures 
than on this; on no point is there more 
solicitude manifested that the professed 
friends of the Saviour should Be without 
blame. Comp. Notes on Acts xv. 20 ; 1 
Cor. vi. 18 ; Rom. i. 24-32 ; Heb. xiii. 4. 
See also 1 Cor. v. 1, vi. 13 ; Gal. v. 19 ; 
Eph. v. 3; Col. hi. 5; 1 Thess. iv. 3. 
This passage cannot be adduced in favor 
of celibacy, whether among the clergy or 
laity, or in favor of monastic principles 
in any form, for the thing that is speci- 
fied is that they were not 'defiled with 
women/ and a lawful connexion of the 
sexes, such as marriage, is not defile- 
ment. See Notes on Heb. xiii. 4. The 
word here rendered defiled — ifio\vv$n<?av, 
from noXvvu) — is a word that cannot be 
" applied to the marriage relation. It 
means properly to soil, to stain, to defile. 
1 Cor. viii. 7, ' Their conscience * being 
weak, is defiled.' Rev. iii. 4, 'Which 
have not defiled their garments.' The 
word does not elsewhere occur in the 
New Testament, except in the passage 
before us, and it will be seen at once that 
it cannot be applied to that which is law- 
ful and proper, and consequently that it 
cannot be construed as an expression 
against marriage and in favor of celibacy. 
It is a word that is properly expressive 
of illicit intercourse — of impurity and 
unchastity of life — and the statement is, 
that they who are saved are not impure 
and unchaste. *[f F° r ^ e y are virgins. 
n-apSfVoj. This is the masculine form, but 
this form is found in the later Greek, and 
in the Christian fathers, See Suidas and 
32* 



virgins * These are they which 
follow 1 the Lamb whithersoever he 

b Jno. 10. 27. 

Suicer, Thes. The meaning of the word, 
when found in the feminine form, is well 
understood. Itdenotes avirgin, a maiden, 
and thence it is used to denote that which 
is chaste and pure: — virgin modesty; 
virgin gold ; virgin soil ; virgin blush ; 
virgin shame. The word in the mascu- 
line form must have a similar meaning 
as applied to men, and may denote (a) 
those who are unmarried; (6) those who 
are chaste and pure in general. The 
word is applied by Suidas to Abel and 
Melchizedek. " The sense," says De 
Wette (in loc), " cannot be that all these 
144,000 had lived an unmarried life, for 
how could the Apostle Peter, and others 
who were married, have been excluded ? 
But the reference must be to those who 
held themselves from all impurity — un- 
keuschkeit und hurerei — which, in the 
view of the apostles, was closely connect- 
ed with idolatry." ' Comp. Bleek, Beitr. 
i. 185. Prof. Stuart supposes that the 
main reference here is to those who had 
kept themselves from idolatry, and who 
were thus pure. It seems to me, how- 
ever, that the most obvious meaning is 
the correct one, that it refers to the re- 
deemed as chaste, and thus brings into 
view one of the prominent things in 
which Christians are distinguished from 
the devotees of nearly every other form 
of religion, and indeed extensively from 
the world at large. This passage, also, 
cannot be adduced in favor of the mo- 
nastic system, because (a) whatever may 
be said anywhere of the purity of virgins, 
there is no such commendation of it as 
to imply that the married life is impure ; 
(b) it cannot be supposed that God meant 
in any way to reflect on the married life 
as in itself impure or dishonorable ; (c) 
the language does not demand such an 
interpretation; and (d) the facts in re- 
gard to the monastic life have shown 
that it has had very little pretensions to 
a claim of virgin purity, These are 
they which follow the Lamb. This is ano- 
ther characteristic of those who are re- 
deemed — that they are followers of the 
Lamb of God. That is, they are his dis- 
ciples; they imitate his example; they 
obey his instructions ; they yield to his 
laws; they receive him as their counsel- 
lor and their guide. See Notes on Joha 



378 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



goeth. These were a redeemed from 
among men, being the first fruits * 
unto God and to the Lamb. 

5 And in their mouth was found 

a BougM. 1 Co. 6. 20. b Ja.1. 18. 



x. 3, 27. % Whithersoever he goeth. As 
sheep follow the shepherd. Comp. Ps. 
xxiiii. 1, 2. It is one characteristic of 
true Christians that they follow the Sa- 
viour wherever he leads them. Be it into 
trouble, into danger, into difficult duty; 
be it in Christian or heathen lands ; be 
it in pleasant paths, or in roads rough 
and difficult, they commit themselves 
wholly to his guidance, and submit them- 
selves wholly to his will, These were 
redeemed from among men. This is ano- 
ther characteristic of those who are seen 
on Mount Zion. They are there because 
they are redeemed, and they have the 
character of the redeemed. They are 
not there in virtue of rank or blood (John 
i. 13) ,* not on the ground of their own 
works (Titus iii. 5), but because they are 
redeemed unto God by the blood of his 
Son. See Notes on ch. v. 9, 10. None 
will be there of whom it cannot be said 
that they are e redeemed none will be 
absent who have been truly redeemed 
from sin. ^[ Being the first-fruits unto 
God. On the meaning of the word first- 
fruits, see Notes on 1 Cor. xv. 20. The 
meaning here would seem to be, that the 
hundred and forty-four thousand were not 
to be regarded as the whole of the num- 
ber that was saved, but that they were 
rejwesentatives of the redeemed. They 
had the same characteristics which all 
the redeemed must have ; they were a 
pledge that all the redeemed would be 
there. Prof. Stuart supposes tha,t the 
sense is, that they were, as it were, 'an 
offering peculiarly acceptable to God.' 
The former explanation, however, meets 
all the circumstances of the case, and is 
more in accordance with the usual mean- 
ing of the word, And to the Lamb. 
They stood there as redeemed by him, 
thus honoring him as their Redeemer, 
and showing forth his glory. 

5. And in their mouth was found no 
guile. No deceit, fraud, hypocrisy. 
They were sincerely and truly what 
they professed to be — the children of 
God. This is the last characteristic 
which is given of them as redeemed, and 
it is not necessary to say that this is 



no guile: c for they are without 4 
fault before the throne of God. 
6 And I saw another angel % 

c Ps. 32. 2. d Ep. 5. 27 ; Jude 24. 



always represented as one of the char- 
acteristics of the true children of God. 
See Notes on John i. 47. % For they 
are without fault before the throne of God. 
The word here rendered without fault — 
afxwfxoi — means properly spotless, without 
blemish, 1 Pet. i. 19. See Notes on Col. 
i. 22. This cannot be construed as 
meaning that they were by nature pure 
and holy, but only that they were pure 
as they stood before the throne of God 
in heaven — ' having washed their robes, 
and made them pure in the blood of the 
Lamb/ See Notes on ch. vii. 14. It 
will be certainly true that all who stand 
there will be in fact pure, for nothing 
impure or unholy shall enter there. 
Ch. xxi. 27. 

The design of this portion of the chap 
ter was evidently to comfort those to 
whom the book was addressed, and, in 
the same way, to comfort all the children 
of God in times of persecution and trial. 
Those living in the time of John were 
suffering persecution, and, in the pre- 
vious chapters, he had described more 
fearful trials yet to come on the church. 
In these trials, therefore, present and 
prospective, there was a propriety in 
fixing the thoughts on the final triumph 
of the redeemed — that glorious state in 
heaven where all persecution shall cease, 
and where all the ransomed of the Lord 
shall stand before his throne. What 
could be better fitted than this view to 
sustain the souls of the persecuted and 
the sorrowful? And how often since in 
the history of the church — in the dark 
times of religious declension and of per- 
secution — has there been occasion to 
seek consolation in this bright view of 
heaven ! How often in the life of each 
believer, when sorrows come upon him 
like a flood, and earthly consolation is 
gone, is there occasion to look to that 
blessed world where all the redeemed 
shall stand before God ; where all tears 
shall be wiped away from every face; 
and where there shall be the assurance 
that the last pang has been endured, and 
that the soul is to be happy for ever 

6. And I saw another angel. Thif 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EE, XIV. 



379 



in the midst of heaven, having the • 
everlasting gospel to preach nnto 
them that dwell on the earth, and 
to every * nation, and kindred, and 
tongue, and people, 



must of course mean a different one 
from some one mentioned before,* but 
no such angel is referred .to in the pre- 
vious chapters, unless we go back to ch. 
xii. 7. It is not necessary, however, to 
suppose that John refers to a particular 
angel immediately preceding this. In 
the course of these visions he had seen 
many angels ; and now, accustomed to 
these visions, he says that he saw ' an- 
other" one employed in a remarkable em- 
bassy, whose message was fitted to cheer 
the hearts of the desponding, and to 
support the souls of the persecuted and 
the sad — for his appearing was the 
pledge that the gospel would be ulti- 
mately preached to all that dwell upon 
the earth. The design of this vision is, 
therefore, substantially the same as the 
former — to cheer the heart, and to sus- 
tain the courage and the faith of the 
shurch, in the persecutions and trials 
>vhich were yet to come, by the assurance 
that the gospel would be ultimately tri- 
umphant. ^[ Fly in the midst of heaven. 
In the air; so as to appear to be moving 
along the face of the sky. The scene 
cannot be in heaven, as the gospel is not 
to be preached there, but the word must 
denote heaven as it appears to us — the 
sky. Prof. Stuart renders it correctly, 
* mid-air/ He is represented as flying, 
to denote the rapidity with which the 
gospel would spread through the world 
in that future period referred to. Comp. 
Notes on Isa. vi. 2. \ Having the ever- 
lasting gospel. The gospel is here called 
everlasting or eternal, (a) because its 
great truths have always existed, or it 
is conformed to eternal truth ; (b) be- 
cause it will for ever remain unchanged 
— not being liable to fluctuation like the 
opinions held by men ; (c) because its 
effects will be everlasting — in the re- 
demption of the soul and the joys of 
heaven. In all the glorious eternity 
before the redeemed, they will be but 
developing the effects of that gospel on 
their own hearts, and enjoying the re- 
sults of it in the presence of God. To 
preach unto them that dwell on the earth. 
To all men — as is immediately specified. 



7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear 
God, and give glory to him ; for e 
the hour of his judgment is come : 
a 2 Sa.23. 5; Is. 40. 8. 
b Ep. 3. 9. c c. 15. 4. 



Comp. Matt, xxviii. 19 ; Mark xvi. 15. 
5f And to every nation, and kindred, &c. 
To all classes and conditions of men ; to 
all men without any distinction or ex- 
ception. See Notes on ch. vii. 9. The 
truth here taught is, that the gospel is 
to be preached to all men as on an 
equality, without any reference to their 
rank, their character, or their complex- 
ion j and it is implied also that at the 
time referred to, this will be done. 
When that time will be, the writer does 
not intimate farther than that it would 
be after the beast and his adherents had 
attempted to stay its progress ; and for 
the fulfilment of this, therefore, we are 
to look to a period subsequent to the 
rise and fall of that great Antichristian 
power symbolized by the beast and his 
image. This is in entire accordance 
with the prediction in Daniel. See 
Notes on Dan. vii. 19-22. 

7. Saying, with a loud voice. As if 
all the nations were summoned to hear. 
^ Fear God. That is, reverence, honor, 
obey God. Render homage not to the 
beast, to hi.^ image, or to any idol, but 
to the only true God. This is the sub- 
stance of the gospel — its end and design 
— to turn men from all forms of idol- 
worship and superstition, to the worship 
of the only true God. ^ And give glory 
to him. To give glory to him is to 
acknowledge him as the only true God ; 
to set up his pure worship in the heart ; 
and to praise him as the great Ruler of 
heaven and earth, For the hour of 
his judgment is come. His judgment on 
the beast and on those who worship him. 
The imagery here is substantially the 
same as in Dan. vii. 9, 10, 14, 26, 27, and 
there can be no doubt that there is refer- 
ence to the same subject. See Notes on 
those verses. The main idea is, that 
when God shall be about to cause his 
gospel to spread through the world, there 
will be, as it were, a solemn judgment 
on that Antichristian power which had 
so long resisted his truth and persecuted 
his saints, and that on the fall of that 
power his own kingdom will be set up 
on the earth ; that is, in the language 



380 



REVELATION, 



[A. 1), m 



and worship him that made heaven, 
and earth, and the sea, and the 
fountains of waters. 



of Daniel, "the kingdom, and the do- 
minion, and the greatness of the king- 
dom under the whole heaven, shall be 
given to the people of the saints of the 
Most High." ^ And worship him that 
made heaven, and earth, &e. The true 
God, the Creator of all things. As 
already remarked, this is the ultimate 
design of the gospel, and when this is 
accomplished, the great end for which it 
was revealed will be reached. 

The design of this portion of the chap- 
ter (vs. 6, 7), also, was to comfort those 
to whom the book was addressed, and 
in the same way to comfort the church 
in all the persecution and opposition 
which the truth would encounter. The 
ground of consolation then was that a 
time was predicted when the ' everlasting 
gospel' would be made to fly speedily 
through the earth, and when it would be 
announced that a final judgment had 
come upon the great Anti-christian 
power which had prevented its being 
before diffused over the face of the world. 
The same ground of encouragement and 
consolation exists now, and the more so 
as we see the day approaching; and in j 
all times of despondency we should allow j 
our hearts to be cheered as we see \ 
that great Antichristian power waning, j 
and as we see evidence that the way j 
is thus preparing for the rapid and j 
universal diffusion of the pure gospel j 
of Christ. 

8. And there followed another angel. 
That is, in the vision. It is not neces- 
sary to suppose that this would, in the 
fulfilment, succeed the other in time. 
The chapter is made up of a number of 
representations,^!! designed to illustrate 
the same general thing, and to produce 
the same general effect on the mind — 
that the gospel would be finally triumph- 
ant, and that, therefore, the hearts of 
the troubled and the afflicted should be 
comforted. Tho representation in this 
sersc, bearing on this point, is, that 
Babylon, the great enemy, would fall to 
rise nc more, Babylon. This is the 
first time that the word Babylon occurs 
in this book, though it is repeatedly 
mentioned afterwards, ch. xvi. 19, xvii. 
5, xviii. 2, 10, 21. In reference to the 



8 And there followed another 
angel, saying, Babylon a is fallen, 

a Is. 21. 9; Je. 51. 7, 8; c. 18.2, 3. 

literal Babylon, the word is used, in 
the New Testament, in Matt. i. 11, 12, 
13 j Acts vii. 43 ; 1 Pet. v. 13. See In- 
tro, to I. Peter, $ 2. Babylon was a 
well-known city on the Euphrates (for a 
full description of which see Notes on 
Isa. Analysis of chs. xiii., xiv.), and was 
in the days of its pride and glory the 
head of the heathen world. In refe- 
rence to che meaning of the word in this 
place, it may be remarked (1) that the 
general characteristics of Babylon were, 
that it was proud, haughty, insolent, 
oppressive. It was chiefly known and 
remembered by the Hebrew people as a 
power that hp.d invaded the holy land; 
that had reduced its capital and temple 
to ruins; that had destroyed the inde- 
pendence of their country, subjecting it to 
the condition of a province, and that had 
carried away the inhabitants into a long 
and painful captivity. It became, there- 
fore, the emblem of all that was haughty 
and oppressive, and especially of all that 
persecuted the church of God. (2) The 
word must be used here to denote some 
power that resembled the ancient and 
literal Babylon in these characteristics. 
The literal Babylon was no more; but 
the name might be properly used to 
denote a similar power. We are to seek, 
therefore, in the application of this, for 
some power that had the same general 
characteristics which the literal Babylon 
had. (3) In enquiring, then, what is 
referred to here by the word Babylon, 
we may remark (a) that it could not be 
the literal Babylon on the Euphrates, for 
the whole representation here is of 
something future, and the literal Baby 
Ion had long since disappeared, never, 
according to the prophecies, to be rebuilt. 
See Notes on Isa. xiii. 20-22. (6) All 
the circumstances require us to under- 
stand this of Rome — at some period of 
its history: — for Rome, like Babylon, 
was the seat of empire, and the head of 
the heathen world; Rome was charac- 
terized by many of the same attributes 
as Babylon, being arrogant, proud, op- 
pressive; Rome, like Babylon, was dis- 
tinguished for its conquests, and for the 
fact that it made all other nations sub- 
ject to its control; Rome had been, like 



A P. 96 



CHAPTER XIV. 



381 



is fallen, that great city, because 
sb<3 made all nations drink of the 

Babylon, a desolating power, having 
destroyed the capital of the holy land 
r.nd burnt its beautiful temple, and re- 
duced the country to a province. Rome, 
like Babylon of old, was the most formi- 
dable power with which the church had 
to contend. Yet (c) it is not, I suppose, 
Home considered as Pagan that is here 
meant — but Borne considered as the 
prolongation of the ancient power in the 
Papal form. Alike in this book and in 
Daniel, Rome, Pagan and Papal, is re- 
garded as one power, standing in direct 
opposition to the gospel of Christ ; re- 
sisting its progress in the world ; and pre- 
venting its final prevalence. See Notes 
on Dan. vii. When that falls, the last 
enemy of the church will be destroyed, 
and the final triumph of the true religion 
will be speedy and complete. See Dan. 
vii. 26, 27. (d) So it was understood 
among the early Christians. Mr. Gib- 
bon, speaking of the expectations of the 
early Ceristians about the end of the 
world, and the glory of the literal reign 
of the Messiah, says, "While the happi- 
ness and glory of a temporal reign were 
promised to the disciples of Christ, the 
most dreadful calamities were denounced 
against an unbelieving world. The edi- 
fication of the New Jerusalem was to 
advance by equal steps with the destruc- 
tion of the mystic Babylon ; and as long 
as the emperors who reigned before Con- 
stantine persisted in the profession of 
idolatry, the epithet of Babylon was ap- 
plied to the city and to the empire of 
Rome." i. p. 263. ^ Is. fallen. That is, 
an event appeared in vision, as if a 
mighty city fell to rise no more. ^ Is 
fallen. This is repeated to give em- 
phasis to the declaration, and to express 
the joyousness of that event, That 
great city. Babylon in its glory was the 
largest city of the world; Rome, in its 
turn, also became the largest; and the 
expression used here denotes that the 
power here referred to would be pro- 
perly represented by cities of their mag- 
nitude, fl" Because she made all nations 
drink of the ivine. This language is 
probably taken from Jeremiah li. 7: 
" Babylon hath been a golden cup in 
the Lord's hand, that made all the 
earth drunken : the nations have drunken 
of the wine, therefore the nations are 



wine of the wrath of her forni- 
cation. 



mad." Babylon here, in accordance 
with the .usual custom of the sacred 
writers when speaking of cities (see Notes 
on Isa. i. 8), is represented as a female— 
here a female of abandoned character, 
holding in her hand a cup of wine to 
attract her lovers ; that is, she allures 
and intoxicates them. This is a beauti- 
ful image to denote the influence of a 
great and corrupt city, and especially a 
city corrupt in its religion, and devoted 
to idolatry and superstition — and may 
well be applied either to Babylon or 
Rome literal or mystical. Of the 
wrath. There seems an incongruity in 
the use of this word here, and Prof 
Stuart proposes to render it ' the inflam- 
matory wine of her fornication ;' that is, 
inebriating wine; wine that excited the 
passions and that led to uncleanness. 
He supposes that the word here used — 
$v{x6$ — means heat, inflammation, cor- 
responding to the Hebrew HDIl. There 

are no instances, however, in the New 
Testament, in which the word is used in 
this sense. The common and proper 
meaning is mind, soul; then mind 
agitated with -passion, or under the in- 
fluence of desire — a violent commotion 
of mind, as wrath, anger, indignation. 
Bob. Lex. The ground of the represen- 
tation here seems to be, that Jehovah is 
often described as giving to the nations 
in his wrath an intoxicating cup, so that 
they should reel and stagger to their 
destruction. Comp. Jer. li. 7, xxv. 15. 
The meaning here is, that the nations 
had drunk of that cup which brought on 
the wrath of God on account of her 
'fornication.' Babylon is represented 
as a harlot, with a cup of wine in her 
hand, and the effect of drinking that 
cup was to expose them to the wrath of 
God, hence called ' the wine of the 
wrath of her fornication :' — the alluring 
cup that was followed by wrath on ac- 
count of her fornication, Of her for- 
nication. Due to her fornication. The 
word ' fornication' here is used to denote 
spiritual uncleanness ; that is, heathen 
and superstitious rites and observances. 
The term is often used in the Scriptures 
as applicable to idolatry and supersti- 
tion. The general meaning here is, that 
Rome — Papal Rome — would employ all 



382 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



9 And the third angel followed 
them, saying with a loud voice, If ° 
any man worship the beast and his 
image, and receive his mark in his 
forehead, or in his hand, 

a c. 13. 14-16. 



forms of voluptuous allurements to bring 
the nations to the worship of the beast 
and his image, and that the ' wrath* of 
God would be poured out on account of 
these abominations. 

The design of this verse, also, is to 
impart consolation by the assurance that 
this great enemy — this mighty, formi- 
dable, persecuting power — would be en- 
tirely overthrown. This is everywhere 
held up as the brightest hope of the 
church ,• for with this will fall its last 
great enemy, and the grand obstruction 
to the final triumph of the gospel on 
earth will be removed. 

9. And the third angel followed them. 
This was a new vision designed to repre- 
sent the removal of all the obstructions 
to, the final prevalence of the gospel. 
We are not neessarily to suppose that 
this event would succeed those men- 
tioned before, in the order of time, 
though this would be the natural con- 
struction. The design of this is to show 
that the worshippers of the beast and 
his image would be certainly and finally 
destroyed. ^[ Saying with a loud voice. 
Making a loud proclamation. Ver. 7. 
5f If any man worship the beast and his 
image. Notes ch. xiii. 4, 8, 12, 15. This 
declaration is universal, affirming of all 
who thus render idolatrous reverence 
to the power represented by the beast 
and his image, that they should drink of 
the wine of the wrath of God. The 
general meaning is, that they were guilty 
of idolatry of a gross form, and wherever 
this existed, they who were guilty of it 
would come under the denunciations in 
the Scriptures against idolaters. And 
why should not such denunciations fall 
on idolaters under the Papacy as well 
as on others? Is it not true that 
there is as real idolatry there as in the 
heathen world? Is not the idolatry as 
gross and debasing ? Is it not attended 
with as real corruption in the heart and 
the life ? Is it not encompassed with as 
many things to inflame the passions, cor- 
rupt the morals, and alienate the soul 
from God ? And is it not all the worse 



10 The same shall drink b of the 
wine of the wrath of God, which is 
poured out without mixture into 
the cup of his indignation ; and 
he shall be tormented with fire c 

b Ps. 75. 8. c c. 19. 20. 



for being a perversion of Christianity, 
and practised under the forms of the 
religion of the Saviour ? On what prin- 
ciple should idolatry be denounced and 
condemned anywhere, if it is not in 
Papal Rome ? Comp. Notes on 2 Thess. 
ii. 4. ^[ And receive his mark in his 
forehead, or in his hand. See Notes on 
ch. xiii. 16. The word 'receive' here 
implies that there was, on their part, 
some degree of voluntariness : it was not 
a mark impressed by force, but a mark 
received. This is true in respect to all 
idolatry; and this lays the ground for 
condemnation. Whatever art is used to 
induce men to worship the beast and his 
image, it is still true that the worship- 
pers are voluntary, and that, being vo- 
luntary, it is right that they should be 
treated as such. It is on this ground 
only that any idolaters, or any sinners 
of any kind, can be, in the proper sense 
of that term, punished. 

10. The same shall drink of the wine of 
the wrath of God. See Notes on ver. 8. 
Th e ' wine of the wrath of God' is the cup 
in the hand of the Lord, which when 
drunk makes them reel and fall. The 
image would seem to have been taken 
from the act of holding out a cup of poison 
to a condemned man that he might drink 
and die. See the sentiment here express- 
ed illustrated in.the Notes on Isa. li. 17. 
5[ Which is poured out loithout mixture. 
Without being diluted with water; that 
is, in its full strength. In other words, 
there would be no mitigation of the 
punishment. ^[ Into the cup of his indig- 
nation. The cup held in his hand and 
given them to drink. This is expres- 
sive of his indignation, as it causes them 
to reel and fall. The sentiment here 
is substantially the same, though in 
another form, as that which is expressed 
in 2 Thess. ii. 12. See Notes on that 
verse. And he shall be tormented. 
Shall be punished in a manner that 
would be well represented by being 
burned with fire and brimstone. On the 
meaning of this word, see Notes on ch. 
ix. 5, xi. 10. Comp. also ch. xviii. 7, 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIV. 



383 



and brimstone in the presence of 
the holy angels, and in the pre- 
sence of the Lamb : 

11 And the smoke a of their 
torment ascendeth up for ever and 



10, 15, xx. 10; Mark v. 7; Luke viii. 
2S j Matt. viii. 29. The word commonly 
denotes severe torture. % With fire 
and brimstone. As if with burning 
sulpher. See Notes on Luke xvii. 28- 
30. Comp. Ps. xi. 6 ; Jab xviii. 15 ; 
Ezek. xxxviii. 22; Isa. xxx. 33. The 
imagery is taken from the destruction 
of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen. xix. 
24. The common representation of the 
punishment of the wicked is, that 
it will be in the manner here repre- 
sented. Mark ix. 44-48; Matt, v. 22, 
xiii. 42, xviii. 9, xxv. 41 ; 2 Peter iii. 7 : 
Jude 7 j Rev. xx. 14. Comp. Notes on 
Matt. v. 22; Mark ix. 44. % In the 
presence of the holy angels. This may 
mean either (a) that the angels will be 
present at their condemnation (Matt, 
xxv. 31), or (b) that the punishment will 
be actually witnessed by the angels — as 
it is most probable it will be. Comp. 
Luke xvi. 23-26 ; Isa. lxvi. 24. f And 
•in the presence of the Lamb. The Lamb 
of God — the final Judge. This also may 
mean either that the condemnation will 
occur in his presence, or that the pun- 
ishment will be under his eye. Both of 
these things will be true in regard to 
him ; and it will be no small aggrava- 
tion of the punishment of the wicked 
that it will occur in the very presence 
of their slighted and rejected Saviour. 

11. And the smoke of their torment. 
The smoke proceeding from their place 
of torment. This language is probably 
derived from the account of the destruc- 
tion of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. xix. 
28). "And he [Abraham] looked to- 
ward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward 
all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, 
lo, the smoke of the country went up as 
the smoke of a furnace." The destruction 
of these cities is regarded as an emblem 
of the destruction of the wicked, and the 
smoke that ascended from them as a re- 
presentation of that which ascends from 
the place where the wicked suffer for 
ever. See Notes on Jude 7. % Ascend- 
eth up. Continually rises from that world 
of woe. F° r ever an d ever - See Notes 
on Jude 7. This does not indeed affirm 



ever: and they have no rest * day nor 
night, who worship the beast and his 
image, and whosoever receiveth the 
mark of his name. 

a Is. 34. 10. b Is. 57. 20, 21. 



that their individual sufferings would be 
eternal — since it is only a declaration 
that 'the smoke of their torment ascends;' 
but it is such language as would be used 
on the supposition that they would suffer 
for ever, and as can be explained only 
on that supposition. It implies that 
their torments continued, and were the 
cause of that ascending smoke; that is, 
that they were tormented while it as- 
cended, and as this is declared to be 'for 
ever and ever/ it implies that the suffer- 
ings of the wicked will be eternal : and 
this is such language as loould not and 
could not have been used in a revelation 
from God, unless the punishment of the 
wicked is eternal. Comp. Notes on Matt, 
xxv. 46. ^] And they have no rest day 
nor night. 'Day and night ' include all 
time, and hence the phrase is used to 
denote perpetuity; always. The mean- 
ing here is, that they never have any 
rest ; any interval of pain. This is stated 
as a circumstance strongly expressive of 
the severity of their torment. Here, 
rest comes to the sufferer. The prisoner 
in his cell lies down on his bed, though 
hard, and sleeps ; the over-worked slave 
has also intervals of sleep; the eyes 
of the mourner are locked in repose, and 
for moments, if not hours, he forgets his 
sorrows ; no pain that we endure on 
earth can be so certain and prolonged 
that nature will not, sooner or later, find 
the luxury of sleep, or will find rest in 
the grave. But it will be one of the bit- 
terest ingredients in the cup of woe, in the 
world of despair, that this luxury will be 
denied for ever, and that they who enter 
that gloomy prison sleep no more; never 
know the respite of a moment — never 
even lose the consciousness of their heavy 
doom. O how different from the condi- 
tion of sufferers here ! And O how 
sad and strange that any one of our race 
will persevere in sin, and go down to 
those unmitigated and unending sorrows ! 
^[ Who icorship the beast and his image, 
&c. See Notes on ch. xiii. 4, 15. ^ And 
whosoever receiveth the mark of his nami 
See Notes «on ch. xiii. 17. The meaning 
here is, that such worshippers will re* 



384 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



12 Here is the patience of the 
saints : here are they that keep the 
commandments of God, and the 
faith of Jesus. 



ceive the punishment which other idola- 
ters and sinners do. No exception will 
be made in favor of an idolator, though 
he worships idols under the forms of an 
abused Christianity; none will be made 
in favor of a sinner because he practised 
iniquity under the garb of religion. 

12. Here is the patience of the saints. 
See Notes on ch. xiii. 10. Here are 
they that keep the commandments of God. 
That is, in exercising such patience. 
Those who exercise that 1 patience* in 
these long-continued persecutions and 
trials, will show that they belong to those 
who keep the commandments of God, 
and are his true children. Or, perhaps 
the meaning may be, " here is a disclo- 
sure respecting the final destiny of these 
persecutors, which is adapted to comfort 
and sustain the saints in the trials which 
they will endure ; an encouragement to 
constancy in obeying the commands of 
God, and in evincing the meek faith of 
the gospel.' \ And the faith of Jesus. 
To encourage persevering faith in the 
Saviour. In these times of trial it will 
be shown who are the friends of the Sa- 
viour; and in the prospect of the certain 
overthrow of all the enemies of God and 
his cause, there is a ground of encourage- 
ment for continued attachment to him. 

The design A' this portion of the chap- 
ter (vs. 9 - Z), is to encourage Christians 
in their trials by the assurance that this 
formidable Antihristian power would be 
overthrown, and that all the enemies 
of God would receive their just doom in 
the world of despair. Fearful as that 
doctrine is, and terrible as is the idea of 
the everlasting suffering of any of the 
creatures of God, yet the final overthrow 
of the wicked is necessary to the triumph 
of truth and holiness, and there is con- 
solation in the belief that religion will 
ultimately triumph. The desire for its 
triumph necessarily supposes that the 
wicked will be overthrown and pun- 
ished ; and indeed it is the aim of all 
governments, and of all administrations 
of law, that the wicked shall be over- 
thrown, and that truth and justice shall 
prevail. What would be more consola- 
tory in a human government than the 



13 And I heard a voice from 
heaven saying unto me, Write, 
Blessed are the dead which die ° in 

a 1 Th. 4. 14, 16 



idea that all the wicked would be arrest- 
ed and punished as they deserve ! For 
what else is government instituted ? 
For what else do magistrates and police 
officers discharge the functions of their 
office ? 

13. And I heard a voice from heaven. 
A voice that seemed to speak from heaven. 

Saying unto me, Write. Make a record 
of this truth. We may suppose that John 
was engaged in making a record of what 
he saw in vision ; he was now instructed 
to make a record of what he heard. This 
passage may be referred to as a proof 
that he wrote this book while in Patmos, 
or as the heavenly disclosures were made 
to him, and not afterwards from memory. 
1f Blessed are the dead. That is, the con- 
dition of those who die in the manner 
which is immediately specified, is to be 
regarded as a blessed or happy one. It 
is much to be able to say of the dead that 
they are ' blessed/ There is so much in 
death that is sad ; we so much dread it 
by nature ; it cuts us off from so much 
that is dear to us ; it blasts so many hopes; 
and the grave is so cold and cheerless a 
resting-place, that we owe much to a sys- 
tem of religion which will enable us to 
say and to feel that it is a blessed thing 
to die. Assuredly we should be grateful 
for any system of religion which will en- 
able us thus to speak of those who are 
dead ; which will enable us, with corres- 
ponding feeling, to look forward to our 
own departure from this world, Which 
die in the Lord. Not all the dead; for 
God never pronounces the condition of 
the wicked who die, blessed or happy. 
Religion guards this point, and confines 
the declaration to those who furnish evi- 
dence that they are prepared for heaven. 
The phrase 'to die in the Lord' implies 
the following things : (1) That they who 
thus die are the friends of the Lord Jesus. 
The language 'to be in the Lord* is often 
used to denote true attachment to him, 
or close union with him. Comp. John 
xv. 4-7; Rom. xvi. 13, 22; 1 Cor. iv. 17, 
vii. 39 ; Phil. i. 14 ; Col. iv. 7. The assu- 
rance, then, is limited to those who are 
sincere Christians, for this the language 
properly implies, and we are authorised 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEK XIV 



385 



the Lord ° from henceforth: Yea, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest 



to apply it only as there is evidence of 
true religion. (2) To 'die in the Lord' 
would seem also to imply that there should 
be, at the time, the evidence of his favor 
and friendship. This would apply (a) to 
those who die as martyrs, giving their 
lives as a testimony to the truth of reli- 
gion, and as an evidence of their love for 
it; and (6) to those who have the com- 
forting evidence of his presence and favor 
on the bed of death. ^[ From henceforth, 
airdpri. This word has given no little 
perplexity to expositors, and it has been 
variously rendered. Some have connected 
it with the word blessed — * blessed hence- 
forth are the dead who die in the Lord ;' 
that is, they will be ever-onward blessed : 
some with the word die, referring to the 
time when the apostle was writing — 
f blessed are they who after this time die 
in the Lord/ designing to comfort those 
who were exposed to death, and who 
would die as martyrs : — some as referring 
to the times contemplated in these visions 
— ' blessed will they be who shall die in 
those future times/ Witsius understands 
this as meaning that from the time of their 
death they would be blessed, as if it had 
been said, immediately after their disso- 
lution they would be blessed. Doddridge 
renders it, 'henceforth blessed are the 
dead/ The language is evidently not to 
be construed as implying that they who 
had died in the faith before were not 
happy, but that in the times of trial and 
persecution that were to come, they were 
to be regarded as peculiarly blessed who 
should escape from these sorrows by a 
Christian death. Scenes of woe were in- 
deed to occur, in which many believers 
would die. But their condition was not 
to be regarded as one of misfortune, but 
of blessedness and joy, for (a.) they would 
die in an honorable cause ; (b) they would 
emerge from a world of sorrow; and (c) 
they would rise to eternal life and peace. 
The design, therefore, of the verse is to 
impart consolation and support to those 
who would be exposed to a martyr's 
death, and to those who, in times of per- 
secution, would see their frien is exposed 
co such a death. It may be added that 
the declaration here made is true still, 
Mid ever will be. It ia a Messed thing to 



from their labors ; and their works 
do follow them. 

a Or, From henceforth saith the Spirit, Yea. 

die in the Lord, Yea, saith the Spirit. 
The Holy Spirit; 'the Spirit by whose 
inspiration and command I record this. 
Doddridge, That they may rest from 
their labors. The word here rendered 
labor — kokos — means properly wailing, 
grief, from Kdnru), to beat, and hence a 
beating of the breast as in grief. Then 
the word denotes toil, labor, effort. John 
iv. 38 ; 1 Cor. iii. 8, xv. 58 ; 2 Cor. vi. 5, 
x. 15, xi. 23, 27. It is here used in the 
sense of wearisome toil in doing good, in 
promoting religion, in saving souls, in 
defending the truth. From such toils the 
redeemed in heaven will be released ; for 
although there will be employment there, 
it will be without the sense of fatigue or 
weariness. And in view of such eternal 
rest from toil, we may well endure the 
labors and toils incident to the short pe- 
riod of the present life, for however ar- 
duous or difficult, it will soon be ended. 

And their icorks do folloio them. That 
is, the rewards or the consequences of their 
works will follow them to the eternal 
world, the word works here being used 
for the reicards or results of their works. 
In regard to this, considered as an en- 
couragement to labor, and as a support 
in the trials of life, it may be remarked, 
(a) that all that the righteous do and 
suffer here will be appropriately recom^ 
pensed there, (b) Tiiis is all that can 
follow a man to eternity, He can take 
with him none of his gold, his lands, his 
raiment; none of the honors of this li f e f 
none of the means of sensual gratification. 
All that will go with him will be his ehar« 
acter, and the results of his conduct here, 
and, in this respect, eternity will be but* 
prolongation of the present life, (c) It if 
one of the highest honors of our nature 
that we can make the present affect the 
future for good; that by our conduct on 
the earth we can lay the foundation for 
happiness millions of ages hence. In no 
other respect does man appear so digni- 
fied as in this ; nowhere do we so clearly 
see the grandeur of the soul as in the fact 
that what we do to-day may determine 
our happiness in that future period, when 
all the affairs of this world shall have been 
wound up, and when ages which cannot 
now be numbered shall have rolled by. Xi 



386 



EEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



14 And I looked, and behold a 
white cloud, and upon the cloud 
one sat like a unto the Son of man, 
having on his head a golden crown, 
and in his hand a sharp sickle. 

15 And another angel came out 

a Eze. 1. 26; Da. 7. 13. b Joel 3. 13. 

is then a glorious thing to live, and will 
be a glorious thing to die. Comp. Notes 
on 1 Cor. xv. 58. 

14. And I looked. See Notes on ver. 
1. His attention is arrested by a new 
vision. The Son of Man himself conies 
forth to close the scene, and to wind up 
the affairs of the world. This too is of 
the nature of an episode, and the design 
is the same as the previous visions — to 
support the mind in the prospect of the 
trials that the church was to experience, 
by the assurance that it would be finally 
triumphant, and that every enemy would 
be destroyed, And behold a white 
cloud. Bright, splendid, dazzling — ap- 
propriate to be the seat of the Son of 
God. Comp. Notes on Matt. xvii. 5, and 
Rev. i. 7. See also Luke xx. 27, Acts 
i. 9, Rev. x. 1, Matt. xxiv. 30, xxvi. 64, 
1 Thess. iv. 17. And upon the cloud 
one sat, like unto the Son of man. Comp. 
.Xotes on ch. i. 13, and Daniel vii. 13. 
It is probable that there is here a de- 
signed reference to the passage in Dan- 
iel. The meaning is, that one appeared 
on the cloud in a human form, whom 
John at once recognized as he to whom 
the appellation of 'the Son of man' 
peculiarly belonged — the Lord Jesus. 
The meaning of that term had not been 
fixed in the time of Daniel (vii. 13) ; 
subsequently it was appropriated by the 
Saviour, and was the favorite term by 
which he chose to speak of himself. 
Matt. viii. 20, ix. 6, x. 23, xi. 19, xii. 8, 
32, 40, et al. ^[ Having on his head a 
golden crown. Appropriate to him as 
king. It was mainly in virtue of his 
kingly power and office that the work 
was to be done which John is now about 
to describe, And in his hand a sharp 
sickle. The word sickle here- — Sperravov 
< — means a crooked knife or scythe for 
gathering the harvest, or vintage, by 
cutting off the clusters of grapes. See 
ver. 17. The image of a harvest is often 
employed in the New Testament to de- 
scribe moral subjects. Matt. ix. 37, 38, 
£iii. 30, 39; Mark iv. 29; Luke x. 2; 



of the temple, crying with a loud 
voice to him that sat on the cloud, 
Thrust * in thy sickle, and reap: 
for the time is come for thee to 
reap : for the harvest c of the earth 
is "ripe, 
c Je. 51. 33; Mat. 13. 39. d Or, dried. 

John iv. 35. Here the reference is to 
the consummation of all things, when 
the great harvest of the world will be 
reaped, and when all the enemies of the 
church will be cut off — for that i% the 
grand idea which is kept before the 
mind in this chapter. In various forms, 
and by various images, that idea had 
already been presented to the mind, but 
here it is introduced in a grand closing 
image, as if the grain of the harvest- 
field were gathered in — illustrating the 
reception of the righteous into the king- 
dom — and the fruit of the vineyard were 
thrown into the wine-press, representing 
the manner in which the wicked would 
be crushed (vs. 19, 20). 

15. And another angel. The fourth 
in order, vs. 6, 8, 9. \ Came out of the 
temple. See Notes on ch. xi. 19. Came, 
as it were, from the immediate presence 
of God ; for the temple was regarded as 
his peculiar dwelling-place, Crying 
with a loud voice to him that sat on the 
cloud. To the Messiah, ver. 14. That 
is, the command was borne directly from 
God by the angel to the Messiah, to go 
forth and reap the great harvest of the 
world. It is not a command of the angel, 
but a command from God the Father to 
the Son. This is in accordance with all 
the representations in the New Testa- 
ment, that the Son as Messiah or Re- 
deemer is subordinate to the Father, 
and performs the work which has been 
given him to do. See John iii. ] 6, 17, 
v. 19, x. 18, xii. 49, xiv. 31. Comp. 
Notes on Rev. i. 1. % Thrust in thy 
sickle, and reap. Into the great harvest 
of the world, For the time is come for 
thee to reap. That is, 'the harvest which 
thou art to reap is ripe ; the seed which 
thou hast sown has grown up ; the earth 
which thou hast cultivated has produced 
this golden grain, and it is fit that thou 
shouldst now gather it in.' This lan- 
guage is appropriately addressed to the 
Son of God, for all the fruits of righte- 
ousness on the earth may be regarded 
as the result of his culture. ^ For ih% 



A. D. %.] 



CHAPTEE XIV. 



387 



16 And he that sat on the cloud 
thrust in his sickle on the earth ; 
and the earth was reaped. 

17 And another angel came out 
of the temple which is in heaven, 
he also having a sharp sickle. 

18 And another angel came out 
from the altar, which had power 
over fire: and cried with a loud 
cry to him that had the sharp 



harvest of the earth is ripe. The ' har- 
vest' in reference to the righteous — the 
fruit of the good seed sown by the Sa- 
viour and his apostles and ministers. 
The time alluded to here is the end of 
the world, when the affairs of earth shall 
be about to be wound up. The design 
13 to state that the Redeemer will then 
gather in a great and glorious harvest, 
and by this assurance to sustain the 
hearts of his people in times of trial and 
persecution. 

16. And he that sat on the cloud. The 
Saviour, ver. 14. Thrust in his sickle 
on the earth. To cut down the harvest; 
that is, to gather his people to himself. 
5f And the earth was reaped. So far as 
the righteous were concerned. The end 
had come ; the church was redeemed ; 
the work contemplated was accom- 
plished; and the results of the work of 
the Saviour were like a glorious harvest. 

17. And another angel. The fifth in 
order. This angel came for a different 
purpose — with reference to the cutting 
off of the enemies of God, represented 
by the gathering of a vintage. Comp. 
Matt. xiii. 41, xxiv. 31. ^ Came out of 
the temple which is in heaven. Sent, or 
commissioned by God. See Notes on 
ver. 15. ^[ He also having a sharp 
tickle. On the word sickle, see Notes 
on ver. 14. 

18. And another angel. The sixth in 
order. He came, like the angel in ver. 
15, with a command to him who had the 
sickle to go forth and execute his com- 
mission, fl" Came out from the altar. 
This stood in the front of the temple 
(see Notes on Matt. xxi. 12, comp. Notes 
on Matt. v. 23, 24), and was the place 
where burnt-sacrifices were made. As 
the work now to be done was a work of 
destruction, this was an appropriate 
place in the representation, ^ Which 
had power over fire. As if he kept the 



sickle, saying, a Thrust in thy sharp 
sickle, and gather the clusters of 
the vine of the earth ; for her grapes 
are fully ripe. 

19 And the angel thrust in his 
sickle into the earth, and gathered 
the vine of the earth, and cast it 
into the great wine-press b of the 
wrath of God. 

a yer. 15. b c. 19. 15. 



fire on the altar. Fire is the usual em- 
blem of destruction; and as the work 
now to be done was such, it was proper 
to represent this angel as engaged in it. 
^[ And cried with a loud cry, &c. See 
ver. 15. That is, he came forth as with 
a command from God, to call on him 
who was appointed to do the work of 
destruction, now to engage in perform- 
ing it. The time had fully come. 
^ Thrust in thy sharp sickle. Ver. 15. 
^[ And gather the clusters of the vine of 
the earth. That portion of the earth 
which might be represented by a vine- 
yard in which the grapes were to be 
gathered and crushed. The image here 
employed occurs elsewhere to denote the 
destruction of the wicked. See the very 
beautiful description in Isa. lxiii. 1-6, 
respecting the destruction of Edom, and 
the Notes on that passage, For her 
grapes are fully ripe. That is, the time 
has come for the ingathering; or, to 
apply the image, for the winding up of 
human affairs by the destruction of the 
wicked. The time here, as in the pre- 
vious representation, is the end of tht 
world ; and the design is to comfort the 
church in its trials and persecutions, by 
the assurance that all its enemies will 
be cut off. 

19. And the angel thrust in his sickle 
into the earth. That is, into that part 
of the earth which might be represented 
by a vineyard ; or the earth considered 
as having been the abode of wicked men. 
^[ And cast it into the great wine-press 
of the wrath of God. See Isa. lxiii. 1-6. 
That is, the wine-press where the grapes 
are crushed, and where the juice, resem- 
bling blood, flows out, may be used as a 
symbol to denote the destruction of the 
wicked in the last day; and as the nwm- 
hers will be immensely great, it is called 
the i great wine-press of divine wrath.' 
The symbol appears to be used here 



388 



REVELATION. 



20 And the wine-press was trod- 
den * without 4 the city, and blood * 
came out of the wine-press, even d 

a Is. 63. 3. b He. 13. 11, 12. 



alike with reference to the color of the 
wine resembling blood, and the pressure 
necessary to force it out; and thus em- 
ployed, it is one of the most striking 
emblems conceivable to denote the final 
destruction of the wicked. 

20. And the vnne-press was trodden 
without the city. The representation was 
made as if it were outside of the city ; 
that is, the city of Jerusalem, for that is 
represented as the abode of the holy. 
The word trodden refers to the manner 
in which wine was usually prepared, by 
being trodden by the feet of men. See 
Notes on Isa. lxiii. 2. The wine-press 
was usually in the vineyard — not in a 
city — and this is the representation here. 
As appearing to the eye of John, it was 
not within the walls of any city, but 
standing without. ^[ And blood came 
out of the wine-press. The representa- 
tion is, that there would be a great de- 
struction which would be well represented 
by the juice flowing from a wine-press. 
^[ Even unto the horse-bridles. Deep — 
as blood would be in a field ofeslaughter 
where it would come up to the very bri- 
dles of the horses. The idea is, that 
there would be a great slaughter, By 
the space of a thousand and six hundred 
furlongs. That is, two hundred miles; 
covering a space two hundred miles 
square — a lake of blood. This is de- 
signed to represent a , great slaughter; 
but why the space here employed to 
describe it was chosen is unknown. 
Some have supposed that it was in allu- 
sion to the length of Palestine. Prof. 
Stuart supposes that it refers to the 
breadth of Italy? and that the allusion 
is to the attack made on the city of the 
beast. But it is impossible* to determine 
why this space was chosen, and it is un- 
necessary. The idea is, that there would 
be a slaughter so great, as it were, as to 
produce a lake or sea of blood ,• tliat the 
enemies of the church would be com- 
pletely and finally overthrown, and that 
the church, therefore, delivered from all 
its enemies, would be triumphant. 

The design of this, as of the previous 
representations in this chapter, is to 
show that all the enemies of God will 



[A. D. 96. 

unto the horse-bridles, by the space 
of a thousand and six hundred fur- 
longs. 

e Is. 34. 7. d c. 19. 14. 



be destroyed, and that, therefore, the 
hearts of the friends of religion should 
be cheered and consoled in the trials 
and persecutions which were to come 
upon it. What could be better fitted to 
sustain the church in the time of trial, 
than the assurance that every foe will 
be ultimately cut off? What is better 
fitted to sustain the heart of the indi- 
vidual believer than the assurance that 
all his foes will be quelled, and that he 
will be ere long safe in heaven ? 

CHAPTER XV. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter has a close connexion in 
design with the previous chapter. In 
that, pledges and assurances had been 
given that all the enemies of religion 
would be cut off, and that the church 
would be ultimately triumphant, and par- 
ticularly that that formidable Antichris- 
tian power represented by the ' beast* 
would be destroyed. This chapter com- 
mences the statement in regard to the 
manner in which these pledges would bo 
accomplished, and the statement is pur- 
sued through the subsequent chapters, 
giving in detail what is here promised in 
a general manner. The vision in this 
chapter may be thus described : — 

I. The writer sees a new sign or won- 
der in heaven. Seven angels appear, 
having the seven last plagues that fill up 
or complete the wrath of God; represent- 
ing the wrath that is to come upon the 
beast, or the complete overthrow of this 
formidp,ble Antichristian power, ver. 1. 

II. Those who in former times had 
i gotten the victory over the beast/ now 
appear standing on a sea of glass, re- 
joicing and rendering thanks for the 
assurance that this great enemy of the 
church was now to be destroyed, and 
that now all nations were to come and 
worship before God, vs. 2-4. 

III. The writer sees the interior of the 
temple opened in heaven, and the seven 
angels, having the seven plagues, issuing 
forth to execute their commission. They 
come clothed in pure and white linen, 
and girded with golden girdles. One of 



A. D, 96.] 



CHAPTER XY. 



383 



CHAPTER XY. 

AND I saw another sign in hea- 
ven, great and marvellous, 
seven angels having the seven last 



the four beasts before the throne forth- 
with gives them the seven golden vials 
full of the wrath of God, to empty them 
upon the earth, that is, to bring upon 
the beast the predicted destruction. The 
temple is immediately filled with smoke, 
so that no one might enter; that is, no 
one could now approach to make inter- 
cession, and the destruction of this great 
enemy's power is now certain, vs. 5-8. 

This chapter, therefore, is merely in- 
troductory to what follows, and its inter- 
pretation is attended with no particular 
difficulty. It is a beautiful scenic rep- 
resentation preparatory to the infliction 
of predicted judgments, and designed 
to introduce the account of those judg- 
ments with suitable circumstances of so- 
lemnity. 

1. And I saw another sign in heaven. 
Another wonder, or extraordinary sym- 
bol. The word sign here — arjfuiov — is 
the same which in chs. xii. 1, 3, xiii. 13, 
is rendered wonder and wonders, and in 
chs. xiii. 14, xvi. 14, xix. 20, miracles. 
The word is not elsewhere found in the 
book of Revelation, though it is of fre- 
quent occurrence in other parts of the 
New Testament. See it explained in the 
Notes on ch. xii. 1. Here it is used to 
denote something wonderful or marvel- 
lous. This is represented as appearing 
in heaven, for the judgments that were 
to fall upon the world were to come 
thence. Comp. ch. xi. 19, xii. 1, xiv. 1, 
6, 13, 14, 17. % Great and marvellous. 
Great and wonderful, or fitted to excite 
admiration — ^avftaarbv. The subsequent 
statements fully justify this, and show 
that the vision was one of portentous 
character, and that was fitted to hold the 
mind in astonishment, Seven angels. 
Comp. Notes on ch. i. 4. Having the 
seven last plagues. The article here, 'the 
seven last plagues/ would seem to imply 
that the plagues referred to had been 
before specified, or that it would be at 
once understood what is referred to. 
These plagues, however, have not been 
mentioned before, and the reason why 
the article is used here seems to be this : 
the destruction of this great Antichristian 
power had been distinctly, mentioned, ch. 
33* 



plagues : for in them is filled up th« 
wrath a of God. 

2 And I saw as it were a sea * of 

a c. 14. 10. b c. 4. 6. 

xiv. That might be spoken of as a thing 
now well known, and the mention of it 
would demand the article; and as that 
was well known, and would demand tie 
article, so any allusion to it, or descrip- 
tion of it, might be spoken of in the same 
manner, as a thing that was definite and 
fixed, and hence the mention of the 
plagues by which it was to be accom- 
plished, would be referred to in the same 
manner. The word plagues — xXiryas, 
from Tr\rjyri — means properly a wound 
caused by a stripe or blow, and is fre- 
quently rendered stripe and stripes. 
Luke xii. 48 ; Acts xvi. 23, 33 ; 2 Cor. 
vi. 5, xi. 23. It does not elsewhere oc- 
cur in the New Testament except in the 
book of Revelation. In this book it is 
rendered wound in ch. xiii. 3, 12, 14 ; and 
plagues in ch. ix. 20, xi. 6, xv. 1, 6, 8, 
xvi. 9, 21, xviii. 4, 8, xxi. 9, xxii. 18. It 
does not occur elsewhere. The secondary 
meaning of the word, and the meaning 
in the passage before us, is a stripe or 
blow inflicted by God; calamity or pun- 
ishment. The word 'last' means those 
under which the order of things here re- 
ferred to would terminate,' the winding 
up of the affairs respecting the beast and 
his image, — not necessarily the closing 
of the affairs of the world. Important 
events were to occur subsequent to the 
destruction of this Antichristian power 
(xix.-xxii.), but these were the plagues 
which would come finally upon the beast 
and his image, and which would termi- 
nate the existence of this formidable 
enemy. ^ For in them is filled up the 
wrath of God. That is, in regard to the 
beast and his image. All the expressions, 
of the divine indignation towards that 
oppressive and persecuting power will 
be completed or exhausted by the pour- 
ing out of the contents of the«e vials. 
Comp. Notes on ch. x. 7, where the word 
rendered filled up — irsXia&rj — is rendered 
finished. 

2. And I saw as it were a sea of glass. 
In ch. iv. 6, a similar vision is recorded — 
" And before the throne there was a sea 
of glass, like unto a crystal." See the 
Notes on that passage. The sea of glass 
here means a sea clear, pellucid, like 



300 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



glass miDgledwith lire: a and them 
that had gotten the victory over b 
the heast, and over his image, and 
over his mark, and over the number 

a Is. 4. 4, 5. b c. 13. 15-17. 



glass : an expanse that seemed to be 
made of glass. There it was entirely 
-Vujar ; here it is mingled with fire. 

Mingled with fire. That is, a portion 
of the sea was red like fire. It was not 
all clear and pellucid, as in ch. iv. 6, but 
it was, as it were, a tesselated expanse, 
composed in part of what seemed to be 
glass, and in part of a material of a red 
or fiery color. In the former case (ch. 
iv. 6), the emblem was designed to repre- 
sent the pure worship of heaven without 
reference to any other symbolic design, 
and hence the sea is wholly clear and pel- 
lucid ; here, in connexion with the pur- 
pose of furnishing an appropriate symbol 
of the divine majesty, there is united 
the idea of punishment on the foes 
of God, represented by the fiery or red 
color. If it is proper, from conjecture, 
to suggest the meaning of this as an em- 
blem, it would be that the foundation — 
the main element — of all the divine deal- 
ings is justice or holiness — represented 
by the portion of the sea that seemed to 
be glass ; and that there was, in this case, 
intermingled with that, the image of 
wrath or anger — represented by the por- 
tion that was fiery or red. The very 
sight of the pavement, therefore, on which 
they stood when worshipping God would 
keep before their minds impressive views 
of his character and dealings, And 
them that had gotten the victory over the 
beast. Ch. xiii. 11. That is, they who 
had gained a victory in times of persecu- 
tion and temptation ; or they whom the 
' beast' had not been able by arts or arms 
to subdue. The persons referred to here, 
I suppose, are those who in the long do- 
minion of the Papal power, and amidst 
all its arts and corruptions — its threats 
and persecutions — had remained stead- 
fast in the truth, and who might thus be 
said to have gained a victory — for such 
victories of piety, virtue, and truth, 
amidst the corrupting influences of sin 
and error, and the intimidations of power, 
are the most important that are gained 
in this world, And over his image. 
See Notes on ch. xiii. 14, 15. The mean- 
ing is, that they had not been led to 



of his name, stand on the sea of 
glass, having the harps c of God. 

3 And they sing the song of 
Moses d the servant of God, and the 

c c. 14. 2. d Ex. 15. 1-19. De. 32. 1-43. 



apostatize by the dread of the power re- 
presented here by the ' image of the 
beast/ In all the attempts of that power 
to subdue them — to intimidate them — to 
induce them to give up their attachment 
to the truth as it is in Jesus — they had 
remained steadfast in the faith, and had 
triumphed, \ And over his mark. See 
Notes on ch. xiii. 16. Over all the at- 
tempts of the beast to fix his mark upon 
them, or to designate them as his own. 
\ And over the number of his name. See 
Notes on ch. xiii. 17, 18. Over all the 
attempts to fix upon them that myste- 
rious number which expressed his name. 
The general sense is, that in times of 
general error and corruption ; when the 
true friends of Christ were exposed to 
persecution; when every effort was made 
to induce them to become the followers 
of the 1 beast/ and to yield to the corrupt 
system represented by the ' beast/ they 
remained unmoved, and adhered firmly 
to the truth. The number of such in the 
aggregate was not small ; and with great 
beauty and propriety they are here repre- 
sented as rejoicing and giving thanks to 
God on the overthrow of that corrupt 
and formidable power, Stand on the 
sea of glass. That is, before God. They 
are now seen in heaven, redeemed and 
triumphant. \ Having the harps of God, 
Harps that pertained to the worship of 
God ; harps to be employed in his praise. 
See Notes on ch. xiv. 2. 

3. And they sing the song of Hoses the 
servant of God. A song of thanksgiving 
and praise, such as Moses taught the 
Hebrew people to sing after their de- 
liverance from Egyptian bondage. See 
Ex. xv. The meaning here is not that 
they would sing that identical song, but 
that as Moses taught the people to cele- 
brate their deliverance with an appro- 
priate hymn of praise, the redeemed 
would celebrate their delivery and re- 
demption in a similar manner. There 
is an obvious propriety here in referring 
to the 1 Song of Moses/ because the cir- 
cumstances are very similar; the occasion 
of the redemption from that formidable 
Antichristian power here referred to had 



Sl. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER XV. 



391 



gong of the Lamb, a saying, Great j 
and marvellous are thy works, 
Lord God Almighty ; just and 
true are thy ways, b thou King 
of c saints. 

a c. 14. 3. b Hos. 14. 9. 

c Or, nations, or, ages. d Je. 10. 17. 



a strong resemblance to the rescue from 
Egyptian bondage, And the song of 
the Lamb. The hymn which is sung in 
honor of the Lamb, as their great 
deliverer. Comp. Notes on ch. v. 9, 10, 
12, 13. ^ Saying, Great and marvellous 
are thy works. See Notes on ver. 1. 
The meaning is, that great power was 
evinced in redeeming them ; and that 
the interposition of the divine goodness 
in doing it was marvellous, or was such 
as to excite wonder and admiration. 

Lord God Almighty. This would 
seem to mean the same thing as the ex- 
pression so common in the Old Testa- 
ment, ' Jehovah, God of hosts.' The 
•union of these appellations gives solem- 
nity and impressiveness to the ascrip- 
tion of praise, for it brings into view the 
fact that he whose praise is celebrated is 
Lord — the Jehovah — the uncreated and 
eternal One; that he is God — the Cre- 
ator, upholder, and Sovereign of all 
things; and that he is Almighty — having 
all power in all worlds. All these 
names and attributes are suggested when 
we think of redemption ; for all the per- 
fections of a glorious God are suggested 
in the redemption of the soul from 
death. It is the Lord — the Ruler of all 
worlds; it is God — the Maker of the 
race, and the Father of the race, who 
performs the work of redemption ; and 
it is a work which could be accomplished 
only by one who is Almighty. ^ Just 
and true. The attributes of justice and 
truth are brought prominently into view 
also in the redemption of man. The 
fact that God is just, and that in all this 
work he has been careful to maintain 
lis justice (Rom. iii. 26); and the fact 
Jiat he is true to himself,, true to the 
creation, true to th-e fulfilment of all his 
promises, are prominent in this work, 
and it is proper that these attributes 
should be celebrated in the songs of 
praise in heaven. ^ Are thy icays. Thy 
ways or dealings with us, and with the 
enemies of the church. That is, all the 
acts or * ways' of God in the redemption 



4 Who d shall not fear thee, 
Lord, and glorify thy name? for 
thou only t art holy : for all f nations 
shall come and worship before 
thee ; for thy judgments are made 
manifest. 

e 1 Sa. 2. 2. / Is. 45. 23, 



of his people had been characterized by 
justice and truth, ^ Thou king of 
saints. King of those who are holy ; of 
all who are redeemed and sanctified. 
The more approved reading here, how- 
ever, is, King of nations — b (3a<ri\evs rwv 
iSvZv — instead of King of saints — rwv 
ayi&v. So it is read in the critical edi- 
tions of Griesbach, Tittmann, and Hahn. 
The sense is not materially affected by 
the difference in the reading. 

4. Who shall not fear thee, Lord. 
Reverence and adore thee; for the word 
fear in the Scriptures is commonly used 
in this sense when applied to God. The 
sense here is, that the judgments about 
to be inflicted on the beast and his 
image should, and would teach men to 
reverence and adore God. There is, 
perhaps, included here also the idea of 
awe, inasmuch as this would be the 
effect of punishment. % And glorify 
thy name. Honor thee — the name being 
put for the person who bare it. The 
sense is that, as a consequence of these 
judgments, men would be brought to 
honor God, and to acknowledge him as 
the Ruler of the earth. % For thou 
only art holy. That is, in these judg- 
ments he would show himself to be a 
holy God ; a God hating sin, and loving 
righteousness and truth. When it is 
said that he 'only' is holy, the expres- 
sion is used, of course, in a comparative 
sense. He is so pure that it may be 
said that, in comparison with him, no 
one else is holy. Comp. Notes on Job 
iv. 18, xv. 15. F° r Q M nations shall 
come and icorship before thee. That is, 
as the result of these punishments in- 
flicted on this dread Antichristian power, 
they shall come and worship thee. 
Everywhere in the New Testament the 
destruction of that power is connected 
with the promise of the speedy conver- 
sion of the world. \ For thy judgments 
are made manifest. To wit, on the 
beast. That formidable power is over- 
thrown, and the grand hindrance to the 
universal spread of the true religion u 



392 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



5 And after thkt I looked, and, 
behold, the temple a of the taber- 
nacle of the testimony in heaven 
was opened : 

6 And the seven angels came 

a c 11. 19. 



now taken away ? Comp. Notes on Isa. 
xxvi. 9. 

5. And after that I looked, &c. After 
T had seen in vision the redeemed thus 
referre^d to, celebrating the praises of 
God, I saw the preparation made for the 
execution of these purposes of judgment. 
*J[ And the temple of the tabernacle of the 
testimony. Not the whole temple, but 
only that part to which this name was 
given. The word tabernacle — aKrjv^ — 
means properly a booth, hut, tent, and 
was the name commonly given to the 
tent or tabernacle that was erected in 
the wilderness for the service of God. 
See Notes on Acts vii. 44 The same 
word came naturally to be applied to the 
temple that was reared for the same 
purpose in Jerusalem. It is called the 
' tabernacle of testimony/ because it was 
a testimony or ivit?iess of the presence of 
God among the people — that is, it served 
to keep up the remembrance of him. 
See Notes as above on Acts vii. 44, 
where the same Greek phrase is used as 
here — rendered there ' tabernacle of 
witness.' The word temple here — vahg — 
does not refer to the whole of the build- 
ing called the ' temple/ but to the Holy 
of Holies. See Notes on Heb. ix. 3. 
This was regarded as the peculiar 
dwelling-place of God, and it was this 
sacred place, usually closed from all 
access, that now seemed to be opened, 
implying that the command to execute 
these purposes came directly from God 
himself, In heaven. That is, that 
part of heaven which corresponds to the 
most hey place in the temple was 
opened ; to wit, that which is the pecu- 
liar residence of God himself, \ Was 
opened. Was thrown open to the view 
of John, so that he was permitted to look, 
as it were, upon the very dwelling-place 
of God. From his holy presence now 
came forth the angels to execute his 
purposes of judgment on that Anti- 
christian power which had so long 
corrupted religion, and oppressed the 
world. 

§. Ani the seven angels. See Notes 



out of the temple, having the seven 
plagues, clothed in pure and white 
linen, and having their breasts 
girded with golden girdles. 

7 And one of the four beasts 
gave unto the seven angels seven 



on ver. 1. Came out of the temple. 
Were seen to come from the temple; 
that is, from the immediate presence of 
God. Having the seven plagues. See 
Notes on ver. 1. Each one entrusted 
with a single ' plague' to be executed 
upon the earth. The meaning here is, 
that they were designated or appointed 
to execute those plagues in judgments. 
The symbols of their office — the golden 
yials — were given to them afterwards, 
ver. 7. *[[ Clothed in pure and white 
linev. The emblem of holiness — the 
comnron representation in regard to the 
heavenly inhabitants. See Notes on ch. 
iii. 4, vii. 13. Comp. Matt. xvii. 2; 
Luke ix. 29, Mark xvi. 5. And having 
their breaffc girded with golden girdles. 
See Notes on ch. i. 13. The meaning is, 
that they were attired in a manner be- 
fitting their rank and condition. 

7. And one oj Che four beasts. See 
Notes on ch. iv. S, 7. Which one of 
the four is not mentioned. From the 
explanation given of the design of the 
representation of the 'four beasts/ or 
living creatures, in the Noies on ch. iv. 6, 
7, it would seem that the meaning here 
is, that the great principles cf the divine 
government would be illustrated in the 
events which are now to cccur. In 
events that were so closely connected 
with the honor of God and the triumph 
of his cause on the earth, there was a 
propriety in the representation that these 
living creatures, symbolizing the great 
principles of the divine administrates, 
would be particularly interested, Gam 
unto the seven angels seven golden viah. 
The word here used — (pid\r) — means pro 
perly 'a bowl or goblet, having more 
breadth than depth/ Bob. Lex. Oui 
word vial, though derived from this, 
means rather a thin, long bottle of glasC 
used particularly by apothecaries and 
druggists. The word would be bettej 
rendered by bowl or goblet, and probably 
the representation here was of such 
bowls as were used in the temple* ser- 
vice. See Notes on ch. v. 8. They are 
called in ch. xvi. 1, ' vials of the wrati 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER XYI. 



393 



golden rials, full of the wrath 
of God, who liveth for ever and 
ever. 

8 And the temple was filled 
with smoke from the glory b of 



of God;* and here they are said to be 
' full of the wrath of God/ The allusion 
geems to be to a drinking-cup or goblet 
filled with poison and given to persons 
to drink — an allusion drawn from one 
of the methods of punishment in ancient 
times. See Xotes on ch. xiv. 10. These 
vials or goblets thus became emblems of 
divine wrath to be inflicted on the beast 
and his image. ^ Full of the wrath of 
God. Filled with that which represent- 
ed his wrath ; that is, they seemed to be 
filled with a poisonous mixture, which 
being poured upon the earth, the sea, 
the rivers, the sun, the seat of the beast, 
the river Euphrates, and into the air, 
was followed by severe divine judg- 
ments on this great Antichristian power. 
See ch. xvi. 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 17. % Who 
liveth for ever and ever. The eternal 
God. The particular object in referring 
to this attribute here appears to be that, 
though there may seem to be delay in 
the execution of his purpose, yet they 
will be certainly accomplished, as he is 
the ever-living and unchangeable God. 
He is not under a necessity of abandon- 
ing his purposes, like men, if they are 
not soon accomplished. 

8. And the temple was filled with smoke. 
The usual symbol of the divine presence 
in the temple. See Notes on Isa. iv. 5, 
vi. 4. From the glory of God. From 
the manifestation of the divine majesty. 
That is, the smoke was the proper accom- 
paniment of the divine being when ap- 
pearing in majesty. So on Mount Sinai 
he is represented as appearing in this 
manner: "And Mount Sinai was alto- 
gether on a smoke, because the Lord 
descended on it in fire : and the smoke 
thereof ascended as the smoke of a fur- 
nace, and the whole mount quaked 
greatly." Ex. xix. 18. The purpose 
here seems to have been partly to repre- 
sent the smoke as the proper symbol of 
the divine presence, and partly to repre- 
sent it as so filling the temple that no 
one could enter it until the seven plagues 
were fulfilled, And from his power. 
Produced by his power ; and the symbol 
of his power. \ And no man waa able 



God, and from his power ; and no 
man was able to enter into the 
temple, till the seven plagues of the 
seven angels were fulfilled. 

a Is. 6. 4. b Ps. 29. 9. 



to enter into the temple, till the seven 
plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled. 
Till those vials had been poured out, and 
all that was indicated by them was ac- 
complished. The meaning here seems 
to be, that no one would be permitted to 
enter to make intercession — to turn away 
his wrath — to divert him from his pur- 
pose. That is, the purpose of punish- 
ment had been formed, and would cer- 
tainly be executed. The agents or 
instrumentalities in this fearful work 
had been now sent forth, and they would 
by no means be recalled. The mercy- 
seat, in this respect, was inaccessible; 
the time of judgment on the great foe 
bad come, and the destruction of the 
grand enemy of the church was certain. 
The point, therefore, at which this vision 
leaves us, is that where all the prepara- 
tions are made for the infliction of the 
threatened punishment on the grand 
Antichristian power which had so long 
stood up against the truth; where the 
agents are prepared to go forth; and 
where no intercession will ever avail to 
turn away the infliction of the divine 
wrath. The detail follows in the next 
chapter. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

The previous chapter had described 
the preparation for the last plagues that 
were to come upon that mighty Anti- 
christian power to which this series of 
prophetic visions refers. All is now 
ready; and this chapter contains the 
description of those seven last ' plagues' 
under which this power would reel and 
fall. These 'plagues' are described aa 
if they were a succession of physical 
calamities that would come upon this 
Antichristian power, and bring it to an 
end ; though, perhaps, it is not necessary 
to look for a' literal infliction of such 
calamities. The course of the exposition 
thus far will lead us to regard this chap- 
ter as a description of the successive 
blows by which the Papacy will fall. A 
part of this is still undoubtedly future, 



394 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



AND I heard a great voice out 
of the temple saying to the 
seven « angels, Go your ways, and 

a c. 15. 1, 7. b c. 8. 7. 



though perhaps not far distant; and, in 
reference to this, and to some portions 
of the remainder of the Book, there may 
be more difficulty in satisfying the mind 
than in the portions which pertain to 
past events. 

The chapter comprises statements on 
the following points : — 

A command is issued from the temple 
to the seven angels, to go and exe- 
cute the commission with which 
they were entrusted, ver. 1. 
The first angel pours out his vial upon 
the earth — followed by a plague 
upon those who had worshipped 
the beast and his image, ver. 2. 
The second angel pours out his vial 
upon the sea — followed by the death 
of all that were in the sea, ver. 3. 
The third angel pours out his vial 
upon the rivers and fountains of 
waters, and they become blood. 
This is followed by an ascription of 
praise from the angel of the waters, 
because God had given ,to those 
who had shed the blood of the 
saints blood to drink, with a re- 
sponse from the altar that this was 
just, vs. 4-7. 
The fourth angel pours out his vial 
upon the sun, and an intenser heat 
is given to it to scorch men. The 
consequence is, that they blaspheme 
the name of God, but repent not of 
their sins, vs. 8, 9. 
The fifth angel pours out his vial 
upon the very seat of the beast, and 
his kingdom is full of darkness. 
Men still blaspheme the name of 
God, and repent not of their sins, 
vs. 10, II. 
The sixth angel pours out his vial 
upon the great river Euphrates. 
The consequence is, that the waters 
of the river are dried up so that 
the way of the kings of the East 
might be prepared. The writer sees 
also, in this connexion, three un- 
clean spirits, like frogs, come out 
of the mouth of the dragon, and out 
of the mouth of the beast, and out 
of the mouth of the false prophet, 
that go forth into all the earth to 



pour out the vials of the wrath of 
God upon the earth. 

2 And the first went, and poured 
out his vial upon the earth ; h and 



gather all nations to the great day 
of the battle of God Almighty, vs. 
12-16. 

The seventh angel pours out his vial 
into the air, and a voice is heard 
answering that 'it is done:' the 
time of the consummation has come 
— the formidable Antichristian pow- 
er is to come to an end. The great 
city is divided into three parts ; the 
cities of the nations fall; Great 
Babylon thus comes up in remem- 
brance before God to receive the 
punishment which is her due. This 
terrific scene is accompanied with 
voices, and thunderings, and light- 
nings, and an earthquake, and with 
great hail — a tempest of wrath beat- 
ing upon that formidable power that 
had so long stood up against God, 
vs. 17-21. The detail of the actual 
destruction of this power, is carried 
forward in the subsequent chapters. 

1. And I heard a great voice out of the 
temple. A loud voice out of the temple 
as seen in heaven (Notes ch. xi. 19), and 
that came, therefore, from the very pre- 
sence of God. ^ Saying to the stven 
angels. That had the seven vials of 
wrath. Notes ch. xv. 1, 7. % Go your 
ways. Your respective ways, to the ful- 
filment of the task assigned to each. 
^ And pour out the vials of the wrath of 
(rod. Empty those vials ; cause to come 
upon the earth the plagues indicated by 
their contents. The order in which this 
was to be done is not intimated. It 
seems to be supposed that that would be 
understood by each, ^ Upon the earth. 
The particular part of the earth is not 
here specified, but it should not be in- 
ferred that it was to be upon the earth 
in general, or that there were any cala- 
mities in consequence of this pouring out 
of the vials of wrath, to spread over the 
whole world. The subsequent state- 
ments show what parts of the earth 
were particularly to be affected. 

2. And the first ivent. Went forth 
from heaven, where the seat of the vi- 
sion was laid. ^ And poured out his 
vial upon the earth. That is, upon the 
land, in contradistinction from the sea, 



A D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XYL 



395 



there fell a noisome and grievous 
gore a upon the men which had the 

a Ex. 9. 8-11. 

the rivers, the air, the seat of the beast, 
the sun, as represented in the other rials. 
In ver. 1, the word earth is used in the 
general sense, to denote this world as 
distinguished from heaven ; in this verse 
it is used in the specific sense, to denote 
land as distinguished from other things. 
Comp. Mark iv. 1, vi. 47 ; John vi. 21 ; 
Acts xxvii. 29, 43, 44. In many re- 
spects there is a strong resemblance 
between the pouring out of these seven 
vials, and the sounding of the seven 
trumpets, in chs. viii., ix., though they 
refer to different events. In the sound- 
ing of the first trumpet (ch. viii. 7 ), it was 
the earth that was particularly affected, 
in contradistinction from the sea, the 
fountains, and the sun : " The first angel 
sounded, and there followed hail and fire 
mingled with blood, and they were cast 
upon the earth." Comp. ch. viii. 8, 10, 
12. In regard to the symbolical mean- 
ing of the term earth, considered with 
reference to divine judgments, see Xotes 
on ch. viii. 7. And there fell a 
noisome and grievous sore. The judg- 
ment here is specifically different from 
that inflicted under the first trumpet, ch. 
viii. 7. There it is said to have been 
that " the third part of trees was burnt 
up, and all green grass was burnt up." 
Here it is, that there fell upon men a 
' noisome and grievous sore/ The two, 
therefore, are designed to refer to differ- 
ent events, and to different forms of 
punishment. The word rendered sore 
properly denotes a icound, Horn. U. xi. 
812, and then, in later writers, an ulcer 
or sore. It is used in the New Testa- 
ment only in the following places : Luke 
xvi. 21, 'the dogs came and licked his 
sores,' and in Rev. xvi. 2, 11, where it is 
rendered sore, and sores. It is used in 
the Septuagint, in reference to the boils 
that were brought upon the Egyptians, 
in Ex. ix. 9, 10, 11, 12, and probably 
Deut. xxviii. 27; in reference to the 
leprosy, Lev. xiii. 18, 19, 20, 23; in re- 
ference to the boil, ulcer, or Elephantia- 
sis brought upon Job, Job ii. 7 ; and in 
reference to any sore or ulcer, in Deut. 
xxviii. 35. In all these places it is the 

translation of the word JTl# — Shehhin — 
Tendered in our English version, boil, 



mark 1 of the beast, and upon them 
which worshipped his image. 
b c. 13. 15-17. 

Ex. ix. 9, 10, 11, Lev. xiii. 18, 19, 20, 
23, 2 Kings xx. 7, Job ii. 7, Isa. xx.tviii, 
21, and botch, Deut. xxviii. 27, 35. The 
proper meaning, therefore, is that of ft 
sore, ulcer, or boil of a severe and pain- 
ful character ; and the most obvious 
reference of the passage, to one who was 
accustomed to the language of Scripture, 
would be to some fearful plague like that 
which was sent upon the Egyptians. In 
the case of Hezekiah (2 Kings xx. 7, Isa. 
xxxviii. 21), it was probably used to de- 
note a plague-boil, or the black leprosy. 
See Xotes on Isa. xxxviii. 21. The word 
'noisome' — kukov, evil, bad — is used here 
to characterize the plague referred to as 
being peculiarly painful and dangerous. 
The word grievous — Trovrjpdv, bad, malig- 
nant, hurtful — is further used to increase 
the intensity of the expression, and to 
characterize the plague as particularly 
severe. There is no reason to suppose 
that it is meant that this would be lite- 
rally inflicted, anymore than it is in the 
next plague, where it is said that the 
'rivers and fountains became blood.' 
What is obviously meant is, that there 
would be some calamity which would 
be well represented or symbolized by 
such a fearful plague. •[ Upon the men. 
Though the plague was poured upon 
' the earth,' yet its effects were seen upon 
'men.' Some grievous calamity would 
befall them, as if they were suddenly 
visited with the plague. *[ Which had 
the mark of the beast. Notes ch. xiii. 
16, 17. This determines the portion of 
the earth that was to be afflicted. It 
was not the whole world; it was only 
that part of it where the 'beast* was 
honored. According to the interpreta- 
tion proposed in ch. xiii., this refers to 
those who are under the dominion of the 
Papacy. *[ And upon them ichich wor- 
shipped his image. See Notes ch. xiii. 
14, 15. According to the interpretation 
in ch. xiii., those are meant who sustained 
the civil or secular power to which the 
Papacy gave life and strength, and from 
which it, in turn, received countenance 
and protection. 

In regard to the application or fulfil- 
ment of this symbol, it is unnecessary to 
say that there have been very different 
opinions in the world, and that very di& 



396 



EEVELATION, 



[A. D. 9t. 



ferent opinions still prevail. The great 
mass of Protestant commentators sup- 
pose that it refers to the Papacy, and of 
those who entertain this opinion, the 
greater portion suppose that the cala- 
mity referred to by the pouring out of 
this vial is already past, though it is 
supposed by many that the things fore- 
shadowed by a part of these 'vials/ are 
yet to be accomplished. As to the true 
meaning of the symbol before us, I would 
make the following remarks : — 

(1) It refers to the Papal power. This 
application is demanded by the results 
which were reached in the examination 
of ch. xiii. See the remarks on the ' beast" 
in the Notes on ch. xiii. 1, 2, 11, and on 
the ' image of the beast' in the Notes on 
ch. xiii. 14, 15. This one mighty power 
existed in two forms closely united, and 
mutually sustaining each other — the civil 
or secular, and the ecclesiastical or spi- 
ritual. It is this combined and consoli- 
dated power — the Papacy as such — that 
is referred to here, for this has been the 
grand Antichristian power in the world. 

(2) It refers to some grievous and fear- 
ful calamity which would come upon that 
power, and which would be like a plague- 
spot on the human body — something 
which would be of the nature of a divine 
judgment resembling that which came 
upon the Egyptians for their treatment 
of the people of G-od. 

(3) The course of this exposition leads 
us to suppose that this would be the be- 
ginning in the series of judgments which 
would terminate in the complete over- 
throw of that formidable power. It is 
the first of the vials of wrath, and the 
whole description evidently contemplates 
a series of disasters which would be prop- 
erly represented by these successive vials. 
In the application of this, therefore, we 
should naturally look for the first of a 
series of such judgments, and should ex- 
pect to find some facts in history which 
would be properly represented by the 
vial ' poured upon the earth/ 

(4) In accordance with this represen- 
tation, we should expect to find such a 
series of calamities gradually weakening, 
and finally terminating the Papal power 
in the world, as would be properly repre- 
sented by the number seven. 

(5) In regard now to the application of 
this series of symbolical representations, 
it may be remarked that most recent 
•xpositors — as Elliott, Cunninghame, 



Keith, Faber, Lord, and others, refer 
them to the events of the French revolu- 
tion — as important events in the over- 
throw of the Papal power; and this, I 
confess, although the application is at- 
tended with some considerable difficulties, 
has more plausibility than any other ex- 
planation proposed. In support of this 
application, the following considerations 
may be suggested: — 

(a) France, in the time "of Charle- 
magne, was the kingdom to which the 
Papacy owed its civil organization and 
its strength — a kingdom to which could 
be traced all the civil or secular power 
of the Papacy, and which was, in fact, a 
restoration or re-construction of the old 
Roman power — the fourth kingdom of 
Daniel. See Notes on Dan. vii. 24-28, 
and comp. Notes on Rev. xiii. 3, 12-14. 
The restoration of the old Roman do- 
minion under Charlemagne, and the aid 
which he rendered to the Papacy in its 
establishment as a temporal power, would 
make it probable that this kingdom 
ivoald be referred to in the series of judg- 
ments that were to accomplish the over- 
throw of the Papal dominion. 

(b) In an important sense, France has 
always been the head of the Papal power. 
The king of France has been usually 
styled by the Popes themselves, 'the 
eldest son of the church/ In reference 
to the whole Papal dominion in former 
times, one of the principal reliances has 
been on France, and, to a very large 
extent, the state of Europe has been 
determined by the condition of France. 
" A revolution in France," said Napo- 
leon, "is sooner or later followed by a 
revolution in Europe." Alison. Its cen- 
tral position; its power; its direct rela- 
tion to all the purposes and aims of the 
Papacy, would seem to make it probable 
that in the account of the final destruction 
of that power, this kingdom would not 
be overlooked. 

(c) The scenes which occurred in the 
times of the French Revolution were 
such as would be properly symbolized by 
the pouring out of the first, the second, 
the third, and the fourth vials. In the 
passage before us — the pouring out of 
the first vial — the symbol employed 
is that of 'a noisome and grievous sore' 
— boil, ulcer, plague-spot — 'on the men 
which had the mark of the beast, and on 
them which worshipped his image/ This 
representation was undoubtedly derived 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



397 



from the account of the sixth plague on 
Egypt (Ex. ix. 9, 10, 11), and the sense 
here is, not that this would be literally 
Inflicted on the power here referred to, 
but that a calamity would come upon it 
which would be well represented by that, 
r of which that would be an appropriate 
emblem. This interpretation is further 
confirmed by ch. xi. 8, where Rome is 
referred to under the name of Egypt, 
and where it is clear that we are to look 
fcr a course of divine dealing in regard 
to the one resembling that which oc- 
curred to the other. See Notes on that 
passage. Now, this 'noisome and griev- 
ous sore" would well represent the moral 
corruption, the pollution, the infidelity, 
the atheism, the general dissolution of 
society that preceded and accompanied 
the French Revolution — for that was 
a universal breaking out of loathsome 
internal disease — of corruption at tho 
centre — and in Us general features might 
be represented as a universal plague-spot 
on society, extending over the countries 
where the beast and his image were prin- 
cipally worshipped. The symbol would 
properly denote that "tremendous out- 
break of social and moral evil, of demo- 
cratic fury, atheism, and vice which was 
specially seen to characterize the French 
Revolution : — that of which the ultimate 
source was in the long and deep-seated 
corruption and irreligion of the nation ; 
the outward vent, expression, and organ 
of its Jacobin clubs, and seditions and 
atheistic publications ; the result, the dis- 
solution of all society, all morals, and all 
religion ; with acts of atrocity and horror 
accompanying, scarce paralleled in the 
history of men ; and suffering and an- 
guish of correspondent intensity throb- 
bing throughout the social mass and 
corroding it; that which from France as 
a centre, spread like a plague through 
its affiliated societies, to the other coun- 
tries of Papal Christendom, and was, 
wherever its poison was imbibed, as 
much the punishment as the symptoms 
of the corruption within." Of this sad 
chapter in the history of man, it is un- 
necessary to give any description here. 
For scenes of horror, pollution and blood, 
its parallel has never been found in the 
history of our race, and as an event in 
history it was worthy of a nofice in the 
symbols which portrayed the future. The 
full details of these amazing scenes must 
be sought in the histories which describe 
U 



them, and to such works as Alison's jBYs- 
tory of Europe, and Burke's Letters on a 
Regicide Peace, the reader must be re- 
ferred. A few expressions copied from 
those letters of Mr. Burke, penned with 
no design of illustrating this passage in 
the Apocalypse, and no expectation that 
they would be ever so applied, will show 
with what propriety the spirit of inspira- 
tion suggested the phrase ' a noisome 
and grievous sore' or plague-spot, on the 
supposition that the design was to refer 
to these scenes. In speaking of the revo- 
lutionary spirit in France, Mr. Burko 
calls it ' the fever of aggravated Jacobin- 
ism/ 'the epidemic of atheistical fanati- 
cism/ 'an evil lying deep in the corrup- 
tions of human nature/ 'the malignant 
French distemper/ ' a plague, with its fa- 
natical spirit of proselytism, that needed 
the strictest quarantine to guard against 
it/ whereof though the mischief might 
be 'skimmed over' for a time, yet the 
result, into whatever country it entered, 
was 'the corruption of all morals/ 'tho 
decomposition of all society/ &g. But it 
is unnecessary to describe those scenes 
farther. The 'world has them by heart/ 
and they can never be obliterated from 
the memory of man. In the whole his- 
tory of the race there has never been an 
outbreak of evil that showed so deep 
pollution and corruption within. 

(d) The result of this was to affect the 
Papacy — a blow, in fact, aimed at that 
power. Of course, all the infidelity and 
atheism of the French nation, before so 
strongly Papal, went just so far in weak- 
ening the power of the Papacy, and in 
the ultimate result it will perhaps yet be 
found that the horrid outbreaks in the 
French Revolution were the first in the 
series of Providential events that will 
result in the entire overthrow of that 
Antichristian power. At all events, it 
will be admitted, I think, that on the 
supposition that it was intended that this 
should be descriptive of the scenes that 
occurred in Europe at the close of the last 
century, no more expressive symbol 
could have been chosen than has been 
employed in the pouring out of this first 
vial of wrath. 

3. And the second angel poured out his 
vial upon the sea. So the second trumpet 
(ch. viii. 8), "And the second angel 
sounded, and as it were a great mountain 
burning with fire was cast into the sea : 
and the third part of the sea became 



S98 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



3 And the second angel poured 
out his vial upon the sea; a and it 
became as the blood 4 of a dead 



blood." For the meaning of this as a 
symbol, see Notes on that verse, ^ And 
it became as the blood of a dead man. 
" Either very bloody, like a mangled 
corpse, or else, colored as it were with 
the dark and almost black blood of a 
dead man." Prof. Stuart, in loc. The 
latter would seem to be most probably 
the meaning, implying that the ocean 
would become discolored, and indicating 
that this was the effect of blood shed in 
great quantities on its waters. In ch. 
viii. 8, it is, "the sea became blood;" 
here the allusion to the blood of a dead 
man would more naturally suggest the 
idea of naval conflicts, and of the blood 
of the slain poured in great quantities 
into the deep, And every living soul 
died in the sea. In ch. viii. 9, it is said 
that " the third part of the creatures that 
were in the sea died, and the third part 
of the ships were destroyed." Here the 
destruction is more general; the calamity 
Is more severe and awful. It is as if 
tvery living thing — itaaa \pvx*l £w<ra — had 
died. No emphasis should be put on 
the word soul here, for the word means 
merely a creature, a living thing, an 
animal. 1 Cor. xv. 45 ; Acts ii. 43, iii. 23; 
Rom. xiii. 1. See Hob, Lex. sub voce, c. 
The sense here is, that there would be 
some dreadful calamity, as if the sea 
were to be changed into dark blood, and 
as if every living thing in it were to die. 

In enquiring into the proper applica- 
tion of this, it is natural to look for some- 
thing pertaining to the sea, or the ocean 
(see Notes on ch. viii. 8, 9), and we 
should expect to find the fulfilment in 
some calamity that would fall on the 
marine force, or the commerce of the 
power that is here referred to ; that is, 
according to the interpretation all along 
adopted, of the Papal power; and the 
proper application, according to this in- 
terpretation, would be the complete 
destruction or annihilation of the naval 
force that contributed to sustain the 
Papacy. This we should look for in 
respect to the naval power of France, 
Spain, and Portugal, for these are the 
only Papal nations that have had a 
navy. We should expect, in the fulfil- 
ment of this, to find a series of naval 



man : and every living soul died in 
the sea. 

a c. 8. 8 b Ex. 7. 17-20. 



disasters, reddening the sea with blood, 
which would tend to weaken the power 
of the Papacy, and which might be re- 
garded as one in the series of events 
that would ultimately result in its entire 
overthrow. Accordingly, in pursuance 
of the plan adopted in explaining the 
pouring out of the first vial, it is to be 
observed that immediately succeeding, 
and connected with, the events thus re- 
ferred to, there was a series of naval 
disasters that swept away the fleets of 
France, and that completely demolished 
the most formidable naval power that 
had ever been prepared by any nation 
under the Papal dominion. This series 
of disasters is thus noticed by Mr. Elliott, 
iii. 329, 330: "Meanwhile the great 
naval war between France and England 
was in progress ; which, from its com- 
mencement, in February, 1793, lasted 
for above twenty years, with no inter- 
mission but that of the short and delusive 
peace of Amiens ; in which war the mari- 
time power of Great Britain was strength- 
ened by the Almighty Providence that 
protected her to destroy everywhere the 
French ships, commerce, and smaller 
colonies ; including those of the fast and 
long-continued allies of the French, Hol- 
land and Spain. In the year 1793 the 
greater part of the French fleet at Tou- 
lon was destroyed by Lord Hood; in 
June, 1794, followed Lord Howe's great 
victory over the French off Ushant; then 
the taking of Corsica, and nearly all the 
smaller Spanish and French West India 
islands ; then, in 1795, Lord Bridport's 
naval victory, and the capture of the 
Cape of Good Hope ; as also soon after, 
of a French and Dutch fleet, sent to re- 
take it; then, in 1797, the victory over 
the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent, 
and that of Camperdown over the Dutch ; 
then, in succession, Lord Nelson's three 
mighty victories — of the Nile, in 1798, 
of Copenhagen, in 1801, and, in 1805, of 
Trafalgar. Altogether in this naval war, 
from its beginning, in 1793, to its end, in 
1815, it appears that there were destroy- 
ed near 200 ships of the line, between 
300 and 400 frigates, and an almost 
incalculable number of smaller vessels 
of war and ships of commerce. The 



A. D 96.] 



CIIAPTEK XVI. 



399 



4 And the third angel pourM 
out his vial upon the rivers and 
fountains of waters ; a and they be- 
came blood. 

5 And I heard the angel of the 
waters say, Thou art righteous, 6 

a c. 8. 10. b ver. 7. 

c De. 32. 32, 43; Is. 49. 26. 



whole history of the world does not 
present such a period of naval war, 
destruction and bloodshed." This brief 
summary may show, if this was referred 
to, the propriety of the expression, 
' The>sea became as the blood of a dead 
man f and may show also that on the 
supposition that it was intended that 
these events should be referred to, an 
appropriate symbol has been employed. 
No language could more strikingly 
set forth these bloody scenes. 

4. And the third angel poured out his 
vial upon the rivers and fountains of 
water. This coincides also with the ac- 
count of the sounding of the third 
trumpet (ch. viii. 10, 11) : " And the 
third angel sounded, and there fell a 
great star from heaven burning as a 
lamp, and it fell upon the third part 
of the rivers, and upon the fountains 
of waters." As to the meaning of 
the phrase 'rivers and fountains of 
waters/ see Notes on that passage. We 
found, it was supposed, in the application 
of that passage, that the invasion of the 
Roman empire by Attila, king of the 
Huns, was referred to, affecting mainly 
those parts of the empire where the 
rivers and streams had their origin. 
The analogy would lead us, in the fulfil- 
ment of the passage before us, to look 
for some similar desolations on those 
portions of Europe. See Notes at the 
close of ver. 7. % And they became blood. 
This would properly mean that they be- 
came as blood ,• or became red ivith blood, 
and it would be fulfilled if bloody battles 
were fought near them so that they 
seemed to run blood. 

5. And I heard the angel of the waters 
say. The angel who presides over the 
element of water; in allusion to the 
common opinion among the Hebrews 
that th3 angels presided over the ele- 
ments, and that each element was com- 
mitted to the jurisdiction of a particular 
angel. Comp. Notes on ch. vii. 1. 

Thou art righteous, Lord. In view 



Lord, which art, and wast, and 
shalt be, because thou hast judged 
thus. 

6 For they have shed the blood 
of saints and prophets, and e thou 
hast given them blood to drink ; for 
they are worthy. 



of the judgments that reddened these 
streams and fountains with the blood of 
men, the angel ascribes righteousness to 
God. These judgments seemed terrible 
— the numbers slain were so vast — 
the bloody streams indicated so great 
slaughter, and such severity of the 
divine judgment ; yet the angel sees in 
all this only the act of a righteous God 
bringing just retribution on the guilty. 
^ Which art and wast and shalt be. 
That is, who art eternal : — existing now ; 
who hast existed in all past time; and 
who will exist ever onward. See Notes 
on ch. i. 8. The reason why this attri- 
bute of God is here referred to, seems to 
be, that the mind of the angel adverts to 
it in the changes and desolations that 
were occurring around him. In such 
overturnings among men — such revolu- 
tions of kingdoms — such desolations of 
war — the mind naturally turns to one 
who is unchanging ; to one whose throne 
is from everlasting to everlasting, Be- 
cause thou hast judged thus. Hast suf- 
fered these wars to occur that have 
changed rivers and fountains to blood. 

6. For they have shed the blood of 
saints. The nations here referred to. 
They have been engaged in scenes of 
bloody persecution, and this is a just 
recompense. ^[ And prophets. Teachers 
of religion ; ministers of truth. It is not 
necessary to understand the word pro- 
phets here in its technical sense as de- 
noting those who are raised up by God 
and sent forth as inspired men, but it 
may be understood in its more common 
signification in the New Testament as 
denoting teachers of religion in general. 
See Notes on Rom. xii. 6. 1 ; Cor. xiv. 1. 
^[ And thou hast given them blood to 
drink. To wit, by turning the streams 
and fountains into blood, ver. 4. Blood 
had been poured out in such abundance 
that it seemed to mingle with the very 
water that they drank. This was a re- 
compense for their having, in those very 
regions, poured out so much blood in 



400 



11 E \ ELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



7 And I heard another out of the 
altar say, Even so, Lord God Al- 

persecuting the saints and prophets — the 
pious private members of the church, 
and the public teachers of religion. 
^ For they are worthy. That is, they 
deserve this ; or this is a just recompense 
for their sins. It is not intended that 
those who would thus suffer had been 
individually guilty of this, or that this 
was properly a punishment on them, but 
it is meant that in those countries there 
had been bloody persecutions, and that 
this was a fit recompense for what had 
there occurred. 

7. And I heard another. Evidently 
another angel, though this is not speci- 
fied. % Out of the altar. Either the 
angel of the altar ; that is, who presided 
over the altar (Prof. Stuart); or an 
angel whose voice seemed to come from 
the altar. The sense is essentially the 
same. The writer seemed to hear a 
voice coming from the altar responding 
to what had just been said in regard to 
the judgment of God, or to his righteous- 
ness in bringing the judgment upon men, 
ver. 5. This was evidently the voice of 
some one who was interested in what 
was occurring, or to whom these things 
particularly appertained; that is, one 
who was particularly connected with the 
martyrs referred to, whose blood was 
now, as it were, to be avenged. We are 
naturally reminded by this of the martyr- 
scene in ch. vi. 9-11, in the opening of 
the fifth seal, though it cannot be sup- 
posed that the same events are referred 
to. There, * the souls' of those that had 
been slain for the word of God' are re- 
presented as being ' under the altar' and 
as crying to God to ' avenge their blood 
on them who dwelt on the earth/ Here, 
a voice is heard with reference to mar- 
tyrs, as of one interested in them, 
ascribing praise to God for having 
brought a righteous judgment on those 
who had shed the blood of the saints. 
They are both, for similar reasons, con- 
nected with the ' altar/ and the voice is 
heard proceeding from the same source. 
In regard to the meaning of the word 
altar here, and the reason why the 
martyrs are represented in connexion 
with it, see Notes on ch. vi. 9. <][ True 
and righteous are thy judgments. Re- 
sponding to what is stiid in ver 5. That 
is, God is ' true' or faithful to his pro- 



mighty, a true and righteous are 
thy judgments. a c. 15. 3, 19. 2. 

mises made to his people, and ' righteous* 
in the judgments which he has now 
inflicted. These judgments had come 
upon those who had shed the blood of 
the martyrs, and they were just. 

In regard to the application of this, 
there are several things to be said. The 
following points are clear : (a) That this 
judgment would succeed the first men- 
tioned, and apparently at a period not 
remote, (b) It would occur in a region 
where there had been much persecution, 
(c) It would be m a country of streams, 
and rivers, and fountains, (d) It would 
be a just retribution for the bloody per- 
secutions which had occurred there. 

The question now is, where we shall 
find the fulfilment of this — assuming that 
the explanation of the pouring out of the 
first vial* is correct. And here, I think, 
there can be no mistake in applying it to 
the events bearing on the Papacy, and the 
Papal powers, which followed the French 
Revolution. The next material event, 
after that revolution, was the invasion of 
Italy, where Napoleon began his career 
of victories, and where he first acquired 
his fame. At this stage of my examina- 
tion of this passage, I looked into Ali- 
son's History of Europe, to see what 
events, in fact, followed the scenes of 
confusion, crime, blood, atheism, and 
pollution in the French revolution, and 
I found that the next chapters in these 
eventful scenes were such as would be 
well represented by the vial poured upon 
the rivers and fountains, and by their 
being turned into blood. The detail 
would be too long for my limits, and I 
can state merely a summary of a few of 
the chapters in that History. Chapter 
XIX. contains the ' history of the French 
Republic from the fall of Robespierre to 
the establishment of the Directory' — > 
comprising properly the closing scenes 
of i the Reign of Terror.' Chapter xx. 
contains an acount of the campaign in 
Italy in 1796, embracing, as stated in 
the summing up of contents in this 
chapter, the * battles of Montenotte, 
Millesimo, Dego : — the passage of the 
bridge of Lodi, and fall of Milan ; the 
siege of Mantua, and the battle of CaS' 
tiglione; the battles of Caldero and 
Areola; and the battles of Rivoli and 
Mantua/ This is followed (ch. xxiiU 



A.D.96.] CHAPTER XVI. 

8 Asd the fourth angel poured 



403 



out his vial upon the sun; * and 
a c. 8. 12. 



with an account of the campaign of 
1797, which closed with the fall of 
Venice, and this is followed (ch. xxvi.) 
with an account of the invasion of 
Switzerland, &c. It is unnecessary to 
dwell on the details of the wars which 
followed the French Revolution, on the 
Rhine, the Po, and the Alpine streams of 
Piedmont and Lombardy. The slightest 
acquaintance with that history will show 
the propriety of the following remarks : — 

(a) These wars occurred in regions under 
the influence of the Papacy, for these 
were all Papal states and territories. 

(b) These scenes followed closely on 
the French Revolution, and grew out of 
it as a natural consequence, and would 
be properly represented as a second 

* vial* poured out immediately after the 
"first, (c) The country is such as here 
supposed—' of rivers and fountains/ for, 
being mostly a mountainous region, it 
abounds with springs, and fountains, 
aud streams. Indeed, on the supposition 
that this is the land referred to, a more 
appropriate description could not have 
been given of it than is found in this 
passage. One has only to look upon a 
map of Northern Italy to see that there 
is no other portion of the world which 
would more naturally be suggested when 
speaking of a country abounding in 

* rivers and fountains of water/ The 
annexed admirable map of this region, 
for which I am indebted to the work of 
Dr. Alexander Keith, on the Signs of 
She Times, will clearly illustrate this 
passage, and the corresponding passage 
in ch. viii. 10, 11. Let any one look at 
the Po and its tributaries on the annexed 
map, and then read with attention the 
xxth chapter of Alison's History of Eu- 
rope (vol. i. pp. 391-424), and he will be 
struck with the appropriateness of the 
description on the supposition that this 
portion of the book of Revelation was 
designed to refer to these scenes, for he 
cannot but see that the battles there 
described were fought in a country in 
every way corresponding with the state- 
ment here, (d) This country corresponds 
with the description here given in an- 
other respect. In vs. 5, 6, there is a 
tribute of praise rendered to God, in 
view of these judgments, because he was 
/ighteous in bringing them upon a land 

34* 



where the blood of saints and prophets 
had been shed: — a land of martyrs. 
Now this is applicable to the circum- 
stances supposed not only in the sense 
that Italy in general had been the land 
where the blood of martyrs had been 
shed — the land of Roman persecution, 
alike under Paganism and the Papacy, 
but true in a more definite sense from 
the fact that this was the very region 
where the persecutions against the Wal- 
denses and the Albigenses had been 
carried on — the valleys of Piedmont. In 
the times of Papal persecution these 
valleys had been made to flow with the 
blood of the saints, and it seemed, at 
least, to be a righteous retribution that 
these desolations of war, these confla- 
grations, and these scenes of carnage, 
should occur in that very land, and that 
the very fountains and streams which 
had before been turned into blood by 
the slaughter of the friends of th6 
Saviour, should now be reddened with . 
the blood of men slain in battle. This 
is, perhaps, what John saw in vision : — 
a land where persecution had raged, and 
the blood of the holy had flowed freely, 
and then the same land brought under 
the awful judgments of God, and the 
fountains aud streams reddened with the 
blood of the slain. There was a pro- 
priety, therefore, that a voice should be 
heard ascribing righteousness to God for 
avenging the blood of the saints (vs. 5, 
6), and that another voice should be 
heard from the 'altar* of the martyrs 
(ver. 7) responding and saying, " Even 
so, Lord God Almighty, true and 
righteous are thy judgments." (e) It 
may be added, to show the propriety of 
this, that this was one of the series of 
events which will be found in the end to 
have contributed to the overthrow of the 
Papal power : — for a blow was struck in 
the French invasion of Italy from which 
Rome has never recovered, and senti- 
ments were diffused as the result in favor 
of liberty which it has been difficult 
ever since to suppress, and which are 
destined yet to burst out in favor of 
freedom and to be one of the means 
of the final destruction of the power. 
Comp. Alison's History of Europe, vol. i. 
p. 403. 

8. And the fourth angel poured out his 



404 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 9D 



power was given unto him to scorch 
men with a fire. 

9 And men were b scorched with 
great heat, and blasphemed c the 

a c. 9. 17. b Or, Burned. 



vial upon the sun. Toward the sun, or 
so as to reach the sun. The effect was 
as if it had been poured upon the sun, 
giving it an intense heat, and thus in- 
flicting a severe judgment upon men. 
This corresponds also with the fourth 
trumpet (ch. viii. 12), where it is said 
that the ' third part of the sun was smit- 
ten, and the third part of the moon, and 
the third part of the stars/ For the 
general meaning of this symbol, see 
Notes on that place. The idea is, that 
a scene of calamity and woe would occur 
as if the sun should be made to pour 
forth such intense heat that men would 
be 'scorched.' It cannot be supposed 
that the sun would be literally made 
hotter, or that the exact nature of these 
calamities would be that men would be 
consumed by its rays. ^ And power was 
given unto him. To the sun. The mean- 
ing is, that a calamity would follow as if 
such an increased power should be given 
to its rays. ^ To scorch men with fire. 
Literally, 'And it was given him to scorch 
men with fire that is, with heat so great 
that it seemed to be fire. The Greek 
word — Kavuariceai — meaning to burn, to 
scorch, is used in the New Testament 
only in Matt. xiii. 6, Mark iv. 6, Rev. 
xvi. 8, 9, in all which places it is ren- 
dered scorch and scorched. Comp. how- 
ever, the use of the word Kavua in Rev. 
vii. 16, xvi. 9 ; icavois, in Heb. vi. 8 ; icav- 
o-oo), in 1 Pet. iii. 10, 12 ; and Kavouv, in 
Matt. xx. 12, Luke xii. 55, James i. 11. 
The notion of intense or consuming heat 
is implied in all the forms of the word ; 
and the reference here is to some calamity 
that would be well represented by such 
an increased heat of the sun. 

9. And men were scorched with great 
heat. That is, as above expressed, calam- 
ity came upon them which would be well 
represented by such heat. It is said that 
this calamity would come upon men, and 
we are to suppose that it would be such 
that human life would be particularly 
affected ; and as that heat of the sun must 
be exceedingly intense which would cut 
down men, we are to suppose that the 
judgment here referred to would be in- 



namt of God, which hath power 
over these plagues : and d they re- 
pented not, to give him glory. 
c ver. 11, 21. 
d Da. 5. 22, 23. c. 9. 20. 



tensely severe. ^ And blasphemed the 
name of God. The effect would be to 
cause them to blaspheme God, or to re- 
proach him as the author of these calam- 
ities, and in the fulfilment of this we are 
to look for a state of things when there 
would be augmented wickedness and ir- 
religion, and when men would become 
worse and worse notwithstanding the 
woes that had come upon them, ^[ Which 
hath power over these plagues. Who had 
brought these plagues upon them, and 
who had power to remove them, And 
they repented not. The effect was not to 
produce repentance, though it was mani- 
fest that these judgments had come upon 
them on account of their sins. Comp. 
Notes on ch. ix. 21. To give h im glory, 
To turn from sin ; to honor him by lives 
of obedience. Comp. Notes on John ix, 
24. . 

In regard to the application of this, 
the following things may be remarked : 
(a) That the calamity here referred to 
was one of the series of events which 
would precede the overthrow of the 
' beast/ and contribute to that — for to 
this all these judgments tend, (b) In 
the order in which it stands it is to fol- 
low, and apparently to follow soon, the 
third judgment — the pouring of the vial 
upon the fountains and streams, (c) It 
would be a calamity such as if the sun, 
the source of light and comfort to man- 
kind, were smitten, and became a source 
of torment, (d) This would be attended 
by a great destruction of men, and we 
should naturally look in such an appli- 
cation for calamities in which multitudes 
of men would be, as it were, consumed, 
(e) This would not be followed, as it 
might be hoped it would, by repentance, 
but would be attended with reproaches 
of God, with profaneness, with a great 
increase of wickedness. 

Now, on the supposition that the ex- 
planation of the previous passages is 
correct, there can be no great difficulty 
in supposing that this refers to the wars 
of Europe following the French Revolu- 
tion ; the wars that preceded the direct 
attack on the Papacy, and the overthrow 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



405 



10 And the fifth angel poured 
out his vial upon the seat a of the 
beast ; and his kingdom was full of 

of the Papal government. For these 
events had all the characteristics here 
referred to. (a) They were one of a se- 
ries in weakening the Papal power in 
Europe — heavy blows that will yet be 
seen to have been among the means pre- 
liminary to Hs final overthrow, (b) They 
followed in their order the invasion of 
Northern Italy — for one of the purposes 
of that invasion was to attack the Aus- 
trian power there, and ultimately through 
the Tyrol to attack Austria itself. Na- 
poleon, after his victories in Northern 
Italy, above referred to (comp. ch. xx. 
of Alison's History of Europe), thus writes 
to the French Directory : " Coni, Ceva,, 
and Alexandria are in the hands of our 
army; if you do not ratify the convention I 
will keep their fortresses, and march upon 
Turin. Meanwhile, I shall march to- 
morrow against Beaulieu, and drive him 
across^he Po ; I shall follow close at his 
heels, overawe Lombardy, and in a 
month be in the Tyrol, join the army of 
the Rhine, and carry our united forces 
into Bavaria. Thai design is worthy of 
you, of the army, and of the destinies of 
France." Alison, i. 401. (c) The cam- 
paign in Germany in 1796 followed im- 
mediately this campaign in Italy. Thus, 
in ch. xx. of Alison's History, we have 
an account of the campaign in Italy ; in 
ch. xxi. we have the account of the cam- 
paign in Germany — and the other wars 
in Europe that continued so long, and 
that were so fierce and bloody, followed 
in quick succession — all tending, in their 
ultimate results, to weaken the Papal 
power, and to secure its final overthrow. 
(d) It is hardly necessary to say here 
that these wars had all the characteris- 
tics here supposed. It was as if the 
sun were smitten in the heavens, and 
power were given to scorch men with 
fire. Europe seemed to be on fire with 
musketry and artillery, and presented 
almost the appearance of the broad blaze 
of a battle-field. The number that perish- 
ed was immense. These wars were attend- 
ed with the usual consequences — blasphe- 
my, profaneness, and reproaches of God 
in every form. And yet there was ano- 
ther effect wholly in accordance with the 
statement here, that none of these judg- 
ments brought men to ' repentance that 



darkness ; b and they gnawed their 
tongues for pain, 

a c. 13. 2-4. b c. 9. 2. 

they might give God the glory.' Perhaps 
these remarks, which might be extended 
to great length, will show that, on the 
supposition that it was intended to refer 
to those scenes by the outpouring of this 
vial, the symbol was well chosen and 
appropriate. 

10. And the fifth angel poured out his 
vial upon the seat of the beast. The pre- 
vious judgments had been preparatory 
to this. They all had a bearing on this, 
and were all preliminary to it; but the 
' seat' — the home, the centre of the powder 
of the beast, had not yet been reached. 
Here, however, there was a direct blow 
aimed at that power, yet not such as 
to secure its final overthrow, for that is 
reserved to the pouring out of the last 
vial, vs. 17-21. All that is represented 
here is a heavy judgment which was 
merely preliminary to that final over- 
throw, but which affected the very seat 
of the beast. The phrase, 'the seat of 
the beast' — rbv 3-p6vo7> rdv Snpiov — means 
the seat or throne which the representa- 
tive of that power occupied; the central 
point of the Antichristian dominion. 
Comp. Notes on ch. xiii. 2. See also ch. 
ii. 13. I understand this as referring to 
the very seat of the Papal power — Rome 
— the Vatican, ^ And his kingdom was 
full of darkness. Confusion; disorder; 
distress; for darkness is often the emblem 
of calamity. Jer. xiii. 16 ; Isa. lix. 9, 10 ; 
Ezekiel xxx. 18, xxxii. 7, 8, xxxiv. 12; 
Joel ii. 2. ^[ And they gnawed their 
tongues for pain. This is a " most sig- 
nificant expression of the writhings of 
anguish." The word here rendered 
gnawed does not occur elsewhere in the 
New Testament, nor is the expression 
elsewhere used in the Bible, but its 
meaning is plain — it indicates deep an- 
guish. 

11. And blasphemed the God of heaven. 
The same effect which it was said would 
be produced by the pouring out of the 
fourth vial, ver. 9. Because of their 
pains and their sores. Of the calamities 
that had come upon them. f[ And re- 
pented not o f their deeds. See Notes on 
ver. 9. Comp. ch. ix. 21. 

In regard to the fulfilment and appli- 
cation of this, the following general 
remarks may be made here a (a) 14 



406 



REVELATION, 



L A. D. 96. 



11 And blasphemed the God of 
heaven because of their pains and 



would succeed, at no great interval pro- 
bably, what is referred to under the pre- 
vious i vials/ and would be one in the 
series tending to the same result, (b) It 
would fall directly on the seat of the 
authority of the ' beast' — on the central 
power of the Papacy, according to the 
interpretation of the other symbols, and 
wa should look, therefore, for some cala- 
mity that would come upon Rome itself, 
and still more specifically upon the Pope 
himself and those immediately around 
him. (c) This would be attended with 
deep distress and darkness in the Papal 
dominions, (d) There would be an in- 
crease of what is here called 'blas- 
phemy;' that is, of impiety and re- 
proaches of the divine Being, (e) There 
would be no repentance produced. There 
would be no reformation. The system 
would be as corrupt as it was before, and 
men would be as much under its influ- 
ence. And (/) we should not expect 
that this would be the final overthrow 
of the system. That is reserved for the 
outpouring of the seventh and last vial 
in the series (vs. 37-21), and under that 
the system would be overthrown, and 
would come to an end. This is distinctly 
stated in the account of that ' vial,' and 
therefore we are not to expect to find in 
the application of the fifth ' vial/ that the 
calamity brought upon ' the seat of the 
baast' would be such that it would not 
recover for a time, and maintain, appa- 
rently, in some good degree, its former 
power and influence. 

With this view of what we are to ex- 
pect, and in connexion with the expla- 
nations of the previous symbols, it seems 
to me that there can be no hesitation in 
applying this to the direct attacks on 
the Papal power and on the Pope him- 
self, as one of the consequences of the 
French Revolution, and to the calami- 
ties that were thus brought upon the 
Papal states. In order to show the 
appropriateness of this application, I 
will state a few facts which will show 
that, on the supposition that it was the 
intention in this symbol to refer to the 
Papal power at that time, the symbol 
has been well chosen, and has been ful- 
filled. And, in doing this, I will merely 
copy from Alison's History of Europe 



\ their sores, ° and repented not of 
their deeds. 

a vcr. 2. 



(vol. i. pp. 542-546), a few statements, 
which, like many that have been quoted 
from Mr. Gibbon in the former part of 
these Notes, would seem almost to have 
been penned in view of this prophecy, 
and with a view to record its fulfilment. 
The statement is as follows : — 

" The Ecclesiastical States were the next object 
of at tack. It had long been an avowed object of 
ambition with the Republican government to revo- 
lutionize the Roman people, and plant the tricolor 
flag in the city of Brutus, and fortune at length 
presented them with a favorable opportunity to 
accomplish the design. 

" The situation of the pope had become, since the 
French conquests in Italy, in the highest degree 
precarious. Cut off, by the Cisalpine Republic, 
from any support from Austria ; left, by the treaty 
of Campo Formio, entirely at the mercy of the 
French Republic ; threatened by the heavings of 
the democratic spirit within his own dominions ; 
and exposed to all the contagion arising from the 
complete establishment and close vicinity of Re- 
publican governments in the north of Italy, he was 
almost destitute of the means of resisting so many 
seen and unseen enemies. The pontifical treasury 
was exhausted by the immense payments stipu- 
lated by the treaty of Tolentino ; while the activity 
and zeal of the revolutionary clubs in all the prin- 
cipal towns of the Ecclesiastical States, was daily 
increasing with the prospect of success. To enable 
the government to meet the enormous demands of 
the French army, the principal Roman families, 
like the pope, had sold their gold, their silver, their 
jewels, their horses, their carriages — in a word, 
all their valuable effects; but the exactions of the 
Republican agents were still unabated. In despair, 
they had recourse to the fatal expedient of issuing 
a paper circulation ; but that, in a country destitute 
of credit, soon fell to an inconsiderable value, and 
augmented rather than relieved the public distress. 
Joseph Bonaparte, brother to Napoleon, had been 
appointed ambassador at the court of Rome; but 
as his character was deemed too honorable for po- 
litical intrigue, Generals Duphot and Sherlock were 
sent along with him, the former of whom had been 
so successful in effecting the overthrow of Genoese 
aristocracy. The French embassy, under their 
direction, "soon became the centre of the revolu- 
tionary action, and those numerous ardent charac- 
ters with which the Italian cities abound, flocked 
there as to a common focus, from whence the next 
great explosion of democratic power was to be 
expected, in this extremity, Pius VI.. who was 
nbove eighty years of age, and sinking into the 
grave, called to his counsels the Austrian general 
Provera, already distinguished in the Italian cam- 
paigns; but the Directory soon compelled the hu- 
miliated pontiff to dismiss that intrepid counsellor. 
As his recovery then seemed hopeless, the instruc- 
tions of government to their ambassador were to 
delay the proclamation of a Republic till his death, 
when the vacant chair of St. Peter might be over- 
turned with little difficulty; but such was the 
activity of the revolutionary agents, that the train 
was ready to take fire before that event took plac* 
and the ears of the Romans were assailed by iu 
cessant abuse of the ecclesiastical government, and 
vehement declamations in favor of Republican 
freedom. 

"The resolution to overturn the papal govern- 
ment, like all the other ambitious projects of the 
Directory, reeeived a very great impulse from the 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XYT. 



407 



reascendent of Jacobin influence at Paris, by the 
results of the revolution of 18th Fructidor. One 
of I he first -measures of the new government was 
ic despatch an order to Joseph Bonaparte at Rome, 
to promote, by all the means in his power, the ap- 
proaching revolution in the papal states; and, 
above all things, to take care that at the pope's 
death no successor should be elected to the chair 
of St Peter. Napoleon's language to the Roman 

Kont iff became daily more menacing. Immediately 
efore setting out for Rastadt. he ordered his bro- 
ther Joseph to intimate to the pope that three thou- 
sand additional troops had been forwarded to An- 
cona ; that if Provera was not dismissed within 
twenty-four hours, war would be declared ; that 
if any of the revolutionists who had been arrested 
were executed, reprisals would forthwith be exer- 
cised on *he cardinals ; and that, if the Cisalpine 
Republic was not instantly recognized, it wou:d be 
the signal for immediate hostilities. At the same 
time, ten thousand troops of the Cisalpine Republic 
advanced to St. I^eon, in the papal duchy of Ur- 
bino, and made themselves masters of that fortress ; 
while at Ancona, which was still garrisoned by 
French troops, notwithstanding its stipulated re- 
storation by the treaty Qf Tolentmo to the Holy See, 
the democratic party openly proclaimed 'the An- 
conite Republic' Similar revolutionary movements 
took place at Corneto, Civita Vecchia, Pesaro, and 
Senigaglia; while at Rome itself, Joseph Bona- 
parte, by compelling the papal government to libe- 
rate all persons confined for political offences, 
suddenly vomited forth upon the capital several 
hundreds of the most heated Republicans in Italy. 
After this great addition, measures were no longer 
kept with the government. Seditious meetings were 
constantly held in every part of the city ; immense 
collections of tricolor cockades were made to dis- 
tinguish the insurgents, and deputations of the 
Citizens openly waited on the French ambassador 
to invite him to support the insurrection, to which 
he replied, in ambiguous terms,—* The fate of na- 
tions, as of individuals, being buried in the womb 
of futurity, it is not given to me to penetrate its 
mysteries.' 

"In this temper of men's minds, a spark was suf- 
ficient to occasion an explosion. On the 2?th of 
December, 1798, an immense crowd assembled, 
with seditious cries, and moved to the palace of 
the French ambassador, where they exclai.ned, 
4 Vive la Republique Ronaaine!' and loudly invoked 
the aid of the French to enable them to plant the 
tricolor flag' on the Capitol. The insurgents dis- 
played the tricolor cockade, and evinced the most 
menacing disposition ; the danger was extreme ; 
from similar beginnings the overthrow of the gov- 
ernments of Venice and Genoa had rapidly fol- 
lowed. The papal ministers sent a regiment of 
dragoons to prevent any sortie of the Revolutionists 
from the palace of the French ambassador ; and 
they repeatedly warned the insurgents that their 
orders were to allow no one to leave the precincts. 
Duphot, however, indignant at being restrained by 
the pontifical troops, drew his sword, rushed down 
the staircase, and put himself at the head of one 
hundred and fifty armed Roman democrats, who 
were now contending with the dragoons in the 
courtyard of the palace. He was immediately killed 
by a discharge ordered by the sergeant command- 
ing the patrol of the papal troops ; and the ambas- 
sador himself, who had followed to appease the 
^umult, narrowly escaped the same fate. A violent 
Bcuffle ensued; several persons were killed and 
wounded on both sides; and, after remaining seve- 
ral hours in the greatest alarm, Joseph Bonaparte, 
with his suite, retired to Florence. 

" This catastrophe, however obviously occasioned 
by the /evolutionary schemes which were in agita- 
tion at the residence of the French ambassador, 
having taken place within the precincts of his pal- 
ace, was, unhappily, a violation of the law of na- 
tions, anil gave the Directory too fair a ground to 



demand satisfaction. But they instantly resolved 
to make it the pretext for the immediate occupa- 
tion of Rome and overthrow of the papal govern- 
ment. The march of troops out of Italy was 
countermanded, and Berthier, the commander-in- 
chief, received orders to advance rapidly into the 
Ecclesiastical States. Meanwhile, the democratic 
spirit burst forth more violently than ever at An- 
cona and the neighbouring towns, and the papal 
authority was soon lost in all the provinces on the 
eastern slope of the Appenines. To these accumu- 
lated disasters the pontiff could only oppose the 
fasts and prayers of an aged conclave — weapons 
of spiritual warfare little calculated to arrest the 
conquerors of Areola and Lodi. 

" Berthier, without an instant's delay, carried 
into execution the orders of the Directory. Six 
thousand Poles were stationed at Rimini to covei 
the Cisalpine Republic; a reserve was established 
at Tolentino, while the commander-in-chief, at the 
head of eighteen thousand veteran troops, entered 
Ancona. Having completed the work of revolution 
in that turbulent district, and secured the fortress, 
he crossed the Apennines ; and, advancing by Fo- 
ligno and Nami, appeared on the 10th of February 
before the Eternal City. The pope, in the utmost 
consternation, shut himself up in the Vatican, and 
spent night and day at the foot of the altar in im- 
ploring the Divine protection. 

" Rome, almost defenceless, would have offered 
no obstacle to the entrance of the French troops ; 
but it was part of the policy of the Directory to 
make it appear that their aid was invoked by the 
spontaneous efforts of the inhabitants. Contenting 
himself, therefore, with occupying the castle of St. 
Angelo, from which the feeble guards of the pope 
were soon expelled, Berthier kept his troops for 
five days encamped without the walls. At length, 
the Revolutionists having completed their prepara- 
tions, a noisy crowd assembled in the Campo Vac- 
cino, the ancient Forum ; the old foundations of the 
Capitol were made again to resound with the cries, 
if not the spirit, of freedom, and the venerable en- 
signs, S. P. Q. R., after the lapse of fourteen hun- 
dred years, again floated in the winds. The multi- 
tude tumultuously demanded the overthrow of the 
papal authority ; the French troops were invited tc 
enter; the conquerors of Italy, with a haughty air, 
passed the gates of Aurelian, defiled through the 
Piazza del F-opolo, gazed on the indestructible 
monuments of Roman grandeur, and, amid the 
shouts of the inhabitants, the tricolor flag was 
displayed from the summit of the Capitol. 

" But while part of the Roman populace were 
surrendering themselves to a pardonable intoxica- 
tion upon the fancied recovery of their liberties, 
the agents of the Directory were preparing for them 
the sad realities of slavery. The pope, who had 
been guarded by five hundred soldiers ever since 
the entry of the Republicans, was directed to retire 
into Tuscany ; his Swiss guard relieved by a French 
one, and he himself ordered to dispossess himself 
of all his temporal authority. He replied, with the 
firmness of a martyr, ' I am prepared for every spe- 
cies of disgrace. As supreme pontiff, I am resolved 
to die in the exercise of all my powers. You may 
employ force — you have the power to do so: but 
know that, though you may be masters of my body 
you are not so of my soul. Free in the region where 
it is placed, it fears* neither the events nor the suf- 
ferings of this life. I stand on the threshold of ano- 
ther world ; there I shall be sheltered alike from 
the violence and impiety of this.' Force was soon 
employed to dispossess him of his authority; he 
was dragged from the altar in his palace, his repos- 
itories all ransacked and plundered, the rings even 
torn from his fingers, the whole effects in the Vati- 
can and Qm'rinal inventoried and seized, and the 
aged pontiff conducted, with only a few lomestics. 
amid the brutal jests and sacrilegious songs of the 
French dragoons, into Tuscany, where, (he gene- 
rous hospitalitv of the grand duke str* <*» ttv «ufte? 



408 



REVELATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river 



the hardships of his exile. But, though a caotive 
in the hands of his enemies, the venerable old nian 
still retained the supreme authority in the Chireh 
From his retreat in the convent of Chartreuse, he 
vet guided the counsels of the faithful; multitudes 
"fell on their knees wherever he passed, and sought 
that benediction from a captive which they would, 
perhaps, have disregarded from a triumphant 
pontiff. 

"The subsequent treatment of this venerable 
man was as disgraceful to the Republican govern- 
ment as it was honorable to his piety and constancy 
as the head of the Church. Fearful that from his 
virtues and sufferings he might have had too much 
influence on the continent of Italy, he was removed 
by their orders to Leghorn, in March, 1799, with 
the design of transferring him to Cagliari in Sar- 
dinia; and the English cruisers in the Mediterra- 
nean redoubled their vigilance, in the generous 
hope of rescuing the father of an opposite church 
from the persecution of his enemies. Apprehensive 
of losing their prisoner, the French altered his des- 
tination, and forcing him to traverse, often during 
the night, the Apennines and the Alps in a rigorous 
season, he at length reached Valence, where, after 
a i illness of ten days, he expired, in the eighty- 
srcond ye:rr of his age, and the twenty- fourth of 
h s pontificate The cruelty of the Directory in- 
creased as he approached their dominions; all his 
old attendants were compelled to leave him, and 
the Father of the Faithful was allowed to expire, 
attended only by his confessor. Yet even in this 
disconsolate state he derived the highest satisfac- 
tion from the devotion and reverence of the people 
in the provinces of France through which he passed. 
Multitudes from Gap, Vizelle,and Grenoble flocked 
to the road to receive his benediction; and he fre- 
quently repeated, with tears in his eyes, the words 
of Scripture, ' Verily, I say unto you, I have not 
seen such faith, no, not in Israel.' 

" But long before the Pope had sunk under the 
persecution of his oppressors, Rome had expe- 
rienced the bitter fruits of Republican fraterniza- 
tion. Immediately after the entry of the French 
troops commenced the regular and systematic pil- 
lage of the city. Not only the churches and the 
convents but the palaces of the cardinals and of 
the nobility were laid waste. The agents of the 
Directory, insatiable in the pursuit of plunder, and 
merciless in the means of exacting it, ransacked 
every quarter within its walls, seized the most 
valuable works of art, and stripped the Eternal 
City of those treasures which had survived the 
Gothic fire and the rapacious hands of the Spanish 
soldiers. The bloodshed was much less, but the 
spoil collected incomparably greater, than at the 
disastrous sack which followed the death of the 
Constable Bourbon. Almosi. all the great works 
of art which have since that time been collected 
throughout Europe, were then scattered abroad. 
The spoliation exceeded all that the Goths or Van- 
dals had effected. Not only the palaces of the 
Vatican, and the Monte Cavallo, and the chief 
nobility of Rome, but those of Castel Gandolfo, on 
the margin of the Alban Lake, of Terracina, the 
Villa Albani, and others in the environs of Rome, 
were plundered of every article of value which 
they possessed. The whole sacerdotal habits of 
the pope and cardinals were burned, in order to 
collect from the flames the gold with which they 
were adorned. The Vatican was stripped to its 
naked walls; the immortal frescoes of Raphael 
and Michael An^elo remained in solitary beauty 
•mid the general desolation. A contribution of 
four millions in money, two millions in provisions, 
and three thousand horses, was imposed on a city 
already exhausted by the enormous exactions it 
had previously undergone. Under the direction 
of the infamous commissary Haller, the domestic 
library, museum , furniture, jew6ls> and even the 1 



private clothes of the pope, were sold. Nor did the 
palaces of the Roman nobility escape devastation. 
The noble galleries of the Cardinal Braschi, and 
the Cardinal York, the last relic of the Stuart line, 
underwent the same fate. Others, as those of the 
Chigi, Borghese, and Doria palaces, were rescued 
from destruction only by enormous ransoms. 
Everything of value that the Tolentiuo had left in 
Rome became the prey of Republican cupidity, and 
the very name of freedom soon became odious, 
from the sordid and infamous crimes which were 
committed in its name. 

'* Nor were the exactions of the French confined 
to the plunder of palaces and churches. Eight 
cardinals v ere arrested and sent to Civita Castel- 
lana. while enormous contributions were levied on 
the Papal territory, and brought home the bitter 
ness of conquest to every poof man's door. At the 
same time, the ample territorial possessions of the 
church and the monasteries were confiscated, and 
declared national property; a measure which, by 
drying up at once the whole resources of tht 
affluent classes, precipitated into the extreme of 
misery the numerous poor who were maintaineo 
by their expenditure or fed by their bounty. All 
the respectable citizens and clergy were in fetters ; 
and a base and despicable faction alone, among 
whom, to their disgrace be it told, were found four- 
teen cardinals followed in the train of the oppres- 
sors ; and at a public festival, returned thanks to 
God for the miseries they had brought upon their 
country." * 

12. And the sixth angel poured out hu 
vial upon the great river Euphrates. 
On the situation of that river, and the 
symbolical meaning of this language, 
see Notes on ch. ix. 14-21. The refe- 
rence there was supposed to be to the 
Turkish power, and the analogy of inter- 
pretation would seem to require that it 
should be so understood here. There is 
every reason, therefore, to suppose that 
this passage has refefence to something 
in the future history of the Turkish 
dominions, and to some bearing of the 
events which are to occur in that his- 
tory on the ultimate downfall of the 



* In this connexion, I may insert here the remark- 
able calculation of Robert Fleming, in his work en- 
titled Apocalyptical Key, or the Pouring out of the 
Vials, first published in 1701. It is in the following 
words: "The fifth vial (ver. 10, 11), which is to be 
poured out on the seat of the beast, or the dominimu 
which more immediately belong to and depend on the. 
Roman see ; that, I say, this judgment will probabcy 
begin about the year 1794, and expire about A. D. 1S48; 
or that the duration of it upon this supposition will be 
the space of fifty-four years. For I do suppose that 
seeing the Pope received the title of Supreme Bishop, 
no sooner than A. D. 608 he cannot be supposed to 
have any vial poured upon his seat immediately (so as 
to receive his authority so signally as this judgment* 
must be supposed to all) until the year 1848, which it 
the date of the twelve hundred and sixty years in pro- 
phetical account when they are reckoned from A. D. 
606* But yet we are not to imagine that this will 
totally destroy the Papacy (though it will exceedingly 
weaken it) for we find that still in being and alive, 
when the next vial is poured out." p. 68. Ed. Ktyr 
York. It is a circumstance remarkably in accordance 
with this calculation, that in the year 1848 the Popes was 
actually driven away to Gaeta, and that at the preeent 
time (1851) he is restored, though evidently with 
dimiiiishsd powsr= 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



409 



Euphrates ; a and the water thereof 
was dried up, b that the way of 

a c. 9. 14. b Is. 41. 3 ; Je. 50. 38, 51. 36. 



Antichristian power referred to by the 
1 beast/ \ And the water thereof was 
dried up, that the xcay of the kings of the 
east might be prepared. That is, as the 
effect of pouring out the vial. There is 
an allusion here, undoubtedly, to the 
dividing of the waters of the Red Sea 
so that the children of Israel might pass 
See Ex. xiv. 21, 22. Comp. Notes on 
Isa. xi. 15. In this description the 
Euphrates is represented as a barrier 
to prevent the passage of 'the kings 
of the East* on their way to the West 
for some purpose not yet specified ; 
that is, applying the symbol of the 
Euphrates as being the seat of the 
Turkish power, the meaning is, that 
that power is such a hindrance, and that, 
in some way that hindrance is to be re 
moved as if the waters of an unbridged 
and unfordable river were dried up so 
as to afford a safe and easy passage 
through. Still there are several en- 
quiries as to the application of this which 
it is not easy, and as it refers to what is 
still future, it may be impossible, to 
answer. The language requires us to 
put upon it the following interpreta- 
tion : — (a) The persons here referred to 
as * kings of the East' were ready to 
make a movement towards the West, 
over the Euphrates, and would do 
this if this obstruction were not in 
their way. Who these 1 kings of the 
East' are, is not said, and perhaps can- 
not be conjectured. The natural inter- 
pretation is, that they are the kings that 
reign in the East, or that preside over 
the countries of the eastern hemisphere. 
Why there was a proposed movement to 
the West is nq$ said. It might have 
been for conquest, or it might have been 
that they were to bring their tribute to 
the Spiritual Jerusalem, in accordance 
with what is so often said in the pro- 
phets, that under the gospel, kings and 
princes would consecrate themselves and 
their wealth to God. See Ps. lxxii. 10, 
11, " The kings, of Tarshish and of the 
isles shall bring presents ; the kings of 
Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea 
all kings shall fall down before him." 
So alsu Isa. lx., " Thy sons shall come 
Crona far." " The forces of the Gentile* 



the kings of the east might be pre- 
pared. 

13 And I saw three unclean 



shall come unto thee." "All they from 
Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold 
and incense." " Th3 isles shall wait for 
me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to 
bring thy sons from far, their silver and 
their gold with them." " Thy gates 
shall be open continually; they shall 
not be shut day or night ; that men may 
Turing unto thee the forces of the Gen- 
tiles, and that their kings may be 
brought." All that is fairly implied in 
the language used here is, that the kings 
of the east would be converted to the 
true religion, or that they were at the 
time referred to in a state of readiness to 
be converted if there were no hindrance 
or obstruction, (b) There was some hin- 
drance or obstruction to their conver- 
sion ; that is, as explained, from the 
Turkish power: in other words they 
would be converted to the true faith if 
it were not for the influence of that 
power. (c) The destruction of that 
power, represented by the drying up of 
the Euphrates, would remove that ob- 
struction, and the way would thus be 
'prepared' for their conversion to the 
true religion. We should most natu- 
rally, therefore, look in the fulfilment of 
this for some such decay of the Turkish 
power as would be followed by the con- 
version of the rulers of the east to the 
gospel. 

13. And I saw three unclean spirits. 
They assumed a visible form which 
would well represent their odiousness — 
that of frogs — but still they are spoken 
of as ( spirits/ They were evil powers, 
or -evil influences (ver. 14, ' spirits of 
devils')? and the language here- is un- 
doubtedly designed to represent some 
such power or influence, which would, 
at that period, proceed from the dragon, 
the beast, and the false prophet, Like 
frogs. — (3arpdxois. This word does not 
occur in the New Testament except in 
the passage before us. It is properly 
translated frogs. The frog is here em- 
ployed clearly as a symbol, and it is 
designed that certain qualities of the 
spirits' here referred to should be desig- 
nated by the symbol. For a full illus- 
tration of the meaning of the symbol^ 
the reader may consult Bo chart, JlUrom 



• 



410 



REVELATION, 



[A. B. 96. 



spirits like frogs come out of the 
mouth of the dragon, a and out of 

a c. 12. 3, 9. 

P. II. Lib. v. c. iv. According to Bo- 
chart, the frog is characterized, as a 
symbol, (1) for its rough, harsh, coarse 
voice ; (2) on this account as a symbol 
of complaining or reproaching,* (3) as a 
symbol of empty loquacity; (4) as a 
symbol of heretics and philosophers — 
as understood by Augustine; (5) because 
the frog has its origin in mud, and lives 
in mud, as a symbol of those who are 
born in sin, and live in pollution ; (6) 
because the frog endures all changes of 
the season — cold and heat, summer, win- 
ter, rain, frost — as a symbol of monks 
who practise self-denial ; (7) because the 
frog, though abstemious of food, yet lives 
in water and drinks often, as a symbol 
of drunkards ; (8) as a symbol of impu- 
dence ; (9) because the frog swells his 
size, and distends his cheeks, as a sym- 
bol of pride. See the authorities for 
these uses of the word, in Bochart. How 
many or few of these ideas enter into the 
symbol here, it is not easy to decide. 
We may suppose, however, that the 
spirits referred to would be character- 
ized by pride, arrogance, impudence, 
assumption of authority; perhaps im- 
purity and vileness, for all these ideas 
enter into the meaning of the symbol. 
They are not here probably symbols of 
persons, but of influences or opinions 
which would be spread abroad, and 
which would characterize the age re- 
ferred to. The reference is to what the 
' dragon/ the ' beast/ and the ' false pro- 
phet' would do at that time in opposing 
the truth, and in preparing the world 
for the great and final conflict, Out 
of the mouth of the dragon. One. of 
which seemed to issue from the mouth 
of the dragon. On the symbolic mean- 
ing of the ' dragon/ see Notes on ch. 
xii. 3. It, in general, represents Satan, 
the great enemy of the church ; perhaps 
here Satan under the form of Heathen- 
ism or Paganism, as in ch, xii. 3, 4. The 
idea then is, that, at the time referred 
to, there would be some manifestation 
of the power of Satan in the heathen 
nations, which would be bold, arrogant, 
proud, loquacious, hostile to truth, and 
which would be well represented by the 
hoarse murmur of the frog. % And out 
the. mouth of the beast, The Papacy — 



the mouth of the beast, b and out of 
the mouth of the false prophet. 

b c. 13. 2. c c. 19. 20. 

as above explained. — Ch. xiii. That is, 
there would be some putting forth of 
arrogant pretensions ; some loud denun- 
ciation or complaining ; some manifesta- 
tion of pride and self-consequence, which 
would be well represented by the croak- 
ing of the frog. We have seen above 
(Notes on vs. 5, 6) that although the 
fifth vial was poured upon 'the seat of 
the beast/ the effect was not to crush 
and overthrow that power entirely. The 
Papacy would still survive, and would 
be finally destroyed under the outpouring 
of the seventh vial, vs. 17-21. In the 
passage before us we have a representa- 
tion of it as still living; as having appa- 
rently recovered its strength; and as 
being as hostile as ever to the truth, and 
able to enter into a combination, secret 
or avowed, with the 'dragon* and the 
'false prophet/ to oppose the reign of 
truth upon the earth. <[[ And out of the 
mouth of the false prophet. The word 
rendered false prophet — ipev&oTrpo<p?/Tn$ — 
does not before occur in the book of 
Revelation, though the use of the article 
would seem to imply that some well- 
known power or influence was referred 
to by this. Comp. Notes on ch. x. 3. 
The word occurs in other places in the 
New Testament — Matt. vii. 15, xxiv. 11, 
24 ; Mark xiii. 22 ; Luke vi. 26 ; Acts 
xiii. 6; 2 Peter ii. 1; 1 John iv. 1 ; and 
twice elsewhere in the book of Revela- 
tion with the same reference as here, 
ch. xix. 20, xx. 10. In both these latter 
places it is connected with the 'beast:' 
' And the beast was taken, and with him 
the false prophet/ 'And the devil that 
deceived them was cast into the lake of 
fire and brimstone, where the beast and 
the false prophet are/ It would seem 
then to refer to some power that was 
similar to that of the beast, and that was 
to share the same fate in the overthrow 
of the enemies of the gospel. As to the 
application of this, there is no opinion 
so probable as that it alludes to the 
Mohammedan power — not strictly the 
Turkish power, for that was to be ' dried, 
up' or to diminish, but to the Moham- 
medan power as such, that was still to 
continue for a while in its vigor, and 
that was yet to exert a formidable influ- 
ence against the gospel, and prohabty in 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVI. 



411 



14 For they are the spirits of 
devils, a working miracles, h which 
go forth unto the kings of the earth 
and of the c whole world, to gather 
them to the battle d of that great day 
of God Almighty. 

some combination, in fact, if not in form, 
with Paganism and the Papacy. The 
reasons for this opinion are, (a) that this 
was referred to in the former part of the 
book as one of the formidable powers 
that would arise, and that would mate- 
rially affect the destiny of the world, and 
it may be presumed that it would be 
again referred to in the account of the 
final consummation ; see ch. ix. 1-11 ; 
(b) the name 'false prophet' would bet- 
ter than any other describe that power, 
and would naturally suggest it in future 
times — for to no one that has ever ap- 
peared in our world could the name be 
so properly applied as to Mohammed,* 
and (c) what is said will be found to 
agree with the facts in regard to that 
power, as, in connexion with the Papacy 
and with Paganism, constituting the sum 
of the obstruction to the spread of the 
gospel around the world. 

14. For they are the spirits of devils. 
On the meaning of the word used here, 
see Notes on ch. ix. 20. It is used here, 
as it is in ch. ix. 20, in a bad sense as 
denoting evil spirits. Comp. Notes on 
Matt. iv. 1, 2, 24. ^[ Working miracles. 
Working what seemed to be miracles; 
that is, such wonders as to deceive the 
world with the belief that they were 
miracles. See Notes on ch. xiii. 13, 14, 
where the same power is ascribed to the 
' beast/ Which go forth into the kings 
of the earth. Which particularly affect 
and influence kings and rulers. No class 
of men have been more under the influ- 
ence of Pagan superstition, Mohamme- 
dan delusion, or the Papacy, than kings 
and princes. We are taught by this 
passage that this will continue to be so 
in the circumstances referred to. And 
of the whole world. That is, so far that 
it might be represented as affecting the 
whole world — to wit, the heathen, the 
Mohammedan, and the Papal portions 
of the earth. These still embrace so 
large a portion of the globe, that it might 
be said that what would affect those 
powern now would influence the whole 
world. ^ To gather them. Not literally 



15 Behold, I come as a thief. • 
Blessed is he that watcheth, and 
keepeth his garments, lest he walk 
naked, f and they see his shame. 

a 1 Ti. 4. 1. b 2 Th. 2. 9. c 1 Jno. 5. 19. 
d c. 19. 19. e 2 Pe. 3. 10. / c. 3. 4, 18. 



to assemble them all in one place, but 
so to unite and combine them that it 
might be represented as an assembling 
of the hosts for battle. ^[ To the battle 
of that great day of God Almighty. Not 
the day of judgment ; but the day which 
would determine the ascendency of true 
religion in the world ; — the final conflict 
with those powers which had so long 
opposed the gospel. It is not necessary 
to suppose that there would be a literal 
' battle/ in which God would be seen to 
contend with his foes ; but there would 
be that which might be properly repre- 
sented as a battle. That is, there would 
be a combined struggle against the truth, 
and in that God would appear by his 
Providence and Spirit on the side of the 
church, and would give it the victory. 
It accords with all that has occurred in 
the past, to suppose that there will be 
such a combined struggle before the 
church shall finally triumph in the 
world. 

15. Behold, I come as a thief. That 
is, suddenly and unexpectedly. See 
Notes on Matt. xxiv. 43, 1 Thess. v. 2. 
This is designed evidently to admonish 
men to watch, or to be in readiness for 
his coming^- since, whenever it would 
occur, it would be at a time when men 
were not expecting him. Blessed is 
he that watcheth. Comp. Matt. xxiv. 42- 
44. The meaning here is, that he who 
watches for these events ; who marks the 
indications of their approach ; and who 
is conscious of a preparation for them, 
is in a better and happier state of mind 
than he on whom they come suddenly 
and unexpectedly. ^\ And keepeth hit. 
garments. The allusion here seems to 
be to one who, regardless of danger, or 
of the approach of an enemy, should lay 
aside his garments, and lie down to sleep. 
Then the thief might come and take 
away his garments, leaving him naked. 
The essential idea, therefore, here, is the 
duty of vigilance. We are to be awak? 
to duty and to danger; we are not to 
be found sleeping on our post ; we are 
to be ready for death *— ready for tha 



412 



REVELATION. 



[A. D.. 96 



16 And he gathered them toge- 



coming of the Son of man. ^ Lest he 
walk naked. His raiment being carried 
away while he is asleep, \ And they 
tee his shame. Comp. Notes on ch. iii. 
18. The meaning here is, that, as Chris- 
tians are clothed with the garments of 
righteousness, they should not lay them 
aside, so that their spiritual nakedness 
should be seen. They are to be always 
clothed with the robes of salvation ; al- 
ways ready for any event, however soon 
or suddenly it may come upon them. 

16. And he gathered them together. 
Who gathered them ? Prof. Stuart ren- 
ders it, 'they gathered them together/ 
supposing that it refers to the ' spirits' — 
irvfvixara — in ver. 13, and that this is the 
construction of the neuter plural with a 
singular verb. So De Wette understands 
it. Hengstenberg supposes that it means 
that God gathered them together; others 
suppose that it was the sixth angel ; 
others that it was Satan ; others that it 
was the beast; and others that it was 
Christ. See Pool's Synopsis in loc. The 
authority of De Wette and Prof. Stuart 
is sufficient to show that the construction 
which they adopt is authorized by the 
Greek, as indeed no one can doubt, and 
perhaps this accords better with the con- 
text than any other construction pro- 
posed. Thus in ver. 14, the spirits are 
represented as going forth into the whole 
world for the purpose of gathering the 
nations together to the great&battle, and 
it is natural to suppose that the reference 
is to them here as having accomplished 
what they went forth to do. But who 
are to be gathered together? Evidently 
those who in ver. 14 are described by the 
word 'them' — the ( kings of the earth, 
and the whole world that is, there will 
be a state of things which would be well 
described by a universal gathering of 
forces in a central battle-field. It is by 
no means necessary to suppose that what 
is here represented will literally occur. 
There will be a mustering of spiritual 
forces ; there will be a combination and 
a unity of opposition against the truth ; 
there will be a rallying of the declining 
powers of Heathenism, Mohammedanism, 
and Romanism, as if the forces of the 
earth, marshalled by kings and rulers, 
were assembled in some great battle-field 
where the destiny of the world was to be 



ther into a place called in the He- 
brew tongue Armageddon. 

decided. Into a place called in the 
Hebrew tongue Armageddon. *The word 
Armageddon — 'AppaycdSwv — occurs no- 
where else in the New Testament, and 
is not found in the Septuagint. It seems 

to be formed from the Hebrew TOD *TTI 

— Har Megiddo — Mountain of 3fegiddo. 
Comp. 2 Chron. xxxv. 22, where it is 
said that Josiah " came to fight in the 
valley of Megiddo." Megiddo was a town 
belonging to Manasseh, although within 
the limits of Issachar, Josh. xvii. 11. It 
had been originally one of the royal cities 
of the Canaanites (Josh. xii. 21), and 
was one of those of which the Israelites 
were unable for a long time to take pos- 
session. It was rebuilt and fortified by 
Solomon (1 Kings ix. 15), and thither 
Ahaziah king of Judah fled when wound- 
ed by Jehu, and died there. 2 Kings ix. 
27. It was here that Deborah and Barak 
destroyed Sisera and his host (Judges v. 
19); and it was in a battle near this that 
Josiah was slain by Pharaoh-nechoh, 2 
Kings xxiii. 29, 30 ; 2 Chron. xxxv. 20-25. 
From the great mourning held for his 
loss, it became proverbial to speak of 
any grievous mourning as being "like 
the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the I 
valley of Megiddon," Zech. xii. 11. It I 
has not been found easy to identify the 
place, but recent researches have made 
it probable that the vale or plain of 
Megiddo comprehended, if it was not 
wholly composed of, the prolongation of 
the plain of Esdra-elon towards Mount 
Carmel ; that the city of Megiddo was 
situated there ; and that the waters of 
Megiddo, mentioned in Judges v. 19, are J 
identical with the stream Kishon in that 
part of its course. See Bibli. Repository, 
i. 602, 603. It is supposed that the 
modern town called Lejjun occupies the 
site of the ancient Megiddo. Robinson's 
Biblical Researches, iii. 177-180. Me- 
giddo was distinguished for being the 
place of the decisive conflict between 
Deborah and Sisera, and of the battle in 
which Josiah was slain by the Egyptian 
invaders, and hence it became emble- 
matic of any decisive battle-field — just 
as Marathon, Leuctra, Arbela, or Water- 
loo, is. The word * mountain* in the> 
term Armageddon — ' Mountain of Me- 
giddo' — seems to have been used because 



A. D. 96.] 



C H APT 



ER XYI. 



413 



Megiddo was in a mountainous region, 
though the battles were fought in a val- 
ley adjacent. The meaning here is, that 
there would be, as it were, a decisive 
battle which would determine the ques- 
tion of the prevalence of true religion on 
the earth. What we are to expect as 
the fulfilment of this would seem to be, 
that there will be some mustering of 
strength — some rallying of forces — some 
opposition made to the kingdom of God 
in the gospel by the powers here referred 
to which would be decisive in its charac- 
ter, and which would be well represented 
by the battles between the people of God 
and their foes in the conflicts in the val- 
ley of Megiddo. 



As this constitutes, according to the 
course of the exposition by which we 
have been conducted, an important di- 
vision in the book of Revelation, it may 
be proper to pause here, and make a few 
remarks. The previous parts of the 
book, according to the interpretation 
proposed, relate to the past, and thus far 
we have found such a correspondence 
between the predictions and facts which 
have occurred as to lead us to suppose 
i that these predictions have been fulfilled. 
At this point, I suppose, we enter on 
that part which remains yet to be ful- 
filled, and the investigation must carry 
us into the dark and unknown future. 
The remaining portion comprises a very 
general sketch of things down to the end 
of time, as the previous portion has 
touched on the great events pertaining 
to the church and its progress for a pe- 
riod of more than one thousand eight 
hundred years. A few general remarks, 
therefore, seem not inappropriate at this 
point. 

(a) In the previous interpretations we 
have had the facts of history by which to 
test the accuracy of the interpretation. 
The plan pursued has been, first, to in- 
vestigate the meaning of the words and 
symbols, entirely independent of any 
supposed application, and then to inquire 
whether there have been any facts that 
may be regarded as corresponding with 
the meaning of the words and symbols 
as explained. Of this method of testing 
the accuracy of the exposition we must 
now take our leave. Our sole reliance 
must be in the exposition itself, and our 
Work must be limited to that. 

(6) It is always difficult to interpret a 
35* 



prophecy. The language of prophecy is 
often apparently enigmatical ; the sym- 
bols are sometimes obscure; and prophe- 
cies relating to the same subject are often 
in detached fragments, uttered by differ- 
ent persons at different times, and it is 
necessary to collect and arrange them, 
in order to have a full view of the ona 
subject. Thus the prophecies respecting 
the Messiah were many of them obscure, 
and indeed apparently contradictory, be- 
fore he came ; they were uttered at dis- 
tant intervals, and by different prophets • 
at one time one trait of his character was 
dwelt upon, and at another another; and 
it was difficult to combine these so as to 
have an accurate view of what he would 
be, until he came. The result has shown 
what the meaning of the prophecies was; 
and at the same time has demonstrated 
that there was entire consistency in the 
various predictions, and that to one who 
could have comprehended all, it would 
have been possible to combine them so 
as to have had a correct view of the 
Messiah and of his work even before he 
came. The same remark is still more 
applicable to the predictions in the Book 
of Revelation, or to the similar predic- 
tions in the Book of Daniel, and to many 
portions of Isaiah. It is easy to see how 
difficult it would have been, or rather 
how impossible by any human powers to 
have applied these prophecies in detail 
before the events occurred ; and yet, now 
that they have occurred, it may be seen 
that the symbols were the happiest that 
could have been chosen, and the only 
ones that could with propriety have 
been selected to describe the remarkable 
events which were to take place in future 
times. 

(c) The same thing we may presume to 
be the case in regard to events which are 
to occur. We may expect to find (1) 
language and symbols that are, in them- 
selves, capable of clear interpretation as 
to their proper meaning; (2) the events 
of the future so sketched out by that lan- 
guage and by those symbols, that we may 
obtain a general view that will be accu- 
rate ; and yet (3) an entire impossibility 
of filling up beforehand the minute de- 
tails. 

In regard, then, to the application of 
the particular portion now before us, vs. 
12-16, the following remarks may be 
made : — 

(!) The Turkish power, especially 



414 



KEVEL 



ATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



since its conquest of Constantinople un- 
der Mohamed II. in 1453, and its estab- 
lishment in Europe, has been a grand 
hindrance to the spread of the gospel. 
It has occupied a central position ; it 
has possessed some of the richest parts 
of the world ; it has, in general, excluded 
nil efforts to spread the pure gospel within 
its limits ; and its whole influence has 
been opposed to the spread of pure Chris- 
tianity. Comp. Notes on ch. ix. 14-21. 
" By its laws it was death to a Mussul- 
man to apostatize from his faith, and be- 
come a Christian ; and examples, not a 
few, have occurred in recent times to 
illustrate it." It is not until quite re- 
cently, and that under the influence of 
missionaries in Constantinople, that evan- 
gelical Christianity has been tolerated in 
the Turkish dominions. 

(2) The prophecy before us implies 
that there would be a decline of that 
formidable power — represented by the 
'drying up of the great river Euphrates/ 
See Notes on ver. 12. And no one can 
be insensible to the fact that events are 
occurring which would be properly re- 
presented by such a symbol; or that 
there is, in fact, now such a decline of 
that Turkish power, and that the begin- 
ning of that decline closely followed, in 
regard to time, if not in regard to the 
cause, the events which it is supposed 
were designated by the' previous vials — 
those connected with the successive blows 
on the Papacy and the seat of the beast. 
In reference, then, to the decline of that 
power, we may refer to the following 
things, (a) The first great cause was 
internal revolt and insurrection. In 1820, 
Ali Pasha asserted his independence, 
and by his revolt precipitated the 
Greek insurrection which had been a 
long time secretly preparing — an insur- 
rection so disastrous to the Turkish 
power, (b) The Greek insurrection fol- 
lowed. This soon spread to the iEgean 
isles, and to the districts of Northern 
Greece, Epirus, and Thessaly; while at 
the same time the standard of revolt was 
raised in Wallachia and Moldavia. The 
progress and issue of that insurrection 
are well known. A Turkman army of 
30,000 that entered the Morea to recon- 
quer it, was destroyed in 1823 in detail, 
and the freedom of the peninsula was 
nearly completed by the insurgents. By 
gea the Greeks emulated their ancestors 
of Salamis and Mycale; and, attended 



with almost uniform success, encountered 
and vanquished the superior Turkish and 
Egyptian fleets. Meanwhile the sym- 
pathies of Western Christendom were 
awakened in behalf of their brother 
Christians struggling for independence ; 
and just when the tide of success began 
to turn, and the Morea was again nearly 
subjected by Ibrahim Pasha, the united 
fleets of England, France, and Russia 
(in contravention of all their usual prin- 
ciples of policy) interposed in their favor; 
attacked and destroyed the Turco- 
Egyptian fleets in the battle of Navarino 
(September, 1827), and thus secured the 
independence of Greece. Nothing had 
ever occurred that tended so much to 
weaken the power of the Turkish empire, 
(c) The rebellion of the great Egyptian 
Pasha, Mehemet Ali, soon followed. The 
French invasion of Egypt had prepared 
him for it, by having taught him the 
superiority of European discipline, and 
thus this event was one of the proper 
results of those described under the first 
four vials. Mehemet Ali, through Ibra- 
him, attacked and conquered Syria; de- 
feated the Sultan's armies sent against 
him in their great battles of Hems, of 
Nezib, and of Iconium ; and, but for the 
intervention of the European powers of 
England, Russia, Prussia, and Austria, 
by which he was driven out of Syria, 
and forced back to his proper Pashalic 
Egypt, he would probably have ad- 
vanced to Constantinople, and subdued 
it. (d) There has been for centuries a 
gradual weakening of the Turkish power. 
It has done nothing to extend its empire 
by arms. It has been resting in inglo- 
rious ease, and, in the mean time, its 
wealth and its strength have been grad- 
ually decreasing. It has lost Moldavia, 
Wallachia, Greece, Algiers, and practi- 
cally Egypt; and is doing nothing to re- 
cruit its wasted and exhausted strength. 
Russia only waits for a favorable oppor- 
tunity to strike the last blow on that en- 
feebled power, and to put an end to it 
for ever, (e) The general condition of 
the Turkish empire is thus described by 
the Rev. Mr. Walsh, Chaplain to the 
British Ambassador to Constantinople: 
" The circumstances most striking to a 
traveller passing through Turkey is it3 
depopulation. Ruins where villages had 
been built, and fallows where land had 
been cultivated, are frequently seen with 
no living thing near them. This effect 



!L B. 96.] 



CHAPTER XYI. 



415 



17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air ; and there 

to the diffusion of the gospel in the lands 
where it has prevailed. How rapidly, 
we may suppose, the gospel would spread 
in the East, if all the obstacles thrown in 
its way by the Turkish power were at 
once removed ! 

(4) In accordance with the interpreta- 
tion suggested on vs. 13, 14, we may look 
for something that would be well repre- 
sented by a combined effort on the part 
of heathenism, Mohammedanism, and 
Romanism, to stay the progress and pre- 
vent the spread of evangelical religion. 
That is, according to the fair interpreta- 
tion of the passage, we should look for 
some simultaneous movement as if their 
influence was to be about to cease, and 
as if it were necessary to arouse all their 
energies for a last and desperate struggle. 
It may be added that, in itself, nothing 
would be more probable than this; but 
when it will occur, and what form the 
aroused energy will assume, it would be 
vain to conjecture. 

(5) And in accordance with the inter- 
pretation suggested on ver. 15, we are to 
suppose that something will occur which 
would be well represented by the decisive 
conflicts in the valley of Megiddo ; that 
is, something that will determine the 
ascendency of true religion in the world, 
as if these great powers of heathenism, 
Mohammedanism, and Romanism should 
stake all their interests on the issue of a 
single battle. It is not necessary to sup- 
pose that this will literally occur, and 
there are no certain intimations as to the 
time when what is represented will hap- 
pen ; but all that is meant may be that 
events will take place which would be 
well represented by such a conflict. Still, 
nothing in the prophecy prevents the 
supposition that these combined powers 
may be overthrown in some fierce conflict 
with Christian powers. 

17. And the seventh angel poured out 
his vial into the air. This introduces 
the final catastrophe in regard to th© 
' beast:' — his complete and utter over- 
throw, accompanied with tremendous 
judgments. Why the vial was poured 
into the air is not stated. The most pro- 
bable supposition as to the idea intended 
to be represented is, that as storms and 
tempests seem to be engendered in the 
air, so this destruction would come froia 
some supernatural cause, as if the whole 



Is not so visible in larger towns, though 
the cause is known to operate there in a 
Still greater degree. Within the last 
twenty years, Constantinople has lost 
more than half its population. Two 
conflagrations happened while I was in 
Constantinople, and destroyed fifteen 
thousand houses. The Russian and 
Greek wars were a constant drain on the 
janisaries of the capital j the silent ope- 
ration of the plague is continually active, 
though not always alarming; it will be 
no exaggeration to say that, within the 
period mentioned, from three to four 
hundred thousand persons have been 
swept away in one city in Europe by 
causes which were not operating in any 
other — conflagration, pestilence, and civil 
commotion. The Turks, though natu- 
rally of a robust and vigorous constitu- 
tion, addict themselves to such habits as 
are very unfavorable to population — the 
births do little more than exceed the 
ordinary deaths, and cannot supply the 
waste of casualties. The surrounding 
country is, therefore, continually drained 
to supply this waste in the capital, which 
nevertheless exhibits districts nearly de- 
populated. We see every day life going 
out in the fairest portion of Europe ; and 
the human race threatened with extinction 
in a soil and climate capable of support- 
ing the most abundant population." — 
Walsh's Narrative, pp. 22-26, as quoted 
in Bash on the Millenium, pp. 243, 244. 
The probability now is, that this gradual 
decay will be continued; that the Turk- 
ish power will more and more diminish ; 
that one portion after another will set 
up for independence ; and that by a gra- 
dual process of decline, this power will 
become practically extinct, and what is 
here symbolized by the i drying up of 
the great river Euphrates' will have been 
accomplished. 

(3) This obstacle removed, we may 
look for a general turning of the princes, 
and rulers, and people of the Eastern 
ivorld to Christianity, represented (ver. 
12) by its being said that ' the way of the 
kings of the east might be prepared.' 
See Notes on that verse. It is clear that 
nothing would be more likely to contri- 
bute to this, or to prepare the way for it, 
than the removal of that Turcoman do- 
minion which for more than four hun- 
dred years has been an effectual barrier 



416 



EE VEL ATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



came a great voice out of the tem- 
ple of heaven, from the throne, 
saying, It a is done. 

18. And there were voices, and 
thunders, and lightnings ; and there 
was a great earthquake, b such c as 

a c. 21. 6. b c. 11. 13. 



atmosphere should be filled with wind 
and storm, and a furious and desolating 
whirlwind should be aroused by some 
invisible power, ^ And there came a 
great voice out of the temple of heaven. 
The voice of God. See Notes on ch. xi. 
19. From the throne. See Notes on 
ch. iv. 2. This shows that it was the 
voice of God, and not the voice of an 
angel. \ Saying, It is done. The 
series of judgments is about to be com- 
pleted ; the dominion of the beast is 
about to come to an end for ever. The 
meaning here is, that that destruction 
was so certain, that it might be spoken 
of as now actually accomplished. 

18. And. there were voices, and thun- 
ders, and lightnings. Accompanying 
the voice that was heard from the 
throne. See Notes on ch. iv. 5, xi. 19. 
^[ And there was a great earthquake, &c. 
See Notes on ch. xi. 19, and ch. vi. 12. 
The meaning is, that a judgment fol- 
lowed as if the world were shaken by 
an earthquake, or which would be pro- 
perly represented by that, So mighty 
an earthquake, and so great. All this is 
intensive, and is designed to represent 
the severity of the judgment that would 
follow. 

19. And the city was divided into three 
parts. The city of Babylon ; or the 
mighty power that was represented by 
Babylon. See Notes on ch. xiv. 8. The 
division here mentioned into three parts 
was manifestly with reference to its 
destruction : — either that one part was 
smitten and the others remained for a 
time; or that one form of destruction 
came on one part and another on the 
others. In ch. xi. 13, it is said, speak- 
ing of " the great city spiritually called 
Sodom and Egypt" — representing Borne, 
that " the tenth part of the city fell, and 
in the earthquake were slain of men 
seven thousand" (see Notes on that 
place) ; here it is said that the whole 
city, in the calamities that came upon 
it, was divided into three portions, 



was not since men were upon the 
earth, so mighty an earthquake, 
and so great. 

19 And the great city* was di- 
vided into three parts, and the 
cities of the nations fell : and great 

c Da. 12. 1. d c. 14. 8.. 



though it is evidently implied that in 
these calamities, the whole city was 
sooner or later destroyed. Prof. Stuart 
(in loc.) supposes that the number three 
is used here as it is throughout the 
book in a symbolical way," and that 
the meaning is, that " the city was 
severed and broken in pieces, so that 
the whole was reduced to a ruinous 
state." He supposes that it refers to 
Pagan Rome, or to the Pagan Boman 
persecuting power. Others refer it to 
Jerusalem, and suppose that the allusion 
is to the divisions .of the city, in the 
time of the siege, into Jewish, Sama- 
ritan, and Christian parties; others 
suppose that it refers to a division of 
the Boman empire under Honorius, 
Attalus, and Constantine; others to 
the fact that when Jerusalem was 
besieged by Titus it was divided into 
three factions; and others that the nmm- 
ber three is used to denote perfection, or 
the total ruin of the city. All that it 
seems to me can be said now on the 
point is, (a) that it refers to Papal Borne, 
or the Papal power ; (6) that it relates to 
something yet future, and that it may 
not be possible to determine with pre- 
cise accuracy what will occur ; (c) that 
it probably means that, in the time of 
the final ruin of that power, there will 
be a threefold judgment; either a dif- 
ferent judgment in regard to some three- 
fold manifestation of that power, or a 
succession of judgments as if one part 
were smitten at a time. The certain 
and entire ruin of the power is predicted 
by this, but still it is not improbable that 
it will be by such divisions, or such suc- 
cessions of judgments, that it is proper 
to represent the city as divided into 
three portions, And the cities of the 
nations fell. In alliance with it, or 
under the control of the central power. 
As the capital fell, the dependent cities 
fell also. Considered as relating to 
Papal Borne the meaning here is, that 
what may be properly called * the citiea 



k. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEE XYI. 



417 



Babylon came in remembrance be- 
fore God, to give unto her the cup a 
of the wine of the fierceness of his 
wrath. 

20 And b every island fled away, 
and the mountains were not 
found. 

a Is. 51. 17, 23; Je. 25. 15, 16. b c. 6. 14. 



of the nations' that were allied with it 
would show the same fate. The cities 
of numerous ' nations' are now, and 
have been for ages, under the control of 
the Papal power, or the spiritual Baby- 
lon, and the calamity that will smite 
the central power as such ; that is, as a 
spiritual power, will reach and affect 
them all. Let the central power at 
Rome be destroyed ; the Papacy cease ; 
the superstition with which Pvome is re- 
garded come to an end; the power of 
the priesthood in Italy be destroyed, 
and however widely the Roman domi- 
nion is spread now, it cannot be kept up. 
If it falls in Rome there is not influence 
enough out of Rome to continue it in 
being : — and in all its extended ramifi- 
cations it would die, as the body dies 
when the head is severed ; as the power 
of provinces ceases when ruin comes 
upon the capital. This, the prophecy 
leads us to suppose will be the final 
destiny of the Papal power. And 
great Babylon. See Notes on ch. xiv. 8. 
^[ Came in remembrance before God. 
That is, for purposes of punishment. 
It had been, as it were, overlooked. It 
had been permitted to carry on its pur- 
poses, and to practise its abominations, 
unchecked, as if God did not see it. 
Now the time had come when all that it 
had done was to be remembered, and 
when the long-suspended judgment was 
to fall upon it. To give unto her 
the ctq? of the wine, &c. To punish ; 
to destroy her. See Notes on chapter 
xiv. 10. 

20. And every island fed away. Ex- 
pressive of great and terrible judgments, 
as if the very earth were convulsed, and 
every thing were moved out of its place. 
See Notes on ch. vi. 14. \ And the 
mountains were not found. The same 
image occurs in ch. vi. 14. See Notes 
on that place. 

21. And there fell upon men a great 
hail out of heaven. Perhaps this is 



21 And there fell upon men a 
great hail c out of heaven, every 
stone about the weight of a talent : 
and men blasphemed God because 
of the plague of the hail; for 
the plague thereof was exceeding 
great. 

c c. 11. 19. 



an allusion to one of the plagues of 
Egypt. Ex. ix. 22-26. Comp. Notes 
ch. xi. 19. Eor a graphic description 
of the effects of a hail storm, see 
Notes on Isa. xxx. 30, second edition. 
Comp. Notes on Job xxxviii. 22. Every 
stone about the weight of a talent. The 
Attic talent was equal to about 55 or 
56 lbs. Troy weight; the Jewish talent 
to about 113 lbs. Troy. Whichever 
weight is adopted, it is easy to conceive 
what must be the horror of such a storm, 
and what destruction it must cause. "We 
are not, of course, to suppose necessarily 
that this would literally occur ; it is a 
frightful image to denote the terrible 
and certain destruction that would come 
upon Babylon, that is, upon the Papal 
power, ^j" And men blasphemed God. 
See Notes on ver. 9. ^ Because of the 
plague of the hail. Using the word 
plague in allusion to the plagues of 
Egypt, For the plague thereof was 
exceeding great. The calamity was great 
and terrible. The design of the whole 
is to show that the destruction would 
be complete and awful. 

This finishes the summary state- 
ment of the final destruction of this 
formidable Antichristian power. The 
details and the consequences of that 
overthrow are more fully stated in the 
subsequent chapters. The fulfilment of 
what is here stated will be found, ac- 
cording to the method of interpretation 
proposed, in the ultimate overthrow of 
the Papacy. The process described in 
this chapter is' that of successive cala- 
mities that would weaken it, and prepare 
it for its fall ; then a rallying of its dying 
strength ; and then some tremendous 
judgment that is compared with a storm 
of hail, accompanied with lightning, and 
thunder, and an earthquake, that would 
completely overthrow all that was con- 
nected with it, and that sustained it. 
We are not indeed to suppose that this 
will literally occur; but the fair inter- 



418 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



pretation of prof hecy leads us to sup- 
pose that that formidable power will, 
at no very distant period, be over- 
thrown in a manner that would be well 
represented by such a fearful storm. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

ANALYSIS OP THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter properly commences a 
more detailed description of the judg- 
ment inflicted on the formidable Anti- 
christian power referred to in the last 
chapter, though under a new image. It 
contains an account of the sequel of the 
pouring out of the last vial, and the 
description, in various forms, continues 
to the close of ch. xix. The whole of 
this description (ch. xvii.-xix.), consti- 
tutes the last great catastrophe repre- 
sented under the seventh vial (ch. xvi. 
17-21), at the close of which the great 
enemy of God and the church will be 
destroyed, and the church will be 
triumphant, ch. xix. 17-21. The image 
n this chapter is that of a harlot, or 
abandoned woman, on whom severe 
judgment is brought for her sins. The 
action is here delayed, and this chapter 
has much the appearance of an ex- 
planatory episode, designed to give a 
more clear and definite idea of the cha- 
racter of that formidable Antichristian 
power on which the judgment was to 
descend. 

The chapter, without any formal di- 
vision, embraces the following points : — 

(1) Introduction, vs. 1-3. One of the 
seven angels entrusted with the seven 
vials, comes to John saying that he 
would describe to him the judgment that 
was to come upon the great harlot with 
whom the kings of the earth had com- 
mitted fornication, and who had made 
the dwellers upon the earth drunk by 
the wine of her fornication : — that is, of 
that Antichristian power so often re- 
ferred to in this book, which by its 
influence had deluded the nations, and 
brought their rulers under its control. 

(2) A particular description of this 
Antichristian power — represented as an 
abandoned and attractive female — in the 
usual attire of an harlot, vs. 3-6. She 
is seated on a scarlet-colored beast 
covered over with blasphemous names — 
a beast with seven heads and ten horns. 
She is arrayed in the usual gorgeous and 
alluring attire of an harlot, clothed in 
purple, decked with gold, and preciouj 



stones, and pearls, with a golden cup in 
her hand full of abomination and filthi- 
ness. She has on her forehead a name 
expressive of her character. She is re- 
presented as drunken with the blood of 
the saints, and is sueh as to attract 
attention and excite wonder. 

(3) An explanation of what is meant 
by this scarlet-clothed woman, and of 
the design of the representation, vs. 7- 
18. This comprises several parts : — 

(a) A promise of the angel that he 
would explain this, ver. 7. 

(b) An enigmatical or symbolical re- 
presentation of the design of the 
vision, vs. 8-14. This description 
consists of an account of the beast 
on which the woman sat, ver. 8 ; of 
the seven heads of the beast, aa 
representing seven mountains, ver. 
9 ; of the succession of kings or 
dynasties represented, vs. 9, 10, 11 ; 
of the ten horns as representing ten 
kings or kingdoms giving their 
power and strength to the beast, 
vs. 12, 13; and of the conflict or 
warfare of all these confederated or 
consolidated powers with the Lamb, 
and their discomfiture by him, 
ver. 14. 

(c) A more literal statement of what 
is meant by this, vs. 15-18. Tho 
waters on which the harlot sat 
represent a multitude of people sub- 
ject to her control, ver. 15. The 
ten horns, or the ten kingdoms, on 
the beast, would ultimately hate 
the harlot, and destroy her, as if 
they should eat her flesh, and con- 
sume her with fire, ver. 16. This 
would be done because God would 
put it into their hearts to fulfil his 
purposes, alike in giving their king- 
dom to the beast, and then turning 
against it to destroy it, ver. 17. The 
woman referred to is at last declared 
to be the great city which reigned 
over the kings of the earth, ver. 18. 
For particularity and definiteness 
this is one of the most remarkable 
chapters in the book, and there can 
be no doubt that it was the design 
in it to give such an explanation of 
what was referred to in these visions, 
that there could be no mistake in 
applying the description. " All that 
remains between this and the twen- 
tieth chapter," says Andrew Fuller 
" would in modern publications b« 



JL D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVII. 



419 



CHAPTER XVII. 
A ND there came one of the seven 
l\. angels which had the seven 
rials, and talked with rne, saying 
into ine, Come hither ; I will show 
«into thee the judgment of the 

a N&.3.4; c. 19. 2. b Je. 51. 13. c 18. 3. 



called notes of illustration. No new 
subject is introduced, but mere en- 
largement on what has already been 
announced." Works, vi. 205. 
1. And there came one of the seven 
angels which had the seven vials. See 
Notes on ch. xv. 1, 7. Reference is again 
made to these angels in the same man- 
ner in ch. xxi. 9, where one of them 
Bays that he would show to John 'the 
bride, the Lamb's wife/ No particular 
one is specified. The general idea seems 
to be, that to those seven angels was 
entrusted the execution of the last 
things, or the winding up of affairs in- 
troductory to the reign of God, and that 
the communications respecting those last 
events were properly made through 
them. It is clearly quite immaterial by 
which of these it is done. The expres- 
sion ' which had the seven vials/ would 
seem to imply that though they had 
emptied the vials in the manner stated 
in the previous chapter, they still 're- 
tained them in their hands. And 
talked with one. Spake to' me. The 
word talk would imply a more pro- 
tracted conversation than occurred here. 
^ Coyne hither. Gr. Sevpo — ' here, hither/ 
This is a word merely calling the atten- 
tion, as we should say now 1 here.' It 
does not imply that John was to leave 
the place where he was. *jf I will show 
thee. Partly by symbols, and partly by 
express statements : — for this is the way 
in which, in fact, he showed him. The 
judgment. The condemnation and cala- 
mity that will come upon her. Of 
the great whore. It is not uncommon 
in the Scriptures to represent a city under 
the image of a woman — a pure and holy 
city under the image of a virgin or chaste 
female j a corrupt, idolatrous, and wicked 
city under the image of an abandoned 
or lewd woman. See Notes on Isa. i. 
21 : " How is the faithful city become 
an harlot." Comp. Notes on Isa. i. 8. 
In ver. 18 of this chapter it is expressly 
said tkat "this woman is that great 



great whore * that sitteth upon 
many waters : b 

2 With whom c the kings of the 
earth have committed fornication, 
and the inhabitants of the earth 
have been made drunk with the 
wine of her fornication. 



, city which reigneth over the kings of 
the earth that is, as I suppose, Papal 
Rome, and the design here is to repre- 

I sent it as resembling an abandoned 
female — fit representative of an apostate, 
corrupt, unfaithful church. Comp. Notes 

; on ch. ix. 21. ^[ That sitteth upon many 
waters. An image drawn either from 
Babylon, situated on the Euphrates, and 
encompassed by the many artificial 
rivers which had been made to irri- 

; gate the country, or Rome, situated 
on the Tiber. In ver. 15, these wa- 
ters are said to represent the peoples, 
multitudes, nations, and tongues over 
which the government symbolized by 

\ the woman ruled. See Notes on that 

: verse. Waters are often used to sym- 
bolize nations. 

2. With xchom the kings of the earth 

j have committed fornication. Spiritual 
adultery. The meaning is, that Papal 
Rome, unfaithful to God, and idolatrous 

! and corrupt, had seduced the rulers of 
the earth, and led them into the samo 
kind of unfaithfulness, idolatry, and cor- 
ruption. Comp. Jer. iii. 8, 9, v. 7, xiii. 
27, xxiii, 14; Ezek. xvi. 32, xxiii. 37; 
Hosea ii. 2, iv. 2. How true this is in 
history, need not be stated. All the 
princes and kings of Europe in the dark 
ages and for many centuries were, and 
not a few of them are now, entirely under 
the influence of Papal Rome. ^And the 
inhabitants of the earth have been made 
drunk with the wine of her fornication. 
The alluring cup which as an harlot she 
had extended to them. See this image 
explained in the Notes on ch. xiv. 8. 
There it is said that Babylon — referring 
to the same thing — had "made them 
drink of the wine of the wrath of her for- 
nication f that is, of the cup that led to 
wrath or punishment. Here it is said 
that the harlot had made them "drunk 
with the wine of her fornication that 
is, they had been, as it were, intoxicated 
by the alluring cup held out to them. 
What could better describe the influeno* 



420 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness : and I 



of Rome on the people of the world, in 
making them, under these delusions, in- 
capable of sober judgment, and in com- 
pletely fascinating and controlling all 
their powers ? 

3. So he carried me aioay in the Spirit^ 
In vision. He seemed to himself to be 
thus carried away; or the scene which 
he is about to describe was made to pass 
before him as ?/he were present, Into 
the wilderness. Into a desert. Comp. 
Notes on ch. xii. 6. Why this scene is 
laid in a wilderness or desert is not men- 
tioned. Prof. Stuart supposes that it is 
because it is "appropriate to symbolize 
the future condition of the beast." So 
De Wette and Rosenmiiller. The im- 
agery is changed somewhat from the first 
appearance of the harlot in ver. 1. There 
she is represented as "sitting upon many 
waters." Now she is represented as 
'riding on a beast/ and, of course, the 
imagery is adapted to that. Possibly 
there may have been no intentional sig- 
nificancy in this ; but on the supposition, 
as the interpretation has led us to be- 
lieve all along, that this refers to Papal 
Rome, may not the propriety of this be 
seen in the condition of Rome and the 
adjacent country, at the rise of the Papal 
power? That had its rise (see Notes on 
Daniel vii. 25, seq.) after the decline of 
the Roman civil power, and properly in 
the time of Clovis, Pepin, or Charle- 
magne. Perhaps its first visible appear- 
ance as a power that was to influence 
the destiny of the world, was in the time 
of Gregory the Great, A. D. 590-605. On 
the supposition that the passage before 
us refers to the period when the Papal 
power became thus marked and defined, 
the state of Rome at this time, as de- 
scribed by Mr. Gibbon, would show with 
what propriety the term wilderness or 
desert might be then applied to it. The 
following extract from this author, in 
describing the state of Rome at the ac- 
cession of Gregory the Great, has almost 
the appearance of being a designed com- 
mentary on this passage, or is, at any 
rate, such as a partial interpreter of this 
book would desire and expect to find. 
Speaking of that period, he says {Decline 
and Fall, iii. 207-211,): "Rome had 
reached, about the close of the sixth 
century, the lowest period of her depres- 
sion. By tha removal of the seat of 



empire, and the successive loss of the 
province, the sources of private ani pub- 
lic opulence were exhausted ; the lofty 
tree under whose shade the nations of 
the earth had reposed, was deprived of 
its leaves and branches, and the sapless 
trunk left to wither on the ground. The 
ministers of command and the messen- 
gers of victory no longer met on the 
Appian or Flaminian way; and the hos- 
tile approach of the Lombards was often 
felt and continually feared. The inha- 
bitants of a potent and peaceful capital, 
who visit without an anxious thought 
the garden of the adjacent couctry, will 
faintly picture in their fancy the distress 
of the Romans; they shut or opened 
their gates with a trembling hand, be- 
held from the walls the flames of their 
houses, and heard the lamentations of 
their brethren who were coupled together 
like dogs, and dragged away into distant 
slavery beyond the sea and the moun- 
tains. Such incessant alarms must anni- 
hilate the pleasures, and interrupt the 
labors of rural life ; and, the Campagna 
of Rome was speedily reduced to the state 
of a dreary wilderness, in which the 
land is barren, the waters are impure, and 
the air infectious. Curiosity and ambi- 
tion no longer attracted the nations to 
the -capital of the world ; but if chance or 
necessity directed the steps of a wander- 
ing stranger, he contemplated with hor- 
ror the vacancy and solitude of the city ; 
and might be tempted to ask, where is the 
Senate, and where are the people? In 
a season of excessive rains, the Tiber 
swelled above its banks, and rushed with 
irresistible violence into the valleys of 
the seven hills. A pestilential disease 
arose from the stagnation of the deluge, 
and so rapid was the contagion that four- 
score persons expired in an hour in the 
midst of a solemn procession which im- 
plored the mercy of heaven. A society 
in which marriage is encouraged, and 
industry prevails, soon repairs the acci- 
dental losses of pestilence and war; but 
as the far greater part of the Romans 
was condemned to hopeless indigence 
and celibacy, the depopulation was con- 
stant and visible, and the gloomy enthu- 
siasts might expect the approaching fail- 
ure of the human race. Yet the number 
of citizens still exceeded the measure of 
subsistence; their precarious food fat 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVII. 



421 



saw a woman sit upon a a scarlet- 

a c. 12. 3. 

supplied from the harvest of Sicily and 
Egypt; and the frequent repetition of 
famine betrays the inattention of the 
emperor to a distant province. The edi- 
fices of Borne were exposed to the same 
ruin and decay ; the mouldering fabrics 
were easily overthrown by inundations, 
tempests and earthquakes, and the monks 
tcho had occupied the most advantageous 
stations exulted in their base triumph over 
the ruins of antiquity. 

" Like Thebes, or Babylon, or Car- 
thage, the name of Rome might have 
been erased from the earth, if the city 
had not been animated by a vital prin- 
ciple which again restored her to honor 
and dominion. The power as well as the 
virtue of the apostles revived with living 
energy in the breasts of their successors; 
and the chair of St. Peter, under the reign 
of Maurice, was occupied by the first and 
greatest of the name of Gregory. The 
sword of the enemy was suspended over 
Rome ; it was averted by the mild elo- 
quence and seasonable gifts of the Pontiff, 
who commanded the respect of heretics 
and barbarians." Comp. Rev. xiii. 3, 
12-15. On the supposition now that the 
inspired author of the Apocalypse had 
Rome in that state when the civil power 
declined and the Papacy arose in his 
eye, what more expressive imagery could 
he have used to denote it than he has 
employed ? On the supposition — if such 
a supposition could be made — that Mr. 
Gibbon meant to furnish a commentary 
on this passage, what more appro- 
priate language could he have used? 
Does not this language look as if the 
author of the Apocalypse and the author 
of the 'Decline and Fair meant to play 
into each other's hands ? 

And in further confirmation of this, I 
may refer to the testimony of two Roman 
Catholic writers, giving the same view 
of Rome, and showing that, in their 
apprehension, also, it was only by the 
reviving influence of the Papacy that 
Rome was saved from becoming a total 
waste. They are both of the middle 
ages. The first is Augustine Steuchus, 
who thus writes : " The empire having 
been overthrown, unless God had raised 
up the Pontificate, Rome, resuscitated 
and restored by none, would have be- 
eome uninhabitable, and been a most 
36 



colored beast Mi of names of bias- 



foul habitation thenceforward of cattle, 
But in the Pontificate it revived as with 
a second birth; its empire in magnitude, 
not indeed equal to the old empire, but 
its form not very dissimilar: because all 
nations, from East and from West, vene- 
rate the Pope, not otherwise than they 
before obeyed the Emperors." The other 
is Flavio Blondas. " The Princes of the 
world now adore and worship as Per- 
petual Dictator the successor not of 
Caesar but of the Fisherman Peter; that 
is, the Supreme Pontiff, the substitute of 
the aforesaid Emperor." See the original 
in Elliott, iii. 113. 

^And I saw a woman. Evidently the 
same which is referred to in ver. 1. \Sii 
upon a scarlet-colored beast. That is, 
either the beast was itself naturally of 
this color, or it was covered with trap- 
pings of this color. The word scarlet 
properly denotes a bright red color — 
brighter than crimson, which is a red 
color tinged with blue. See Notes on 
Isa. i. 18. The word here used — kokkivos 
— occurs in the New Testament only in 
the following places : Matt, xxvii. 28 ; 
Heb. ix. 19 ; Rev. xvii. 3, 4, xviii. 12, 16, 
in all which places it is rendered scarlet. 
See Notes on Matt, xxvii. 28, and Heb. 
ix. 19. The color was obtained from a 
small insect which was found adhering 
to the shoots of a species of oak in Spain 
and Western Asia. This was the usual 
color in the robes of princes, military 
cloaks, Ac. It is applicable in the de- 
scription of Papal Rome, because this is 
a favorite color there. Thus it is used 
in ch. xii. 3, where the same power is 
represented under the image of a 'red 
dragon/ See Notes on that passage. It 
is remarkable that nothing would better 
represent the favorite color at Rome 
than this, or the actual appearance of 
the Pope, the Cardinals, and the priests 
in their robes, on some great festival 
occasion. Those who are familiar with 
the descriptions given of Papal Rome 
by travellers, and those who have passed 
much time in Rome, will see at once the 
propriety of this description, on the sup- 
j position that it was intended to refer to 
I the Papacy. I caused this inquiry to. be 
made of an intelligent gentleman who 
I had passed much time in Rome — without 
1 Ms knowing my design-— what would 



422 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



phemy, having a seven heads and 
ten horns. 

4 And the woman was arrayed 
in purple and scarlet color, and 
b decked with gold and precious 



strike a stranger on visiting Rome, or 
what would be likely particularly to ar- 
rest his attention as remarkable there, 
and he unhesitatingly replied, ' the scar- 
let color/ This is the color of the dress 
of the cardinals — their hats, and cloaks, 
and stockings being always of this 
color. It is the color of the carriages of 
the cardinals, the entire body of the 
carriage being scarlet, and the trappings 
of the horses the same. On occasion of 
public festivals and processions, scarlet 
is suspended from the windows of the 
houses along which processions pass. 
The inner color of the cloak of the Pope 
is scarlet; his carriage is scarlet; the 
carpet on which he treads is scarlet. A 
large part of the dress of the body-guard 
of the Pope is scarlet ; and no one can 
take up a picture of Rome without seeing 
that this color is predominant. I looked 
through a volume of engravings repre- 
senting the principal officers and public 
persons of Rome. There were few in 
which the scarlet color was not found as 
constituting some part of their apparel ; 
in not a few the scarlet color prevailed 
almost entirely. And in illustration of 
the same thought, I introduce here an 
extract from a foreign newspaper, copied 
into an American newspaper of Feb. 22, 
1851, as an illustration of the fact that 
the scarlet color is characteristic of 
Rome, and of the readiness with which 
it is referred to in that respect : " Curious 
Costumes. — The three new Cardinals, the 
Archbishops of Toulouse, Rheims, and 
Bensacon, were presented to the Presi- 
dent of the French Republic by the 
Pope's Nuncio. They wore red caps, 
red stockings, black Roman coats lined 
and bound with red, and small cloaks." 
I conclude, therefore, that if it be admit- 
ted that it was intended to represent 
Papal Rome in the vision, the precise 
description would have been adopted 
which is found here, Full of names 
of blasphemy. All covered over with 
blasphemous titles and names. What 
could more accurately describe Papal 
Rome than this ? Comp. for some of 
these names and titles, the Notes on 2 



stones and pearls, having a golden 
cup in her hand full of abomina- 
tions and filthiness of her fornica- 
tion. c 

a c. 13. 1. b Gilded. c Je. 51. 7- 



Thess. ii. 4, 1 Tim. iv. 1-4, and Notes on 
Rev. xiii. 1, 5. Having seven heads 
and ten. horns. See Notes on ch. 
xiii. 1. 

4. And the woman was arrayed in 
purple and scarlet color. On the nature 
of the scarlet color, see Notes on ver. 3. 
The purple color — iropfyvpa — was obtained 
from a species of shell-fish found on the 
coasts of the Mediterranean, which yield- 
ed a reddish-purple dye, much prized by 
the ancients. Robes dyed in that color 
were commonly worn by persons of rank 
and wealth. Luke xvi. 19 ; Mark xv. 
17, 20. The purple color contains more 
blue than the crimson, thoijgh the limits 
are not very accurately denned, and the 
words are sometimes interchanged. Thus 
the mock robe put on the Saviour is called 
in Mark xv. 17, 20, iropQvpav — purple, 
and in Matt, xxvii. 28, kokkivvv — crimson. 
On the applicability of this to the Papacy, 
see Notes on ver. 3. And decked with 
gold. After the manner of an harlot, 
with rich jewelry. ^[ And precious stones 
Sparkling diamonds, &e. ^ And pearls. 
Also a much-valued female ornament. 
Comp. Notes on Matt. vii. 6, xiii. 46. 

Having a golden cup in her hand. As 
if to entice lovers. See Notes ch. xiv. 8. 

Full of abominations. Of abominable 
things ; of things fitted to excite abhor- 
rence and disgust; things unlawful and 
forbidden. The word, in the Scriptures, 
is commonly used to denote the impuri- 
ties and abominations of idolatry. See 
Notes on Dan. ix. 27. The meaning hero 
is, that it seemed to be a cup filled with 
wine, but it was in fact a cup full of all 
abominable drugs, leading to all kinds 
of corruption. How much in accordance 
this is with the fascinations of the Pa- 
pacy, it is not necessary now to say, after 
the ample illustrations of the same thing 
already furnished in these Notes, ^ And 
filthiness of her fornication. The image 
here is that of Papal Rome, represented 
as an abandoned woman in gorgeous 
attire, alluring by her arts the nations 
of the earth, and seducing them into all 
kinds of pollution and abomination. It 
is a most remarkable fact that the Pa- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVII. 



423 



5 And upon her forehead was a 
name written, MYSTERY,* BABY- 
LON THE GREAT, THE MO- 

a 2 Th. 2. 7. 



pacy, as if designing to furnish a fulfil- 
ment of this prophecy, has chosen to 
represent itself almost precisely in this 



THER OF HARLOTS b AND 
ABOMINATIONS OF THE 
EARTH. 

b Or, Fornications. 



manner — as a female extending an al- 
luring cup to passers-by — as will be seen 
by the following cut: — 




Far as the design of striking this medal 
may have been from confirming this por- 
tion of the Book of Revelation, yet no 
one can fail to see that if this had been 
the design, no more happy illustration 
could have been adopted. Apostate 
churches, and guilty nations, often fur- 
nish the very proofs necessary to con- 
firm the truth of the Scriptures. v. 

5. And upon her forehead. In a circlet 
around her forehead. That is, it was 
made prominent and public, as if written 
on the forehead in blazing capitals. In 
ch. xiii. 1, it is said that " the name of 
blasphemy" was written on the " heads" 
of the beast. The meaning in both 
places is substantially the same, that it 
was prominent and unmistakeable. See 
Notes on that verse. Comp. Notes on 
ch. xiv. 1. ^[ Was a name written. A 
title, or something that would properly 
indicate her character, Mystery. It 
is proper to remark that there is nothing 
in the original as written by John, so far 
as now known, that corresponded with 
what is implied in placing this inscrip- 
tion in capital letters ; and the same 
remark may be made of the 'title* or 
inscription that was placed over the 
head of the Saviour on the cross, Matt, 
xxvii. 37 ; Mark xv. 26 ; Luke xxiii. 38 ; 
John xix. 19. Our translators have 
adopted this form, apparently, for the 
sole purpose of denoting that it was an 
inscription or title. On the meaning of 
the word mystery, see Notes on 1 Cor. 



ii. 7. Comp. Notes on 1 Tim. iii. 16. 
Here it seems to be used to denote that 
there was something hidden, obscure, or 
enigmatical under the title adopted; that 
is, the word Babylon, and the word mo- 
ther, were symbolical. Our translators 
have printed and pointed the word mys- 
tery as if it were part of the inscription. 
It would probably be better to regard it 
as referring to the inscription thus — 
'a name was written — a mysterious 
name, to wit, Babylon/ &c. Or, 'a 
name was written mysteriously/ Ac- 
cording to this it would mean, not that 
there was any wonderful 'mystery' about 
the thing itself, whatever might be true 
on that point, but that the name was 
enigmatical or symbolical; or that there 
was something hidden or concealed un- 
der the name. It was not to be literally 
understood, Babylon the great. Pa- 
pal Borne, the nominal head of the 
Christian world, as Babylon had been 
of the heathen world. See Notes on ch. 
xiv. 8. The mother of harlots, (a) 
Of that spiritual apostacy from God 
which in the language of the prophets 
might be called adultery, see Notes on 
ch. xiv. 8 ; (b) the promoter of lewdness 
by her institutions. See Notes on ch. 
ix. 21. In both these senses, there never 
was a more expressive or appropriate 
title than the one here employed. ^ And 
abominations of the earth. Abominable 
things that prevail on the earth. Ver. 4 
Comp. Notes on ch. ix. 20, 2], 



424 



BEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



6 And I saw the woman drunk *n 
• with the blood of the saints, and 
with the blood of the martyrs of 
Jesus ; and when I saw her, I won- 
dered with great admiration. 

7 And the angel said unto me, 
Wherefore didst thou marvel? I 

c c. 16. 6. 

6. And I saw the tooman drunken with 
the blood of the saints. A reeling, intox- 
icated harlot — for that is the image which 
is kept up all along. In regard to the 
phrase 1 drunken with blood/ comp. Jer. 
xlvi. 10. " The phraseology is derived 
from the barbarous custom (still extant 
among many Pagan nations) of drinking 
the blood of the enemies slain in the way 
of revenge. The effect of drinking blood 
is said to be, to exasperate, and to in- 
toxicate with passion and a desire of 
revenge,." Prof. Stuart, in loc. The 
meaning here is, that the persecuting 
power referred to had shed the blood 
of the saints; and that, in its fury, 
it had, as it were, drunk the blood of 
the slain, and had become, by drinking 
that blood, intoxicated and infuriated. 
No one need say how applicable this has 
been to the Papacy. Compare, however, 
the Notes on Dan. vii. 21, 25, and Rev. 
xii. 13, 14, xiii. 15. And with the 
blood of the martyrs of Jesus. Especially 
with their blood. The meaning is, that 
the warfare in which so much blood was 
shed was directed against the saints as 
such, and that in fact it terminated par- 
ticularly on those who, amidst cruel suf- 
ferings, were faithful' witnesses for the 
Lord Jesus, and deserved to be called, 
by way of eminence, martyrs. Comp. 
Notes on ch. ii. 13, vi. 9, xi. 5, <T. How 
applicable this is to the Papacy, let the 
blood shed in the valleys of Piedmont; 
the blood shed in the Low Countries by 
the Duke of Alva; the blood shed on 
St. Bartholomew's day; and the blood 
shed in the Inquisition, testify, And 
when I saw her, I wondered with great 
admiration. I was astonished at her 
appearance ; at her apparel, and at the 
things which were so significantly sym- 
bolized by her. 

7. And the angel said unto me, Where- 
fore didst thou marvel ? He was doubt- 
less struck with the appearance of John 
as he stood fixed in astonishment. The 
question asked him why he wondered, 



will tell thee the mystery of the 
woman, 1 and of the beast c that 
carrieth her, which hath the seven 
heads and ten horns. 

8 The beast that thou sawest 
was, and is not; and shall ascend d 
out of the bottomless pit, and go 

b ver. 1. c ver. 3. d c. 11. 7. 

was designed to show him that the cause 
of his surprise would be removed or les- 
sened, for that he would proceed so to 
explain this that he might have a correct 
view of its design, \ / will tell thee the 
mystery of the woman. On the word 
mystery, see Notes on ver. 5. The sense 
is, 'I will explain what is meant by the 
symbol — the hidden meaning that is 
couched under it/ That is, he would 
so far explain it that a just view might 
be obtained of its signification. The 
explanation follows, vs. 8-18. And 
of the beast that carrieth her, &c, ver. 3. 

8. The beast that thou saioest was, and 
is not. In the close of the verse it is 
added, "and yet is" — "the beast that 
was, and is not, and yet is." There are 
three things affirmed here, first, that 
there is a sense in which it might be said 
of the power here referred to that it ' was/ 
or that before this it had an existence; 
second, that there was a sense in which 
it might be said that it is ' not' — that is, 
that it had become practically extinct; 
and, third, that there is a sense in which 
that power would be so revived that it 
might be said that it 'still is/ The 
' beast' here referred to is the same that 
is mentioned iu ver. 3 of this chapter, 
and in ch. xiii. 1, 2, 3, and in ch. xiii. 
11-16. That is, there was one great for- 
midable power, having essentially the 
same origin, though manifested under 
somewhat different modifications, to one 
and all of which might, in their different 
manifestations, be given the same name, 
i the beast? \ And shall ascend out of the 
bottomless pit. i/c rov a&vaaov. On the 
meaning of the word here used, see Notes 
on ch. ix. 1. The meaning here is, that 
this power would seem to come up from 
the nether world. It would appear at one 
time to be extinct, but would revive again 
as if coming from the world over which 
Satan presides, and would in its revived 
character be such as might be expected 
from such an origin, And go into per- 
diiion. That is, its end will be destruc- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEE XVII. 



425 



into perdition, ° and they that 
dwell on the earth shall wonder, 
b whose names were not written in 
the book of life from the foundation 
of the world, when they behold the 
beast that was, and is not, and 
yet is. 

tion. It will not be permanent, but will 
be overthrown and destroyed. The word 
perdition here is properly rendered by 
Prof. Stuart destruction, but nothing is 
indicated by the word of the nature of 
the destruction that would come upon it. 
^[ And they that dwell on the earth. The 
inhabitants of the earth generally; that 
is, the matter referred to will be so re- 
markable as to attract general attention. 

Shall wonder. It will be so contrary 
to the regular course of events ; so diffi- 
cult of explanation ; so remarkable in 
itself, as to excite attention and surprise. 
^[ Whose names were not written in the 
hook of life from the foundation of the 
world. See this explained in the Notes 
on ch. xiii. 8. The idea seems to be, 
that those whose names are written in 
the book of life, or who are truly the 
friends of God, would not be drawn off 
in admiration of the beast, or in render- 
ing homage to it. % When they behold 
the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 
That is, the power that once was mighty; 
that had declined to such a state that it 
became, as it were, extinct; and that was 
revived again with so much of its origi- 
nal strength that it might be said that it 
still exists. The fact of its being revived 
in this manner, as well as the nature of 
the power itself, seemed fitted to excite 
this admiration. 

9. And here is the mind which hath 
wisdom. Here is that which requires 
wisdom to interpret it ; or, here is a case 
in which the mind that shows itself able 
to explain it, will evince true sagacity. 
So in ch. xiii. 18. See Notes on that 
place. Prof. Stuart renders this, " Here 
is a meaning which compriseth wisdom." 
It is undoubtedly implied that the sym- 
bol might be understood — whether in the 
time of John or afterwards, he does not 
say, but it was a matter which could not 
be determined by ordinary minds, or 
Without an earnest application of the 
understanding. % The seven heads are 
$even mountains. Referring undoubtedly 
to Rome — the seven-hilled city — £epti- 
36* 



9 And here is the mind which 
hath wisdom. The seven heads * 
are seven mountains, on wluch the 
woman sitteth, 

10 And there are seven kings: 
five are fallen, and one is, and the 

a ver. 11. b c. 13. 3, 8. c c. 13. 1. 

collis Roma. See Notes on ch. xii. 3, (d) 
On which the vjoman sitteth. The city 
represented as a woman, in accordance 
with a common usage in the Scriptures. 
See Notes on Isa. i. 8. 

10. And there are seven kings. That 
is, seven in all, as they are enumerated 
in this verse and the next. An eighth is 
mentioned in ver. 11, but it is at the 
same time said that this one so pertains 
to the seven, or is so properly in one 
sense of the number seven, though in 
another sense to be regarded as an 
eighth, that it may be properly reckoned 
as the seventh. The word kings here — 
Paaideig — may be understood, so far a* 
the meaning of the word is concerned* 
(a) literally as denotiDg a king, or one 
who exercises royal authority; (b) in J 
more general sense as denoting one oi 
distinguished honor — a viceroy, prince, 
leader, chief, Matt. ii. 1, 3, 9, Luke i. 5, 
Acts xii. 1 ; (c) in a still larger sense as 
denoting a dynasty, a form of govern- 
ment, a mode of administration — as that 
which in fact rides. See Notes on Dan. 
vii. 24, where the word king undoubtedly 
denotes a dynasty, or form of rule. The 
notion of ruling, or of authority, is un- 
doubtedly in the word — for the verb 
(3o>ffi\ev(a means to rule, but the word 
may be applied to any thing in which 
sovereignty resides. Thus it is applied 
to a king's son ; to a military command- 
er; to the gods; to a Greek archon, &c. 
See Passow. It would be eonlrary to 
the whole spirit of this passage, and to 
what is demanded by the proper mean- 
ing of the word, to insist that the word 
should denote literally kings, and that it 
could not be applied to emperors, or 
dictators, or to dynasties, Five have 
fallen. Have passed away as if fallen ; 
that is, they have disappeared. The 
language would be applicable to rulers 
who have died, or who had been de- 
throned ; or to dynasties or forms of go- 
vernment that had ceased to be. In tho 
fulfilment of this, it would be necessary 
to finl five such successive kings ox 



426 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



other is not yet come ; and when he 
cometh, he must continue a short 
space. 



rulers who had died, and who apper- 
tained to one sovereignty or nation ; or 
five such dynasties or forms of adminis- 
trations that had successively existed, 
but which had ceased, ^ And one is. 
That is, there is one — a sixth — that now 
reigns. The proper interpretation of this 
would be, that this existed in the time 
of the writer; that is, according to the 
view taken of the time of the writing of 
the Apocalypse (see Intro. $ 2), at the 
close of the first century, And the 
other is not yet come. The sixth one is 
to be succeeded by another in the same 
line, or occupying the same dominion. 

And when he cometh. When that form 
of dominion is set up. No intimation is 
yet given as to the time when this would 
occur. ^ He must continue a short space. 
IXiyov. A short time ; his dominion will 
be of short duration. It is observable 
that this characteristic is stated as appli- 
cable only to this one of the seven ; and 
the fair meaning would seem to be, that 
the time would be short as compared with 
the six that preceded, and as compared 
with the one that followed — the eighth — 
into which it was to be merged, ver. 11. 

11. And the beast that was, and is not. 
That is, the one power that was formerly 
mighty ; that died away so that it might 
be said to be extinct; and yet (ver. 8) 
that ' still is/ or has a prolonged exist- 
ence. It is evident that by the ' beast' 
here there is some one power, dominion, 
empire, or rule, whose essential identity 
is preserved through all these changes, 
and to which it is proper to give the 
same name. It finds its termination — 
or its last form — in what is here called 
the ' eighth / a power which, it is ob- 
served, sustains such a peculiar relation 
to the seven that it may be said to be ' of 
the seven/ or to be a mere prolongation 
of the same sovereignty, Even he is 
the eighth. The eighth in the succession. 
This form of sovereignty, though a mere 
prolongation of the former government 
*-so much so as to be in fact but keep- 
ing up th« same empire in the world, 
appears in such a novelty of form that 
in one sense it deserves to be called the 
eighth i,i order, and yet is so essentially 
o mere concentration and continuance 



11 And the beast that was, anl is 
not, even he is the eighth, and is of 
the seven, and goeth into perdition. 



of the one power, that in the general 
reckoning (ver. 10) it might be regarded 
as pertaining to the former. There was 
a sense in which it was proper to speak 
of it as the eighth power; and yet, 
viewed in its relation to the whole, it so 
essentially combined and conceritrated 
all that there was in the seven, that, in 
a general view, it scarcely merited a 
separate mention. We should look for 
the fulfilment of this in some such con- 
centration and embodiment of all that 
that it was in the previous forms of sove- 
reignty referred to, that it perhaps would 
deserve mention as an eighth power, but 
that it was nevertheless such a mere pro- 
longation of the previous forms of the 
one power, that it -might be said to be 
1 of the seven / so that, in this view, it 
would not claim a separate considera- 
tion. This seems to be the fair meaning ; 
though there is much that is enigmatical 
in the form of the expression, \ And 
goeth into perdition. Notes ver. 8. 

In enquiring now into the application 
of this very difficult passage, it may be 
proper to suggest some of the principal 
opinions which have been held, and 
then to endeavor to ascertain the true 
meaning. 

I. The principal opinions which have 
been held may be reduced to the follow- 
ing:— 

(1) That the seven kings here refer 
to the succession of Roman emperors, 
yet with some variation as to the manner 
of reckoning. Prof. Stuart begins with 
Julius Caesar, and reckons them in this 
manner : the ' five that are fallen* are Ju- 
lius Csesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, 
Claudius. Nero, who, as he supposes, was 
the reigning prince at the time when the 
book was written, he regards as the 
sixth ; Galba, who succeeded him, as the 
seventh. Others, who adopt this literal 
method of explaining it, suppose that the 
time begins with Augustus, and then 
Galba would be the sixth, and Otho, who 
reigned but three months, would be the 
seventh. The expression ' the beast that 
was and is not, who is the eighth/ Prof. 
Stuart regards as referring to a general 
impression among the heathen and 
among Christians, in the time of the 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTE 



R XVII. 



427 



persecution under Naro, that he would 
again appear after it was reported that 
he was dead, or that he would rise from 
the dead and carry on his persecution 
again. See Prof. Stuart, Com. vol. ii. 
Excur. iii. The beast, according to this 
view, denotes the Roman emperors, spe- 
cifically Nero, and the reference in ver. 
8, is to " th„ well-known hariolation re- 
specting Nero, that he would be assassi- 
nated, and would disappear for a while, 
and then make his appearance again to 
the confusion of all his enemies." "What 
the angel," says he, " says, seems to be 
equivalent to this : ' The beast means the 
Roman emperors, specifically Nero, of 
whom the report spread throughout the 
empire that he will revive, after being 
apparently slain, and will come, as it 
were, from the abyss or Hades, but he 
will perish, and that speedily/ " vol. ii. 
p. 323. 

(2) That the word ' kings' is not to be 
taken literally, but that it refers to forms 
of government, dynasties, or modes of 
administration. The general opinion 
among those who hold this view is, that 
the first six refer to the forms of the 
Roman government: (1) kings; (2) 
consuls; (3) dictators; (4) decemvirs; 
(5) military tribunes ; (6) the imperial 
form, beginning with Augustus. This 
has been the common Protestant inter- 
pretation, and in reference to these six 
forms of government, there has been a 
general agreement. But, while the mass 
of Protestant interpreters have supposed 
that the * six' heads refer to these forms 
of administration, there has been much 
diversity of opinion as to the seventh ; 
and here, on this plan of interpretation, 
the main, if not the sole difficulty lies. 
Among the opinions held are the follow- 
ing:— 

(a) That of Mr. Mede. He makes the 
seventh head what he calls the " Demi- 
Caesar," or the "Western emperor who 
reigned after the division of the empire 
into East and West, and which contin- 
ued, after the last division under Hono- 
rius and Arcadius, about sixty years — 
a short space." Works, B. iii. ch. 8. 
v. ch. 12. 

(b) That of Bishop Newton, who re- 
gards the sixth or imperial 'head* as 
continuing uninterruptedly through the 
line of Christian as well as Pagan empe- 
rors, until Augustulus and the Heruli ; 
and the seventh to be the Dukedom of 



Rome established soon after under the 
Exarchate of Ravenna. Prophecies, pp. 
575, 576. 

(c) That of Dr. More and Mr. Cun- 
ninghame, who suppose the Christian 
emperors, from Constantine to Augustu- 
lus, to constitute the seventh head, and 
that this had its termination by the 
sword of the Heruli. 

(c?) That of Mr. Elliott, who supposes 
the seventh head or power to refer to a 
new form of administration introduced 
by Diocletian, changing the administra- 
tion from the original imperial character 
to that of an absolute Asiatic sovereignty. 
For the important changes introduced 
by Diocletian that justify this remark, 
see the 'Decline and Fall/ vol. i. pp. 
212-217. 

Numerous other solutions may be 
found in Pool's Synopsis, but these em- 
brace the principal, anri the most plausi- 
ble that have been proposed. 

II. I proceed, theii, to state what 
seems to me to be the true explanation. 
This must be found in some facts that 
will accord with the explanation given 
of the meaning of the passage. 

(1) There can be no doubt that this 
refers to Rome — either Pagan, Christian, 
or Papal. All the circumstances com- 
bine in this; all respectable interpreters 
agree in this. This would be naturally 
understoou by the symbols used by John, 
and by the explanations furnished by 
the angel. See ver. 18, "And the wo- 
man which thou sawest is that great 
city, which reigneth over the kings of 
the earth." Every circumstance com- 
bines here in leading to the conclusion 
that Rome is intended. There was no 
other power or empire on the earth to 
which this could be properly applied; 
there was every thing in the circum- 
stances of the writer to lead us to sup- 
pose that this was referred to ; there is 
an utter impossibility now in applying 
the description to any thing else. 

(2) It was to be a revived power ; not 
a power in its original form and strength. 
This is manifest, because it is said (ver, 
8) that the power represented by the 
beast "was, and is not, and yet is;" 
that is, it was once a mighty power ; it 
then declined so that it could be said 
that 4 it is not;' and yet there was so 
much remaining vitality in it, or so much 
revived power, that it could be said that 
it ' still is'—Kahio icnv. Now, this ii 



428 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



strictly applicable to Borne when the 
Papal power arose. The old Roman 
might had departed; the glory and 
strength evinced in the days of the con- 
suls, the dictators, and the emperors, had 
disappeared ; and yet there was a linger- 
ing vitality, and a reviving of power 
under the Papacy, which made it proper 
to say that it still continued, or that that 
mighty power was prolonged. The civil 
power connected with the Papacy was a 
revived Roman power — the Roman pow- 
er prolonged under another f:>rm — for it 
is susceptible of clear demonstration that 
if it had not been for the ris3 of the Pa- 
pal power, the sovereignty of Rome as 
such would have been wholly extinct. 
For the proof of this, see the passages 
quoted in the Notes on ver. 3. Comp. 
Notes on ch. xiii, 3, 12, 15. 

(3) It was to be a power emanating 
from the ( abyss/ or that would seem to 
ascend from the dark werld beneath. 
See ver. 8. This was true in regard to 
the Papacy, either («) as apparently as- 
cending from the lowest state and the 
most depressed condition, as if it came 
up from below (see Notes on ver. 3, 
comp. ch. xiii. 11) ; or (b) as, in fact, 
having its origin in the world of dark- 
ness, and being under the control of the 
Prince of that world — which, according 
to all the representations of that formi- 
dable Antichristian power in the Scrip- 
tures, is true, and which the whole his- 
tory of the Papacy, and of its influence 
on religion, confirms. 

(4) One of the powers referred to sus- 
tained the other. " The seven heads are 
seven mountains on which the woman 
sitteth," ver. 9. That is, the power re- 
presented by the harlot was sustained or 
supported by the power represented by 
the seven heads or the seven mountains. 
Literally applied, this would mean that 
the Papacy, as an ecclesiastical institu- 
tion, was sustained by the civil power 
with which it was so closely connected. 
For the illustration and support of this, 
see Notes on ch. xiii. 2, 3, 12, 15. In 
the Notes on those passages, it is shown 
that the support was mutual ; that while 
the Papacy in fact revived the almost 
extinct Roman civil power, and gave it 
oew vitality, the price of that was that 
it should be in its turn sustained by that 
revived Roman civil power. All history 
ihows that that has been the fact; that 
In all its aggressions, assumptions, and 



persecutions, it has in fact, and profes- 
sedly, leaned on the arm of the civil 
power. 

(5) A more importaut enquiry, and a 
more serious difficulty, remains in re- 
spect to the statements respecting the 

* seven kings/ vs. 10, 11. The state- 
ments on this point are, that the whole 
number properly was seven ; that of this 
number five had fallen or passed away ,• 
that one was in existence at the time 
when the author wrote ; that another 
one was yet to appear who would con- 
tinue for a little time; and that the 
general power represented by all these 
would be embodied in the " beast that 
was and is not," and that might, in 
some respects, be regarded as an 1 eighth. 1 
These points may be taken up in their 
order. 

(a) The first enquiry relates to the 
five that were fallen and the one that 
was then in existence — the first six. 
These may be taken together, for they 
are manifestly of the same class, and 
have the same characteristics, at least 
so far as to be distinguished from the 

* seventh/ and the * eighth/ The mean- 
ing of the word i kings' here has been 
already explained, ver. 10. It denotes 
ruling power, or forms of power, and so 
far as the signification of the zoordis con 
cerned it might be applicable to royalty, 
or to any other form of administration 
It is not necessary, then, to find an 
exact succession of princes or kings 
that would correspond with this — five 
of whom were dead, and one of whom 
was then on the throne, and all soon to 
be succeeded by one more who would 
soon die. 

"The true explanation of this seems to 
be that which refers this to the forms 
of the Roman government or adminis- 
tration. These six 1 heads' or forma 
of administration were, in their order, 
Kings, Consuls, Dictators, Decemvirs, 
Military Tribunes, and Emperors. Of 
these, five had passed away in the time 
when John wrote the Apocalypse; the 
sixth, the Imperial, was then in power, 
and had been from the time of Augustus 
Caesar. The only questions that can be 
raised are, whether these forms of ad- 
ministration were so distinct and prc~ 
minent, and whether in the times pre 
vious to John they so embraced the 
whole Roman power, as to justify this 
interpretation; that is, whether these 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTE 



R XVII. 



429 



forms of administration were so marked 
in this respect that it may be supposed 
that John would use the language here 
employed, in describing them. As 
showing the probability that he would 
use this language, I refer to the follow- 
ing arguments, viz.: — (1) the authority 
of Livy, Lib. vi. c. i. Speaking of the 
previous parts of his history, and of 
what he had done in writing it, he 
says, " Qua3 ab condita urbe Roma ad 
eaptam eandem urbem Romani sub 
regibus primum, consulibus deinde ac 
dictatoribus, decemviris ac tribunis con- 
8idaribu8 gessere, foris bella, domi sedi- 
tiones, quinque libris exposui." That 
is, " In five books I have related what 
was done at Rome, pertaining both to 
foreign wars, and domestic strifes, from 
the foundation of the city to the time 
when it was taken, as it was governed 
by kings, by consuls, by dictators, by 
the decemvirs, and by consular tribunes.' 
Here he mentions five forms of adminis- 
tration under which Rome had been 
governed in the earlier periods of its 
history. The imperial power had a 
later origin, and did not exist until near 
the time of Livy himself. (2) The same 
distribution of power, or forms of go- 
vernment, among the Romans, is made 
by Tacitus, Annal, lib. i. cap. 1 : — " Ur- 
bem Romani a principio Reges habuere. 
Libertatem et Consulatum L. Brutus in- 
stituit. Dictaturae ad tempus suine- 
ba*ntur. Neque Decemvir •alls potestas 
ultra biennium, neque tribunorum mili- 
tum consular e jus diu vasuit. Non 
Cinnee, non Syllae longa dominatio : et 
Pompeii Crassique potentia cito in Caesa- 
rem, Lepidi atque Antonii arma in 
Augustum cessere ; qui cuncta, dis- 
cordiis civilibus fessa, nomine Principis 
sub imperium accepit." That is, " In 
the beginning, Rome was governed by 
kings. Then L. Brutus gave to her 
liberty and the Consulship. A temporary 
power was conferred on the Dictators. 
The authority of the Decemvirs did not 
continue, beyond the space of two years, 
neither was the consular power of the 
military tribunes of long duration. The 
rule of Cinna and Sylla was brief, and 
the power of Pompey and Crassus passed 
into the hands of Caesar, and the arms of 
Lepidus and Antony were surrendered 
to Augustus, who united all things, 
broken by civil discord, under the name 
of Prince in the imperial government." 



Ilere Tacitus distinctly mentions the six 
forms of administration that had pre- 
vailed in Rome, the last of which was 
the imperial. It is true also that he 
mentions the brief rule of certain men — 
as Cinna, Sylla, Antony, and Lepidus; 
but these are not forms of administra- 
tion, and their temporary authority did 
not indicate any change in the govern- 
ment — for some of these men were dic- 
tators, and none of them, except Brutus 
and Augustus, established any perma- 
nent form of administration. (3) The 
same thing is apparent in the usual 
statements of history, and the books 
that describe the forms of government 
at Rome. In so common a book as 
Adams's Roman Antiquities, a descrip- 
tion may be found of the forms of Ro- 
man administration that corresponds 
almost precisely with this. The forms 
of supreme power in Rome, as enumerated 
there, are what are called ordinary, and 
extraordinary magistrates. Under the 
former are enumerated Kings, Consuls, 
Praetors, Censors, Quaestors, and Tribunes 
of the people. But^ of these, in fact, 
the supreme power was vested in two, 
for there were, under this, but two 
forms of administration — that of kings 
and consuls — the offices of Praetor, 
Censor, Quaestor, and Tribune of the 
people being merely subordinate to that 
of the consuls, and no more a new form 
of administration than the offices of 
Secretary of the State, of War, of the 
Navy, of the Interior, are now. Under 
the latter — that of extraordinary magis- 
trates — are enumerated Dictators, De- 
cemvirs, Military Tribunes, and the 
Interrex. But the Interrex did not con- 
stitute a form of administration, or a 
change of government, any more than 
when the President or Vice-President of 
the United States should die, the per- 
formance of the duties of the office 
of President by the Speaker of the 
Senate would indicate a change, or than 
the Regency of the Prince of Wales in 
the time of G-eorge III. constituted a 
new form of government. So that, in 
fact, we have enumerated, as constitut- 
ing the supreme poicer at Rome, Kings, 
Consuls, Dictators, Decemvirs, and Mili- 
tary Tribunes — five in number. The 
imperial power was the sixth. (4) In 
confirmation of the same thing, I may 
refer to the authority of Bellarmine, a 
distinguished Roman Catholic writer* 



430 



REVELATION, 



I A. D. % 



In his work Be Pontiff, cap. 2, he thus 
enumerates the changes which the Ro- 
man government had experienced, or 
the forms of s.dministration that had 
existed there : — 1. Kings ; 2. Consuls ; 
3. Decemvirs; 4. Dictators; 5. Military 
Tribunes with consular power; 6. Em- 
perors. See Pool's Synop., in loc. And 
(5) it may be added, that this would be 
understood by the contemporaries of 
John in this sense. These forms of go- 
vernment were so marked that, in con- 
nexion with the mention of the " seven 
mountains," designating the city, there 
could be no doubt as to what was in- 
tended. Reference would at once be 
made to the Imperial power as then 
existing, and the mind would readily 
and easily turn back to the five main 
forms of the supreme administration 
which had existed before. 

(b) The next enquiry is, what is de- 
noted by the seventh. If the word 
'kings' here refers, as is supposed 
(Notes on ver. 10), to a form of govern- 
ment or administration; if the 'five* 
refer to the forms previous to the Im- 
perial, and the ' sixth* to the Imperial ; 
and if John wrote during the imperial 
government, then it follows that this 
must refer to some form of administra- 
tion that was to succeed the imperial. 
If the Papacy was ' the eighth, and of 
the seven/ then it is clear that this 
must refer to some form of civil ad- 
ministrations lying between the decline 
of the Imperial, and the rise of the 
Papal power : — that 1 short space' — for 
it was a short space that intervened. 
Now, there can be no, difficulty, I think, 
in referring this to that form of adminis- 
tration over Rome — that ' Dukedom' 
under the Exarchate of Ravenna, which 
succeeded the decline of the Imperial 
power, and which preceded the rise of 
the Papal power: — between the year 
566 or 568, when Rome was reduced 
to a Dukedom, under the Exarchate 
of Ravenna, and the time when the 
city revolted from this authority and 
became subject to that of the Pope, 
about the year 727. This period con- 
tinued, according to Mr. Gibbon, about 
two hundred years. He says, " Du- 
ring a period of two hundred years, 
Italy was unequally divided between 
the kingdom of the Lombards and the 
Exarchate of Ravenna. The offices and 
professions, which the jealousy of Con- 



stantine had separated, were united by 
the indulgence of Justinian; and eighteen 
successive exarchs were invested, in 
the decline of the empire, with the full 
remains of civil, of military, and even of 
ecclesiastical power. Their immediate 
jurisdiction, which was afterwards con- 
secrated as the patrimony of St. Peter, 
extended over the modern Romagna, the 
marshes or valleys of Ferrara and Comma- 
chio, five maritime cities from Rimini to 
Ancona, and a second inland Pentapolis, 
between the Adriatic coast and the hills 
of the Apennine. The dutchy of Rome 
appears to have included the Tuscan, 
Sabine, and Latian conquests, of the first 
four hundred years of the city, and the 
limits may be distinctly traced along the 
coast, from Civita Vecchia to Terracina, 
and with the course of the Tiber from 
Ameria and Narni to the port of Ostia." 
Dec. and Fall, iii. 202. How accurate 
is this if it be regarded as a statement 
of a new power or form of administation 
that succeeded the imperial — a power 
that was in fact a prolongation of the 
old Roman authority, and that was 
designed to constitute and embody it all ! 
Could Mr. Gibbon have furnished a 
better commentary on the passage if he 
had adopted the interpretation of this 
portion of the Apocalypse above pro- 
posed, and if he had designed to describe 
this as the seventh power in the succes- 
sive forms of the Roman administration? 
It is worthy of remark, also, that this 
account in Mr. Gibbon's history imme- 
diately precedes the account of the rise 
of the Papacy : the record respecting 
the exarchate, and that concerning 
Gregory the Great, described by Mr. 
Gibbon as " the Saviour of Rome," oc- 
curring in the same chapter. Vol. iii. 
202-211. 

(c) This was to 'continue for a short 
space' — for a little time. If this refers 
to the power to which in the remarks 
above it is supposed to refer, it is easy 
to see the propriety of this statement. 
Compared with the previous form of 
administration — the imperial — it was of 
short duration; absolutely considered, it 
was brief. Mr. Gibbon* (iii. 202,) haw 
marked it as extending through " a pe- 
riod of two hundred years;" and if this 
is compared with the form of adminis- 
tration which preceded it, extending to 
more than five hundred years, and more 
especially with that which followed — th? 



I 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTE 



R XVII. 



431 



12 And the • ten horns which 
thou sawest are ten kings, which 
have received no kingdom as yet ; 



Papal form — which has extended now 
some twelve hundred years, it will be 
seen with what propriety this is spoken 
of as continuing for " a short space." 

(d) " The beast that was, and is not, 
even he is the eighth, and is of the 
seven," ver. 11. If the explanations 
above given are correct, there can be no 
difficulty in the application of this to the 
Papal power; for (1) all this power was 
concentrated in the Papacy, for all that 
revived or prolonged Roman power, that 
had now passed into the Papacy, consti- 
tuting that mighty dominion which was 
to be set up for so many centuries over 
what had been the Roman world. See 
the statements of Mr. Gibbon (iii. 207- 
211), as quoted in the Notes on ver. 3. 
Compare, also, particularly, the remarks 
of Augustine Steuchus, a Roman Catho- 
lic writer, as quoted in the Notes on that 
verse : " The empire having been over- 
thrown, unless God had raised up the 
Pontificate. Rome, resuscitated and re- 
stored by none, would have become un- 
inhabitable, and been thenceforward a 
most foul habitation of cattle. But in 
the Pontificate it revived as with a second 
birth; in empire or magnitude not indeed 
equal to the old empire, but its form not 
rery dissimilar: because all nations, 
from East and from West, venerate the 
Pope, not otherwise than they before 
obeyed the emperor." (2) This was an 
eighth power or form of administration — 
for it was different, in many respects, 
from that of the kings, the consuls, the 
dictators, thi decemvirs, the military 
tribunes, the emperors, and the duke- 
dom — though it comprised substantially 
the power of all. Indeed, it could not 
have been spoken of as identical with 
either of the previous forms of adminis- 
tration, though it concentrated the power 
which had been wielded by them all. 
(3) It was 1 of the seven that is, it per- 
tained to them ; it was a prolongation of 
the same power. It had the same cen- 
tral seat — Rome; it extended over the 
same territory, and it embraced sooner 
or later the same nations. There is not 
one of those forms of administration 
which did not find a prolongation in the 
Papacy; for it aspired after, and sue- 



but receive power as kings one houi 
with the bea3t. 

a Da. 7. 20. Zee. 1. 18-21. 



ceeded in obtaining, all the authority ot 
kings, dictators, consuls, emperors. It 
was in fact still the Soman sceptre swayed 
over the world ; and with the strictest 
propriety it could be said that it was 'of 
the seven/ as having sprung out of the 
seven, and as perpetuating the sway ot 
this mighty domination. For full illus 
tration of this, see the Notes on Dan. vii. 
and Rev. xiii. (4) It would 'go to per- 
dition f that is, it would be under this 
form that this mighty domination that 
had for so many age3 ruled over the 
earth would die away, or this would be 
the last in the series. The Roman do- 
minion, as such, would not be extended 
to a ninth, or tenth, or eleventh form, 
but would finally expire under the eighth. 
Every indication shows that this is to be 
so, and that with the decline of the Papal 
power the whole Roman domination that 
has swayed a sceptre for two thousand 
five hundred years, will have come for 
ever to an end. If this is so, then we 
have found an ample and exact applica- 
tion of this passage even in its most mi- 
nute specifications. 

12. And the ten horns which thou saw- 
est. On the scarlet-colored beast, ver. 3. 
*[ ^Lre ten kings. Represent or denote 
ten kings ; that is, kingdoms or powers. 
See Notes on Dan. vii. 24. r Which 
have received no kingdom as yet. That 
is, they were not in existence when John 
wrote. It is implied that during the 
period under review they icould arise, 
and would become connected in an im- 
portant sense, with the power here repre- 
sented by the 'beast/ For a full illus- 
tration respecting the ten 'kings/ or 
kingdoms here referred to, see Notes on 
Dan. vii., at the close of the chapter. 
II. (2) ^ But receive power. It is not 
said from what source this power is re- 
ceived, but it is simply implied that it 
would in fact be conferred on them. 
If As kings. That is, the power would 
be that which is usually exercised by 
kings. r One hour. It cannot be sup- 
posed that this is to be taken literally. 
The meaning clearly is, that this would 
be brief and temporary; that is, it wag 
a form of administration which would b$ 
succeeded by one more fixed and perma 



432 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



13 These have one mind, and 
shall give their power and strength 
unto the beast. 

a c. 19. 19. b Je. 50. 44. 



nent. Any one can see that, in fact, 
this is strictly applicable to the govern- 
ments, as referred to in the Notes 
on Daniel, which sprang up after the 
incursion of the Northern barbarians, 
and which were finally succeeded by the 
permanent forms of government in Eu- 
rope. Most of them were very brief in 
their duration, and they were soon re- 
modelled in the forms of permanent ad- 
ministration. Thus to take the arrange- 
ment proposed by Sir Isaac Newton, (1) 
the kingdom of the Vandals and Alans 
in Spain and Africa; (2) the kingdom of 
the Suevians in Spain ; (3) the kingdom 
of the Visigoths ; (4) the kingdom of the 
Alans in Gallia; (5) the kingdom of the 
Burgundians; (6) the kingdom of the 
Franks ; (7) the kingdom of the Britons; 
(8) the kingdom of the Huns; (9) the 
kingdom of the Lombards; (10) the 
kingdom of Ravenna — how temporary 
were most of these ; how soon they passed 
Into the more permanent forms of ad- 
ministration which succeeded them in 
Europe ! % With the beast. With that 
rising Papal power. They would exer- 
lise their authority in connection with 
,hat, and under its influence. 

13. These have one mind. That is, 
>hey are united in the promotion of the 
lame object. Though in some respects 
jrholly independent of each other, yet 
hey may be regarded as, in fact, so far 
anited that they tend to prevent the 
same ultimate end. As. a fact in history, 
all these kingdoms, though of different 
origin, and though not unfrequently en- 
gaged in war with each other, became 
Roman Catholics, and were united in the 
support of the Papacy. It was with pro- 
priety, therefore, that they should be re- 
garded as so closely connected with that 
power that they could be represented as 
*'ten horns' on the seven-headed mon- 
ster. And shall give their power and 
strength unto the beast Shall lend their 
influence to the support of the Papacy, 
and become the upholders of that power. 
The meaning, according to the inter- 
pretation above proposed, is, that they 
would all become Papal kingdoms, and 
supporters of the Papal power. It is 



14 These shall make war fl with 
the Lamb, and the Lamb shall 
b overcome them: for he is Lord* of 
c De. 10. 17 ; 1 Ti. 6. 15; c. 19. 16. 



unnecessary to pause to show how true 
this has been in history. At first, most 
of the people out of whom these king- 
doms sprang were Pagans ; then many 
of them embraced Christianity under 
the prevailing form of Arianism, and 
this fact was for a time a bar to their per- 
fect adhesion to the Roman See ; but they 
were all ultimately brought wholly under, 
its influence, and became its supporters. 
In A. D. 496, Clovis, the king of the 
Franks, on occasion of his victory over 
the Allemanni, embraced the Catholis 
faith, and so received the title transmit- 
ted downward through nearly thirteen 
hundred years to the French kings a> 
his successors, of i the eldest son of the 
church;' in the course of the sixth cen- 
tury, the kings of Burgundy, Bavaria, 
Spain, Portugal, England, embraced the 
same religion, and became the defenders 
of the Papacy. It is well known that 
each one of the powers above enume- 
rated as constituting these ten kingdoms, 
became subject to the Papacy, and con- 
tinued so during their separate exist- 
ence, or when merged into some other 
power, until the Reformation in the six- 
teenth century. All 'their power and 
strength was given unto the beast;* all 
was made subservient to the purposes of 
Papal Rome. 

14. These shall make tear with tht 
Lamb. The Lamb of God — the Lord 
Jesus (Notes, ch. v. 6) ; that is, they 
would combine with the Papacy in op- 
posing evangelical religion. It is not 
meant that they would openly and avow- 
edly proclaim xoar against the Son of 
God, but that they would practically do 
this in sustaining a persecuting power. 
It is unnecessary to show how true this 
has been in history; how entirely they 
sustained the Papacy in all its measures 
of persecution. *j And the Lamb shall 
overcome them. Shall ultimately gain 
the victory over them. The meaning is, 
that they would not be able to extin- 
guish the true religion. In spite of all 
opposition and persecution, that would 
still live in the world, until it would be 
said that a complete triumph was gained. 
\ For he ie Lord of lords and King of 



A. D. 96.] CIIAPTE 



R XVII. 



433 



lords, and King of kings : and they 
« that are with him are called, * and 
chosen, c and faithful.* 

15 And he saith unto me, The 
• waters which thou sawest, where 

a Mi. 5. 8, 9. b Ro. 8. 30, 37. cJno.15.16. 
d c. 2. 10. e Is. 8. 7 ; ver. 1. 



kings. He has supreme power over all i 
the earth, and all kings and princes are 
subject to his control. Comp. ch. xix. 
16. And they that are with him. The 
reference is to the persecuted saints who 
have adhered to him as his faithful fol- 
lowers in all these protracted conflicts. 
% Are called. That is, called by him to 
be his folllowers; as if he had selected 
them out of the world to maintain his 
cause. See Notes on Rom. i. 7. *[f And 
chosen. See Notes on John xv. 16, and 
I Pet. i. 2. In their stedfast adherence 
to the truth, they had shown that they 
were truly chosen by the Saviour, and 
could be relied on in the warfare against 
the powers of evil. ^ And faithful. 
They had shown themselves faithful to 
him in times of persecution, and in the 
hour of darkness. 

15. And he saith unto me. Che angel, 
ver. 7. This commences the more lite- 
ral statement of what is meant by these 
symbols. See the Analysis of the chap- 
ter. ^[ The waters which thou sawest. 
See Notes on ver. 1. Are peoples, and 
multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 
For an explanation of these terms, see 
Notes on ch. vii. 9. The meaning here 
is, (a) that these waters represent a mul- 
titude of people. This is a common and 
an obvious symbol — for outspread seas 
or raging floods would naturally repre- 
sent such a multitude. See Jer. xlvii. 
2; Isa. viii. 7, 8, xvii. 12, 13. Comp. | 
Iliad, v. 394. The sense here is, that 
vast numbers of people would be subject 
to the power here represented by the 
woman. (6) They would be composed 
of different nations, and would be of 
different languages. It is unnecessary 
to show that this, in both respects, is 
applicable to the Papacy. Nations have 
been, and are, subject to its control, and j 
nations speaking a large part of the ! 
languages of the world. Perhaps under 
no one government — not even the Baby- j 
Ionian, the Macedonian, or the ancient 
Roman — was there so great a diversity 
of people, speaking so many different I 



the whore sitteth, are peoples, * 
and multitudes, and nations, and 
tongues. 

16 And the ten horns which thou 
sawest upon the beast, these g shall 
hate the whore, and shall make her 

/ c. 13. 7. g Je. 50. 41, 42. 

languages, and having so different an 
origin. 

16. And the ten horns which thou saw- 
est upon the beast. Ver. 3. The ten 
powers or kingdoms represented by those 
horns. See Notes on ver. 12. These 
shall hate the whore. There seems to be 
some incongruity between this statement 
and that which was previously made. 
In the former (vs. 12-14), these ten 
governments are represented as in alli- 
ance with the beast; as 'giving all their 
power and strength' unto it; and as 
uniting with it in making war with the 
Lamb. What is here said must, there- 
fore, refer to some subsequent period, 
indicating some great change in their 
feelings and policy. "We have seen the 
evidence of the fulfilment of the former 
statements. This statement will be ac- 
complished if these same powers repre- 
sented by the ten horns, that were for- 
merly in alliance with the Papacy, shall 
become its enemy, and contribute to its 
final overthrow. That is, it will be ac- 
complished if the nations of Europe, 
embraced within the limits of those ten 
kingdoms, shall become hostile to the 
Papacy, and shall combine for its over 
throw. Is any thing more probable than 
this? France (see Notes on ch. xvi.) 
has already struck more than one heavy 
blow on that power; England has been 
detached from it; many of the states 
| of Italy are weary of it, and are ready 
to rise up against it; and nothing is 
more probable than that Spain, Portu- 
gal, France, Lombardy, and the Papal 
states themselves will yet throw off the 
yoke for ever, and put an end to a power 
that has so long ruled over men. It was 
with the utmost difficulty in 1848 that 
the Papal power was sustained, and this 
I was done only by foreign swords ; the 
! Papacy could not probably be protected 
; in another such outbreak. And this 
| passage leads us to anticipate that the 
period will come — and that probably not; 
far in the future — when those powers 
: that have for so many ages sustained the 



434 



REVELATION, 



[A. D.96 



desolate and naked, a and shall eat 
her flesh, and 1 burn her with fire. 

17 For God hath put in their 
hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, 
and give their kingdom unto the 
a Eze. 16. 37-44. b c. 18. 8, 16. 



Papacy will become its determined foes, 
>nd will rise in their might and bring it 
ftk* ever to an end. *j And shall make 
her desolate and naked. Strip her of -all 
her power and all her attractiveness. 
That is, applied to Papal Rome, all that 
is so gorgeous and alluring — her wealth, 
and pomp, and splendor — shall be taken 
away, and she will be seen as she is, 
without any thing to dazzle the eye or 
to blind the mind, And shall eat her 
flesh. Shall completely destroy her — 
as if her flesh were consumed. Perhaps 
the image is taken from the practices of 
cannibals eating the flesh of their ene- 
mies slain in battle. If so, nothing could 
give a more impressive idea of the utter 
destruction of this formidable power, or 
of the feelings of those by whom its end 
would be brought about. If And burn 
her with fire. Another image of total 
destruction. Perhaps the meaning may 
be, that after her flesh was eaten, such 
parts of her as remained would be thrown 
into the fire and consumed. If this be 
the meaning, the image is a very im- 
pressive one to denote absolute and total 
destruction. Comp. Notes on ch. xviii. 8. 

17. For God hath put in their hearts 
to fulfil his will. That is, in regard to 
the destruction of this mighty power. 
They would be employed as his agents 
in bringing about his designs. Kings 
and princes are under the control of 
God, and, whatever may be their own 
designs, they are in fact employed to 
accomplish his purposes, and are instru- 
ments in his hands. See Notes on Isa. 
x. 7. Comp. Ps. lxxvi. 10. ^ And to 
agree. See ver. 13. That is, they act 
harmoniously in their support of this 
power, and so they will in its final de- 
struction. And give their kingdom 
unto the beast. Notes ver. 13. <[ Until 
the words of God shall be fulfilled. Not 
for ever; not as a permanent arrange- 
ment. God has fixed a limit to the 
existence of this power. When his pur- 
poses are accomplished, these kingdoms 
will withdraw their support, and this 
mighty power will fall to rise no more. 



beast, until the words of God shall 

be fulfilled. d 

18 And the woman which thou 
i sawest is that great city, • which 
i reigneth over the kings of the earth. 

c Ac. 4. 27, 28. d c. 10. 7. e c. 16. 19. 

18. And the woman which thou sawest. 
Ver. 3. Is that great city. Represents 
that great city. *|f Which reigneth over 
the kings of the earth. Rome would of 
course be understood by this language 
in the time of John, and all the circum- 
stances, as we have seen, combine to 
show that Rome, in some form of it3 
dominion, is intended. Even the name 
could hardly have designated it more 
clearly, and all expositors agree in sup- 
posing that Rome, either as Pagan or as 
Christian, is referred to. The chaptei 
shows that its power is limited; and 
that although, for purposes which he 
saw to be wise, God allows it to have 2 
wide influence over the nations of the 
earth, yet in his own appointed time the 
very powers that have sustained it will 
become its foes, and combine for its* 
overthrow. Europe need3 but little 
farther invocation, and the fires of 
liberty, which have been so long pent 
up, will break forth, and that storm of 
indignation which has expelled the Jes- 
uits from all the courts of Europe; 
which has abolished the Inquisition ; 
which has more than once led hostile 
armies to the very gates of Papal Rome, 
will again be aroused in a manner which 
cannot be allayed, and that mighty pow- 
er which has controlled so large a part 
of the nations of Europe for more than 
a thousand years of the world's history, 
will come to an end. 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter may be regarded as a 
still further explanatory episode (comp. 
Anal, to ch. xvii.), designed to show the 
effect of pouring out the seventh vial 
(ch. xvi. 17-21) on the formidable Anti- 
christian power so often referred to. 
The description in this chapter is that 
of a rich merchant-city reduced to deso- 
lation, and is but carrying out the gene- 
ral idea un#r* a different form. The 
chapter comprises the following points : 

(1) Another angel is seen descending 



A. D. 96.] CHAPTER XVIII. 435 



CHAPTER XVIII, 

AND after these things I saw 
another angel come down from 
heaven, having great power ; and 
the earth was lightened with his 
glory. a 

2 And he cried mightily with a 

a Eze. 43. 2. 



from heaven, having great power, and 
making proclamation that Babylon the 
great is fallen, and is become utterly 
desolate, vs. 1-3. 

(2) A warning voice is heard from 
heaven, calling on the people of God t-o 
come out of her, and to be partakers 
Qeither of her sins nor her plagues. Her 
torment and sorrow would be propor- 
tionate to her pride and luxury; and 
her plagues would come upon her sud- 
denly — death, and mourning, and fam- 
ine, and consumption by fire, vs. 4-8. 

(3) Lamentation over her fall — by 
those especially who had been connected 
with her ; who had been corrupted by 
her ; who had been profited by her, vs. 
9-19. 

(a) By kings, vs. 9, 10. They had 
lived deliciously with her, and they 
would lament her. 

(b) By merchants, vs. 11-17. They 
had trafficked with her, but now 
that traffic was to cease, and no man 
would buy of her. Their business, 
so far as she was concerned, was at 
an end. All that she had accumu- 
lated was now to be destroyed ; all 
her gathered riches were to be con- 
sumed; all the traffic in those 
things by which she had been en- 
riched was to be ended; and the 
city that was more than all others 
enriched by these things, as if 
clothed in fine linen, and purple, 
and scarlet, and decked with gold, 
and precious stones, and pearls, was 
to be destroyed for ever. 

(e) By shipmasters and seamen, vs. 
17-19. They had been made rich 
by this traffic, but now all was 
ended; the smcke of her burning is 
seen to ascend, and they stand afar 
off and weep. 

(4) Rejoicing over her fall, ver. 20. 
Heaven is called upon to rejoice, and 
the hdy apostles and prophets, for their 
blood is avenged, and persecution ceases 
in the earth. 



strong voice, saying, Babylon 6 the 
great is fallen, is fallen, and is 
become c the habitation of devils, 
and the hold of every foul spirit, 
and a cage of every unclean and 
hateful bird. 

b Is. 13. 19, 21. 9; Je. 51. 8 ; c. 14. 8. 

c Is. 34. 11, 14; Je. 50. 39, 51. 37 ; c. 17. 2. 



(5) The final destruction of the city, 
vs. 21-24. A mighty angel takes up a 
stone and casts it into the sea as an 
emblem of the destruction that is to 
come upon it. The voice of harpers, 
and musicians, and pipers would be 
heard no more in it; and no craftsmen 
would be there, and the sound of the 
millstone would be heard no more, and 
the light of a candle would shine no 
more there, and the voice of the bride- 
groom and the bride would be heard no 
more. 

1. And after these things. After the 
vision referred to in the previous chapter. 
*f / saw another angel come down from 
heaven. Different from the one that had 
last appeared, and therefore coming to 
make a new communication to him. It 
is not unusual in this book that dif- 
ferent communications should be en- 
trusted to different angels. Comp. ch. 

6, 8, 9, 15, 17, 18. f Having great 
power. That is, he was one of the 
higher rank or order of angels. ^ And 
the earth was lightened with his glory. 
The usual representation respecting the 
heavenly beings. Comp. Luke ii. 9 ; 
Ex. xxiv. 16 ; Acts ix. 3 ; Matt. xvii. 2. 
This would, of course, add greatly to 
the magnificence of the scene. 

2. And he cried mightily. Literally, 
'he cried with a strong great voice.' 
See ch. x. 3. Babylon the great is fallen, 
is fallen. See Notes on ch. xiv. 8. The 
proclamation here is substantially the 
same as in that place, and no doubt the 
same thing is referred to. \ And is 
become the habitation of devils. Of 
demons — in allusion to the common 
opinion that the demons inhabited aban- 
doned cities, old ruins, and deserts. See 
Notes on Matt. xii. 43-45. The lan- 
guage here is taken from the description 
of Babylon in Isa. xiii. 20-22, and for a 
full illustration of the meaning, see 
Notes on that passage. ^ And the hold 
of every foul spirit — <pv\aicr). A watch- 
post, station, haunt of such Bpirits. 



436 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



3 For all rations have drunk ° of 
the wine of the wrath of her forni- 
cation, and the kings of the earth 
have committed fornication with 
her, and the b merchants of the 
a Is 47. 15. b ver. 11. 15. c Or, power. 



That is, they, as it were, kept guard 
there ; were stationed there ; haunted the 
place. ^[ And a cage of every unclean 
and hateful bird. That is, they would 
resort there, and abide there as in a 
cage. The word translated ( cage' is the 
(Same which is rendered 'hold' — 0vAa/a/. 
In Isa, xiii. 21, it is said, 'and owls 
shall dwell there;' and in Isa. xiv. 23, it 
is said that it would be a 'possession 
for the bittern.' The idea is that of utter 
desolation ; and the meaning here is, 
that spiritual Babylon — Papal Rome 
(ch. xiv. 8) will be reduced to a state of 
utter desolation resembling that of the 
real Babylon. It is not necessary to 
suppose this of the city of Rome itself — 
for that is not the object of the repre- 
sentation. It is the Papacy, repre- 
sented under the image of the city, and 
having its seat there. That is to be 
destroyed as utterly as was Babylon of 
old; that will become as odious, and 
loathsome, and detestable as the literal 
Babylon, the abode of monsters, is. 

3. For all nations have drunk of the 
wine of the wrath of her fornication. 
Bee Notes on ch. xiv. 8. This is given 
as a reason why this utter ruin had 
come upon her. She had beguiled and 
corrupted the nations of the earth, lead- 
ing them into estrangement from God, 
and into pollution and sin. See Notes 
on ch. ix. 20, 21. ^ And the kings of the 
earth have committed fornication with her. 
Spiritual adultery; that is, she has been 
the means of seducing them from God 
and leading them into sinful practices. 
^[ And the merchants of the earth are 
waxed rich through the abundance of her 
delicacies. The word rendered ' abund- 
ance 1 here, means commonly power. It 
might here denote influence, though it 
may also mean number, quantity, loealth. 
Comp. ch. iii. 8, where the same word 
is used. The word rendered delicacies 
— ffrprjvos — occurs nowhere else in the 
Dew Testament. It properly means 
rudenets, insolence, pride; and hence 
revel, riot, luxury. It may be rendered 



earth are waxed rich through the 
abundance c of her delicacies. 

4 And I heard another voice 
from heaven, saying, Come out* of 
her, my people, that ye be not par- 
d Is. 48. 20, 52. 11 ; Je. 50. 8, 51. 6, 45 ; 2 Co. 6. 17. 



here properly luxury, or proud volup- 
tuousness ; and the reference is to such 
luxuries as are found commenly in a 
great, a gay, and a splendid city. These, 
of course, give rise to much traffic, and 
furnish employment to many merchants 
and sailors, who thus procure a liveli- 
hood, or become wealthy as the result of 
such traffic. Babylon — or Papal Rome — 
is here represented under the image of 
such a luxurious city; and of course 
when she falls they who have thus been 
dependent on her, and who have been 
enriched by her, have occasion for 
mourning and lamentation. It is not 
necessary to expect to find a literal ful- 
filment of this, for it is emblematic and 
symbolical. The image of a great, rich, 
splendid, proud, and luxurious city 
having been employed to denote that 
Antichristian power, all that is said in 
this chapter follows, of course, on its 
fall. The general idea is, that she 
was doomed to utter desolation, and 
that all who were connected with her, 
far and near, would be involved in her 
ruin. 

4. And I heard another voice from 
heaven. He does not say whether this 
was the voice of an angel, but the idea 
seems rather to be that it is the voice of 
God. Come out of her, my people. The 
reasons for this, as immediately stated, 
are two : — (a) that they might not partici- 
pate in her sins ; and (b) that they might 
not be involved in the ruin that would 
come upon her. The language seems to 
be derived from such passages in the 
Old Testament as the following : Isa. 
xlviii. 20, " Go ye forth of Babylon, flee 
from the Chaldeans, with a voice of 
singing." Jer. li. 6, "Flee out of the 
midst of Babylon, and deliver every 
man his soul; be not cut off in her 
iniquity." Jer. li. 45, " My people, go 
ye out out of the midst of her, and 
deliver ye every man his soul from the 
fierce anger of the Lord." Comp. Jer. 
1. 8. ^ That ye be not partakers of her 
sins. For the meaning of this expres- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



43? 



takers of her sins, and that ye re- 
ceive not of her plagues. 

5 For her sins have reached 
unto heaven, and God hath reinem- 
Dered b her iniquities. 

6 Reward her_ c even as she re- 



a Je. 51. 9. 



b c. 16. 19. 



sion, see Notes on 1 Tim. v. 22. It is 
implied here that by remaining in Baby- 
lon they would lend their sanction to 
its sins by their presence, and would, in 
all probability, become contaminated by 
the influence around them. This is an 
universal truth in regard to iniquity, 
and hence it is the duty of those who 
would be pure to come out from the 
world, and to separate themselves from 
all the associations of evil, And that 
ye receive not of her plagues. Of the 
punishment that was to come upon her 
— as they must certainly do if they re- 
mained in her. The judgment of God 
that was to come upon the guilty city 
would make no discrimination among 
those who were found there ; and if they 
would escape these woes, they must 
make their escape from her. As ap- 
plicable to Papal Rome, in view of her 
impending ruin, this means (a) that 
there might be found in her some who 
were the true people of God ; (b) that it 
was their duty to separate wholly from 
her : a command that will not only 
justify the Reformation, but which 
would have made a longer continuance 
in communion with the Papacy, when 
her wickedness was fully seen, an act of 
guilt before God; (c) that they who re- 
main in such a communion cannot but 
be regarded as partaking of her sin ,• and 
(d) that if they remain, they must ex- 
pect to be involved in the calamities that 
will come upon her. There never was 
any duty plainer than that of with- 
drawing from Papal Rome ; there never 
has been any act attended with more 
happy consequences than that by which 
the Protestant world separated itself 
for ever from the sins and the plagues 
of the Papacy. 

5. For her sins have reached unto hea- 
ven. So in Jer. li. 9, speaking of Baby- 
lon, it is said, "for her judgment reach- 
eth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to 
the skies." The meaning is not that the 
sins of this mystical Babylon were like 

3r* 



warded you, and double unto her 
double according to her works : in 
the cup which she hath filled, fill to 
her double. 

7 How much she hath glorified 
herself, and lived deliciously, so 

c Ps. 137. 8 ; Je. 50. 15, 29. 

a mass or pile so high as to reach to 
heaven, but that it had become so pro- 
minent as to attract the attention of God. 
Comp. Gen. iv. 10 ; " The voice of thy 
brother's blood crieth unto me from the 
ground." See also Gen. xviii. 20. ^[ And 
God hath remembered her iniquities. He 
had seemed to forget them or not to no- 
tice them, but now he acted as if they 
had come to his recollection. See Notes 
on ch. xvi. 19. 

6. Reicard her even as she rewarded 
you. It is not said to whom this com- 
mand is addressed, but it would seem to 
be to those who had been persecuted and 
wronged. Applied to mystical Babylon 
— Papal Rome — it would seem to be a 
call on the nations that had been so long 
under her sway, and among whom, from 
time to time, so much blood had been, 
shed by her, to arise now in their might, 
and to inflict deserved vengeance. See 
Notes on ch. xvii. 16, 17. And double 
unto her double according to her works. 
That is, bring upon her double the 
amount of calamity which she has 
brought upon others ; take ample ven- 
geance upon her. Comp. for similar 
language, Isa. xl. 2. " She hath received 
of the Lord's hand double for all her 
sins." Isa. lxi. 7. " For your shame ye 
shall have double." <[ In the cup which 
she hath filled. To bring wrath on others. 
Notes ch. xiv. 8. Fill to her double. 
Let her drink abundantly of the wine of 
the wrath of God — double that which 
she has dealt out to others. That is, 
either let the quantity administered to 
her be doubled, or let the ingredients in 
the cup be doubled in intensity. 

7. How much she has glorified herself. 
Been proud, boastful, arrogant. This 
was true of ancient Babylon that she 
was proud and haughty; and it has been 
no less true of mystical Babylon — Papal 
Rome. ^[ And lived deliciously. By as 
much as she hns lived in luxury and 
dissoluteness, so let her suffer now. The 
word used here and rendered lived deli* 



438 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 9b. 



much torment and sorrow give her ; 
for she saith in her heart, I sit a 
° queen, and am no widow, and 
shall see no sorrow. 

8 Therefore shall her plagues 

a Is. 47. 7-11; Zep. 2. 15. 



eiously — iorpijvlaaE — is derived from the 
noun — cTprjvos — which is used in ver. 3, 
and rendered delicacies. See Notes on 
that verse. It means, properly, ' to live 
strenuously, rudely/ as in English 'to 
Jive hard / and then to revel, to live in 
luxury, riot, dissoluteness. No one can 
doubt the propriety of this as descriptive 
of ancient Babylon, and as little can its 
propriety be doubted as applied to Papal 
Rome, So much torment and sorrow 
give her. Let her punishment correspond 
with her sins. This is expressing sub- 
stantially the same idea which occurs in 
the previous verse, \ For she saith in 
her heart. This is the estimate which 
she forms of herself, \ I sit a queen. 
Indicative of pride, and of an asserted 
claim to rule. % And am no widow. Am 
not in the condition of a widow — a state 
of depression, sorrow, and mourning. All 
this indicates security and self-confi- 
dence, a description in any way applica- 
ble to Papal Rome. ^ And shall see no 
sorrow. This is indicative of a state 
where there was nothing feared, notwith- 
standing all the indications which existed 
of approaching calamity. In this state 
we may expect to find Papal Rome, even 
when its last judgments are about to 
come upon it ; in this state it has usually 
been ; in this state it is now, notwith- 
standing all the indications that are 
abroad in the world that its power is 
waning, and that the period of its fall 
approaches. 

8. Therefore. In consequence of her 
prido, arrogance, and luxury, and of the 
calamities that she has brought upon 
others. ^[ Shall her plagues come in one 
day. They shall come in a time when 
she is living in ease and security; and 
they shall come at the same time — so 
that all these terrible judgments shall 
seem t> be poured upon her at once. 

Dea fly This expression and those 
which follow are designed to denote the 
same thing under different images. The 
general meaning is, that there would be 
utter and final destruction. It would be 
o# if death should come and cut off the 



come in one day, death, and mourn- 
ing, and famine ; and she shall bo 
utterly * burned with fire : foi 
strong c is the Lord God who judg- 
eth her. 

b c. 17. 16. c Ps. 62. 11 ; Je. 50. 34. 

inhabitants. ^ And mourning. As there 
would be where many were cut off by 
death, ^ And famine. As if famine 
raged within the walls of a besieged city, 
or spread over a land, And she shall 
be utterly burned with fire. As com- 
pletely destroyed as if she were entirely 
burned up. The certain and complete 
destruction of that formidable Antichris- 
tian power is predicted under a great 
variety of emphatic images. See ch. xiv. 
10, 11, xvi. 17-21, xvii. 9, 16. Perhaps 
in this so frequent reference to a final 
destruction of that formidable Antichris- 
tian power by fire, there may be more 
intended than merely a figurative repre- 
sentation of its final ruin. There is some 
degree of probability at least that Rome 
itself will be literally destroyed in this 
manner, and that it is in this way that 
God intends to put an end to the Papal 
power, by destroying that which has been 
so long the seat and the centre of this 
authority. The extended prevalence of 
this belief, and the grounds for it, may 
be seen from the following remarks : (1) 
It was an early opinion among the Jew- 
ish Rabbies that Rome would be thus 
destroyed. Vitringa, in the Apocalypse, 
cites some opinions of this kind; the 
Jewish expectation being founded, as he 
says, on the passage in Isa. xxxiv. 9, as 
Edom was supposed to mean Rome. 
"This chapter," says Kimchi, "points 
out the future destruction of Rome, here 
called Bozra, for Bozra was a great city 
of the Edomites." This is indeed worth- 
less as a proof or an interpretation of 
Scripture — for it is a wholly unfounded 
interpretation; it is of value only as 
showing that somehow the Jews enter- 
tained this opinion. (2) The same ex- 
pectation was entertained among the 
early Christians. Thus Mr. Gibbon (vol. 
i. p. 263, ch. xv.), referring to the expect- 
ations of the glorious reign of the Mes- 
siah on the earth (comp. Notes on ch. 
xiv. 8), says, speaking of Rome as the 
mystic Babylon, and of its anticipated 
destruction : " A regular series was pre- 
pared [in the minds of Christians] of all 



k. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



439 



the moral and physical evils which can 
afflict a flourishing nation ,• intestine dis- 
cord, and the invasion of the fiercest 
barbarians from the unknown regions of 
the North ,• pestilence and famine, comets 
and eclipses, earthquakes and inunda- 
tions. All these were only so many pre- 
paratory and alarming signs of the great 
catastrophe of Rome, when the company 
of the Scipios and Caesars should be con- 
sumed by a flame from heaven, and the 
city of the seven hills, with her palaces, 
her temples, and her triumphal arches, 
should be burned in a vast lake of fire 
and brimstone." So even Gregory the 
Great, one of the most illustrious of the 
Roman Pontiffs, himself says, acknow- 
ledging his belief in the truth of the tra- 
dition — Roma a Gentilibus non exter- 
minabitur; sed tempestatibus, coruscis 
turbinibus, ac terrae motu, in se mar- 
cescet. Dial. ii. 15. (3) Whatever may 
be thought of these opinions and expec- 
tations, there is some foundation for the 
opinion in the nature of the case, (a) 
The region is adapted to this. " It is 
not JEtna, the Lipari volcanic islands, 
Vesuvius, that alone offer visible indica- 
tions of the physical adaptedness of Italy 
for such a catastrophe. The great Apen- 
nine mountain-chain is mainly volcanic 
in its character, and the country of Rome 
more especially is as strikingly so almost 
as that of Sodom itself." Thus the mine- 
ralogist Ferber, in his Tour in Italy, 
says, " The road from Rome to Ostia is 
all volcanic ashes till within two miles 
of Ostia." " From Rome to Tivoli I went 
on fields and hills of volcanic ashes or 
tufa." " A volcanic hill in an amphi- 
theatrical form includes a part of the 
plain over Albano, and a flat country of 
volcanic ashes and hills to Rome. The 
ground about Rome is generally of that 
nature." Pp. 189, 191, 200, 234. (b) Mr. 
Gibbon, with his usual accuracy, as if 
commenting on the Apocalypse, has re- 
ferred to the physical adaptedness of the 
soil of Rome for such an overthrow. 
Speaking of the anticipation of the end 
of the world among the early Christians, 
he says, "In the opinion of a general 
conflagration, the faith of the Christian 
very happily coincided with the tradition 
of the East, the philosophy of the stoics, 
and the analogy of nature ; and even the 
country, which, from religious motives, 
had been chosen for the origin and prin- 
cipal scene of this conflagration, was the 



best adapted for that purpose by natural 
and physical causes; by its deep caverns, 
beds of sulphur, and numerous volca- 
noes, of which those of JEtna, of Vesuvius, 
and of Lipari, exhibit a very imperfect 
representation." Vol. i. p. 263, ch. xv. 
As to the general state of Italy in refe 
rence to volcanoes, the reader may con- 
sult, with advantage, LyelPs Geology, 
B. II., chs. ix.-xii. See also Murray's 
Encyclopedia of Geography, II. ii. Of 
the country around Rome it is said, in 
that work, among other things, "The 
country around Ptome, and also the hills 
on which it is built, is composed of ter- 
tiary marls, clays, and sandstones, and 
intermixed with a preponderating quan- 
tity of granular and lithoidal volcanic 
tufas. The many lakes around Rome 
are formed by craters of ancient volca- 
noes." " On the road to Rome is the 
lake of Vico, formerly the lacus Cimini, 
which has all the appearance of a 
crater." 

The following extract from a recent 
traveller will still further confirm this 
representation : — " I behold every where 
— in Rome, near Rome, and through the 
whole region from Rome to Naples — the 
most astounding proofs, not merely of 
the possibility, but the probability, that 
the whole region of central Italy will 
one day be destroyed by such a catas- 
trophe, [by earthquakes or volcanoes.] 
The soil of Rome is tufa, with a volcanic 
subterranean action going on. At Na- 
ples, the boiling sulphur is to be seen 
bubbling near the surface of the earth. 
When I drew a stick along the ground, 
the sulphurous smoke followed the inden- 
tation ; and it would never surprise me 
to hear of the utter destruction of the 
southern peninsula of Italy. The entire 
country and district is volcanic. It is 
saturated with beds of sulphur and the 
substrata of destruction. It seems as 
certainly prepared for the flames, as the 
wood and coal on the hearth are prepared 
for the taper which shall kindle the fire 
to consume them. The Divine hand 
alone seems to me to hold the element 
of fire in check by a miracle as great as 
that which protected the cities of the 
plain, till the righteous Lot had made 
his escape to the mountains." — Town- 
send' s Tour in Italy in 1850. ^ For 
strong is the Lord God who judgeth her, 
That is, God has ample power to bring 
all these calamities upon her. 



440 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 9b. 



9 And the kings a of the earth, 
who have committed fornication 
and lived deliciously with her, shall 
bewail her, and lament for her, 
when they shall see the smoke of 
her burning, 

10 Standing afar off for the fear 
of her torment, saying, Alas, alas ! 
that great city Babylon, that mighty 

a Eze. 26. 16, 17. b ver. 17, 19. 

9. And the kings of the earth. This 
verse commences the description of the 
lamentation over the fall of the mystical 
Babylon (see the analysis of the chap- 
ter). Who have committed fornication. 
That is, who have been seduced by her 
from the true God, and have been led 
into practical idolatry. Notes ch. xiv. 8. 
The kings of the earth seem to be repre- 
sented as among .the chief mourners, 
because they had derived important aid 
from the power which was now to be re- 
duced to ruin. As a matter of fact, the 
kings of Europe have owed much of their 
influence and power to the support which 
has been derived from the Papacy, and 
when that power shall fall, there will fall 
much that has contributed to sustain 
oppressive and arbitrary governments, 
and that has prevented the extension of 
popular liberty. In fact, Europe might 
have been long since free, if it had not 
been for the support which despotic go- 
vernments have derived from the Papacy. 
^[ And lived deliciously with her. In the 
same kind of luxury and dissoluteness 
of manners. See vs. 3, 7. The courts 
of Europe, under the Papacy, have had 
the same general character for dissolute- 
ness and licentiousness • as Home itself. 
The same views of religion produce the 
same effects every where, Shall be- 
wail and lament her, &c. Because their 
ally is destroyed, and the source of their 
power is taken away. The fall of the 
Papacy will be the signal for a general 
overturning of the thrones of Europe. 
^[ When they shall see the smoke of her 
burning. "When they shall see her on 
fire, and her smoke ascending towards 
heaven. Notes ch. xiv. 11. 

10. Standing afar off for the fear of 
her torment. Not daring to approach to 
attempt to rescue and save her. They 
who had so long contributed to the sup- 
port of the Papal power, and who had in 
turn been upheld by that, would not 



city! for in one hour b is thy judg- 
ment come. 

11 And the merchants of the 
earth shall weep and mourn over 
her; for no man buyeth her mer- 
chandise any more : 

12 The merchandise of gold, d 
and silver, and precious stones, and 
of pearls, and fine linen, and pur- 

c Eze. 27. 27-36. d c. 17. 4. 

now even attempt to rescue her, but 
would stand by and see her destroyed — 
unable to render relief. ^ Alas, alas! 
that great city Babylon. The language 
of lamentation that so great and so 
mighty a city should fall. % For in one 
hour is thy judgment come. Notes on 
ver. 8. The general sentiment here is, 
that in the final ruin of Papal Rome, the 
kings and governments that had sus- 
tained her, and had been sustained by 
her, would see the source of their power 
taken away, but that they would not, or 
could not, attempt her rescue. There 
have been not a few indications already 
that this will ultimately occur, and that 
the Papal power will be left to fall with- 
out any attempt on the part of those go- 
vernments which have been so long in 
alliance with it, to sustain or restore it. 

11. And the merchants of the earth. 
Who have been accustomed to traffic 
with her, and who have been enriched 
by the traffic. The image is that of a 
rich and splendid city. Of course, such 
a city depends much on its merchandise ; 
and when it declines and falls, many 
who had been accustomed to deal with 
it as merchants or traffickers, are affected 
by it, and have occasion to lament its 
fall, Shall weep and mourn over her, 
for no man buyeth their merchandise any 
more. The merchandise which the^ 
were accustomed to take to the city, an<? 
by the sale of which they lived. The 
enumeration of the articles of merchan- 
dize which follows, seems to have beei* 
inserted for the purpose of filling out th^ 
representation of what is usually found 
in such a city, and to show the desola- 
tion which would occur when this traffic 
was suspended. 

12. The merchandise of gold and silver. 
Of course these constitute an important 
article of commerce in a great city. 

And precious stones. Diamonds, eme- 
ralds, rubies, &c. Thsse have alwayi 



A. D. 96.] CHAPTE 

pie, and silk, and scarlet, and all 
* thyine wood, and all manner ves- 
sels of ivory, and all manner vessels 
of most precious wood, and of brass, 
and iron, and marble, 

13 And cinnamon, and odours, 



been important articles of traffic in the 
world, and of course most of the traffic 
in them would find its way to great com- 
mercial cities. *[[ And pearls. See Notes 
on Matt. vii. 6, xiii. 46. These too have 
been always, and were particularly in 
early times, valuable articles of com- 
merce. Mr. Gibbon mentions them as 
among the articles that contributed to 
the luxury of Rome in the age of the 
Antonines : — " Precious stones, among 
which the pearl claimed the first rank 
after the diamond/' Vol. i, p. 34. ^And 
fine linen. This was also a valuable 
article of commerce. It was obtained 
chiefly from Egypt. See Notes on Isa. 
xix. 9. Linen among the ancients was 
an article of luxury, for it was worn 
chiefly by the rich. Ex. xxviii. 42 ; Lev. 
vi. 10 ; Luke xvi. 19. The original word 
here is (jvaavs — byssus, and it is found in 
the New Testament only in this place 
and in Luke xvi. 19. It was a " species 
of fine cotton, highly prized by the an- 
cients." Various kinds are mentioned, 
as that of Egypt, the cloth which is still 
found wrapped around mummies ; that 
of Syria ; and that of India, which grew 
on a tree similar to the poplar ; and that 
of Achaia, which grew in the vicinity of 
Eiis. Bee Hob. Lex. ^[ And purple. See 
Notes on Luke xvi. 19. Cloth of this 
color was a valuable article of commerce, 
as it was worn by rich men and princes. 
^ And silk. Silk was a very valuable 
article of commerce, as it was costly, and 
could be worn only by the rich. It is 
mentioned by Mr. Gibbon as such an 
article in Rome in the age of the Anto- 
nines : — " Silk, a pound of which was 
esteemed not inferior in value to a pound 
of gold." i. 34. On the cultivation and 
manufacture of silk by the ancients, see 
the work entitled The History of Silk, 
dotton, Linen, and Wool, Ac, published 
by Harper and Brothers, New York, 1845, 
pp. 1-21. ^" And scarlet. See Notes on 
ch. xvii. 3. ^ And all thyine wood. The 
word here used — Svivoi — occurs nowhere 
else in the New Testament. It denotes 
an evergreen African tree, from which 



E XVIII. 441 

and ointments, and frankincense, 
and wine, and oil, and fine flour, 
and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, 
and horses, and chariots, and 
slaves, b and souls c of men. 
a Or, sweet. b Or, bodies. c Eze. 27. 13. 



statues and costly vessels were made. It 
is not agreed, however, whether it was a 
species of cedar, savin, or lignum-vitae, 
which latter constitutes the modern genus 
thuja, or thyia. See Bees' Cyclop., art. 
Thuja. ^[ And all manner vessels of 
ivory. Every thing that is made of ivory. 
Ivory, or the tusk of the elephant, has 
always been among the precious articles 
of commerce. *[[ And all manner vessels 
of most precious wood. Furniture of 
costly wood: — cedar, the citron tree, 
lignum-vitse, &c. And of brass, and 
iron, and marble. Brass or copper would 
of course be a valuable article of com- 
merce. The same would be the case with 
iron ; and so marble for building, for sta- 
tuary, &c, would likewise be. 

13. And cinnamon. Cinnamon is the 
aromatic bark of the Laurus Cinna- 
momam, which grows in Arabia, India, 
and especially in the island of Ceylon. 
It was formerly, as it is now, a valuable 
article in the Oriental trade. *[ And, 
odours. Aromatics employed in reli- 
gious worship, and for making perfumes. 
Mr. Gibbon (i. 34) mentions, among the 
articles of commerce and luxury in the 
age of the Antonines, " a variety of aro- 
matics that were consumed in religious 
worship and the pomp of funerals." It 
is unnecessary to say that the use of 
such odors has been always common 
at Rome. ^[ And ointments. Unguents 
— as spikenard, &c. These were in com- 
mon use among the ancients. See 
Notes on Matt. xxvi. 7 ; Mark xiv. 3. 

And frankincense. See Notes on 
Matt. ii. 11. It is unnecessary to say 
that incense has been always much used 
in public worship in Rome, and that it 
has been, therefore, a valuable article of 
commerce there, And wine. An ar- 
ticle of commerce and luxury in all 
ages, And oil. That is, olive oil. 
This, in ancient times, and in Oriental 
countries particularly, was an import- 
ant article of commerce, And fine 
four. The word here means the best 
and finest kind of flour, And beasts, 
and sheep, and horses. Also important 



442 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



14 And the fruits that thy soul 
lusted after are departed from 
thee, and all things which were 



articles of merchandise, And chariots. 
The word here used — piSa — means, pro- 
perly, a carriage with four wheels ; or a 
carriage drawn by mules (Prof. Stuart). 
It was properly a travelling carriage. 
The word is of Gallic origin. Quinctil. 
i. 9; Cic. Mil. 10, Att. v. 17, vi. 1. See 
Adams's Mom. Ant. p. 525. It was an 
article of luxury, And slaves. The 
Greek here is cupdruv — ' of bodies.' 
Prof. Stuart renders it grooms, and sup- 
poses that it refers to a particular kind 
of slaves who were employed in taking 
care of horses and carriages. The word 
properly denotes body — an animal body, 
whether of the human body living or 
dead; or the body of a beast; and then 
the external man — the person, the indi- 
vidual. In later usage, it comes to de- 
note a slave (see Rob. Lex.) and in this 
sense it is used here. The traffic in 
slaves was common in ancient times, as 
it is now. We know that this traffic 
was carried on to a large extent in 
ancient Rome — the city which John 
probably had in his eye in this descrip- 
tion. See Gibbon, Dec. and Fall, i. pp. 
25, 26. Athenaeus as quoted by Mr. 
Gibbon (p. 26), says that " he knew very 
many Romans who possessed, not for 
use, but for ostentation, ten and even 
twenty thousand slaves." It should be 
said here, however, that although this 
refers evidently to traffic in slaves, it is 
not necessary to suppose that it would 
be literally characteristic of Papal Rome. 
All this is symbolical, designed to ex- 
hibit the Papacy under the image of a 
great city, with what was customary in 
such a city, or with what most naturally 
presented itself to the imagination of 
John as found in such a city, and it is 
no more necessary to suppose that the 
Papacy would be engaged in the traffic 
of slaves, than in the traffic of cinnamon, 
or fine flour, or sheep and horses, *j And 
souls of men. The word used, and ren- 
dered souls — "bvxh — though commonly 
denoting the soul (properly the breath, 
or vital principle), is also employed to 
denote the living thing — the animal — in 
which the soul or vital principle resides ; 
and hence may denote a person or a man. 
Under this form it is used to denote a 



dainty and goodly are departed 
from thee, and thou shalt find them 
no more at all. 



servant, or slave. (See Rob. Lex.) Prof. 
Robinson supposes that the word here 
means female slaves, in distinction from 
those designated by the previous word. 
Prof. Stuart {in loc.) supposes that the 
previous word denotes a particular kind 
of slaves — those who had the care of 
horses — and that the word here is used 
in a generic sense, denoting slaves in 
gsneral. This kind of traffic in the 
' persons' or souls of men is mentioned 
as characterizing ancient Tyre, in Ezek. 
xxvii. 13 : " Javan, Tubal, and Mechech, 
they were thy merchants ; thoy traded in 
the persons of men." It is not quite clear 
why, in the passage before us, this traffic 
is mentioned in two forms — as that of the 
bodies, and the souls of men ; but it would 
seem most probable that the writer meant 
to designate all that would properly come 
under this traffic : — whether male or 
female slaves were bought and sold; 
whether they were for servitude, or for 
the gladiatorial sports (see Wetstein, in 
loc.) ; whatever might be the kind of 
servitude that they might be employed 
in ; and whatever might be their con- 
dition in life. The use of the two words 
would include all that is implied in the 
traffic — for in most important senses, it 
extends to the body and the soul. In 
slavery both are purchased, both are 
supposed, so far as he can avail himself 
of them, to become the property of the 
master. 

14. And the fruits thai thy soul lusted 
after. Literally, * The fruits of the 
desire of thy soul/ The word rendered 
fruits — dn&pa — properly means, late sum- 
mer ; dog-days — the time when Sirius, 
or the dog star, is predominant. In the 
East this is the season when the fruits 
ripen, and hence the word comes to 
denote fruit. The reference is to any 
kind of fruit that would be brought for 
traffic into a great city, and that would 
be regarded as an article of luxury. 

Are departed from thee. That is, they 
are no more brought for sale into the 
city, ^ And all things which were dainty 
and goodly. These words " characterize 
all kinds of furniture and clothing 
which were gilt, or plated, or em- 
broidered, and therefore were bright of 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



443 



15 The merchants of these things, 
which were made rich by her, shall 
stand afar off for the fear of her 
torment, weeping and wailing, 

16 And saying, Alas, alas ! that 
great city that was clothed a in fine 
linen, and purple, and scarlet, and 
decked with gold, and precious 
stones, and pearls ! 

17 For in one hour so great 

a Lu. 16. 19, &c. b Is. 23. 14. c Je. 51. 37. 

splendid." Prof. Stuart. And thou 
ehalt find them no more at all. The ad- 
dress here is decidedly to the city itself. 
The meaning is, that they would no 
more be found there. 

15. The merchants of these things. 
Who trafficked in the e things, and who 
supplied the city with them, ver. 11. 
^[ Which were made rich by her. By 
traffic with her. % Shall stand afar off. 
Ver. 10. For fear of her torment. 
Struck with terror by her torment, so 
that they did not dare to approach her. 
Ver. 10. 

16. And saying, Alas, alas, &o. Notes, 
ver. 10. ^[ That was clothed in fine linen, 
&c. In the previous description (vs. 12, 
13), these are mentioned as articles of 
traffic ; here the city, under the image 
of a female, is represented as clothed in 
the most rich and gay of these articles. 

And purple and scarlet. See Notes on 
ch. xvii. 3, 4. Comp. ver. 12. of this 
chapter. And gold, and precious 
eiones, andpearls. Notes, ch. xvii. 4. 

17. For in one hour. In a very brief 
period — so short that it seemed to them 
to be but one hour. In the prediction 
(ver. 8) it is said that it would be 'in 
one day (see Notes on that place); here 
it is said that to the lookers-on it seemed 
to be but an hour. There is no incon- 
sistency, therefore, between the two 
statements, So great riches is come to 
nought. All the accumulated wealth of 
so great and rich a city. This should 
have been united with ver. 16, as it is a 
part of the lamentation of the merchants, 
and as the lamentation of the mariners 
commences in the other part of the verse. 
It is so divided in the Greek Testaments. 
1j And every ship-master. This intro- 
duces the lamentation of the mariners, 
who would, of course, be deeply inte- 
tested in the destruction of a city with 



riches is come to nought. And 
every ship-master, and all the com- 
pany in ships, b and sailors, and 
as many as trade by sea, stood 
afar off, 

18 And cried when they saw 
the smoke of her burning, saying, 
What c city is like unto this great 
city? 

19 And they cast dust* on their 

d Jos. 7. 6; Job 2. 12; Eze. 27. 30. 



which they had been accustomed to 
trade, and by carrying merchandise to 
which they had been enriched. The 
word shipmaster — KvfiepvfjTris — means pro- 
perly a governor ; then a governor of a 
ship — the steersman, or pilot. Acts xxvii. 
11. And all the company in ships. 
Prof. Stuart renders this coasters. There 
is here, however, an important diffe- 
rence in the reading in the text. The 
commonly received text is, ttSs hi tZv 
-rrXoi'wv b bfxtXog — 'the whole company in 
ships/ as in our common version; the 
reading which is now commonly adopted, 
and which is found in Griesbach, Hahn, 
and Tittmann, is b hi t6tiov rX/wv — ' he 
who sails to a place f that is, he who 
sails from one place to another along 
the coast, or who does not venture out 
far to sea; and thus the phrase would 
denote a secondary class of sea-captains 
or officers — those less venturesome, ex- 
perienced, or bold than others. There 
can be little doubt that this is the cor- 
rect reading (Comp. Wetstein, in loc), 
and hence the class of seamen here re- 
ferred to is coasters. Such seamen would 
naturally be employed where there was 
a great and luxurious maritime city, 
and would have a deep interest in its 
fall. ^[ And sailors. Common seamen. 
^[ And as many as trade by sea. In any 
kind of craft, whether employed in a 
near or a remote trade, Stood afar 
off. Notes ver. 10. 

18. And cried, &c. That is, as they 
had a deep interest in it, they would, on 
their own account, as well as hers, lift 
up the voice of lamentation, What 
city is like unto this great city ? In her 
destruction. What calamity has ever 
come upon a city like this ? 

19. And they cast dust on their head*, 
A common sign of lamentation and 
mourning among the Orientals. See 



444 



EE VEL ATI ON, 



[A. D. 96, 



heads, and cried, weaping and 
wailing, saying, Alas, alas ! that 
great city, wherein were made rich 
all that had ships in the sea by 
reason of her costliness ! for in one 
hour is she made desolate. 

20 Rejoice over her, ° thou hea- 
ven, and ye holy apostles and pro- 

a Je. 51. 48. 

Notes on Job ii. 12. ^ By reason of her 
costliness. The word rendered costliness 
— tihi6t>is — means properly prcciousness, 
costliness ; their magnificence, costly 
merchandise. The luxury of a great 
city enriches many individuals, however 
much it may impoverish itself, For 
in one hour is she made desolate. So it 
seemed to them. Notes, ver. 17. 

20. Rejoice over her Over her ruin. 
There is a strong contrast between this 
language and that which precedes. 
Kings, merchants, and seamen, who had 
been countenanced and sustained by her 
in the indulgence of corrupt passions, or 
who had been enriched by traffic with 
her, would have occasion to mourn. 
But not so they who had been perse- 
cuted by her. Not so the church of the 
redeemed. Not so heaven itself. The 
great oppressor of the church, and the 
corrupter of the world, was now de- 
stroyed; the grand hindrance to the 
spread of the gospel was now removed, 
and all the holy in heaven and on earth 
would have occasion to rejoice. This is 
not the language of vengeance, but it is 
the language of exultation and rejoicing 
in view of the fact that the cause of 
truth might now spread without hin- 
drance through the earth, Thou hea- 
ven. The inhabitants of heaven. Comp. 
Notes on Isa. i. 2. The meaning here 
is, that the dwellers in heaven — the holy 
angels and the redeemed — had occasion 
to rejoice over the downfall of the great 
enemy of the church, And ye holy 
apostles. Prof. Stuart renders this, 
" Ye saints, and apostles, and prophets/' 
In the common Greek text it is, as in 
our version, 'holy apostles and pro- 
phets/ In the text of Griesbach, Hahn, 
and Tittmann, the word teal (and) is 
interposed between the word i holy* and 
* apostle.' This is doubtless the true 
reading. The meaning, then, is, that 
the saints in heaven are called on to 
rejoice orer the fall of the mystical 



phets ; for God hath avenged 6 you 
on her. 

21 And a mighty angel took up 
a stone like a great millstone, and 
cast it into the sea, saying, Thus 
e with violence shall that great city 
Babylon be thrown down, and shall 
be found no more at all. 

b De. 34. 43; Lu.18.7, 8 ; c. 19. 2. c Je. 51. 64. 

Babylon, Apostles. The twelve who 
were chosen by the Saviour to be her 
ivitnesses on earth. See Notes on 1 Cor. 
ix. 1. The word is commonly limited to 
the twelve, but in a larger sense it is 
applied to other distinguished teachers 
and preachers of the gospel. See Notes 
on Acts xiv. 14. There is no impro- 
priety, however, in supposing that the 
apostles are referred to here as such, 
since they would have occasion to re- 
joice that the great obstacle to the 
reign of the Redeemer was now taken 
away, and that that cause in which they 
had suffered and died was now to be 
triumphant, And prophets. Prophets 
of the Old Testament, and distinguished 
teachers of the New. See Notes on 
Rom. xii. 6. All these would have oc- 
casion to rejoice in the prospect of the 
final triumph of the true religion, For 
God hath avenged you on her. Has 
taken vengeance on her for her treat- 
ment of you. That is, as she had per- 
secuted the church as such, they all 
might be regarded as interested in it, 
and affected by it. All the redeemed, 
therefore, in earth and in heaven, are 
interested in whatever tends to retard 
or to promote the cause of truth. All 
have occasion to mourn when the ene- 
mies of the truth triumph; to rejoice 
when they fall. 

21. And a mighty angel. Notes ver. 1 
This seems, however, to have been a 
different angel from the one mentioned 
in ver. 1, though, like that, he is de- 
scribed as having great power. *[[ Took 
up a stone like a great millstone. On the 
structure of mills among the ancients, 
see Notes on Matt. xxiv. 41. And 
cast it into the sea. As an emblem of 
the utter ruin of the city ; an indication 
that the city would be as completely 
destroyed as that stone was covered by 
the waters, Saying, Thus with vio- 
lence. "With force — as the stone was 
thrown into the sea. The idea is, that 



A. D. 96.1 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



445 



22 And the voice of harpers, and 
musicians, and of pipers, and trum- 
peters, shall be heard no more at 
all in thee ; and no craftsman, of 
whatsoever craft he be, shall be 
found any more in thee ; and the 
Bound of a millstone a shall be heard 
no more at all in thee. 

a Je. 25. 10. b Je. 7. 34; 16. 9; 33. 11. 

it would not "be by a gentle and natural 
decline, but by the application of foreign 
power. This accords with all the repre- 
sentations in this book, that violence will 
be employed to overthrow the Papal 
power. See ch. xvii. 16, 17. The origin 
of this image is probably Jer. li. 63, 64 : 
"And it shall be, when thou hast made 
an end of reading this book, that thou 
shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into 
the midst of Euphrates : and thou shalt 
eay, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall 
not rise from the evil that I will bring 
on her." 

22. And the voice of harpers. Those 
who play on the harp. This was usually 
accompanied with singing. The idea in 
this verse and the following is substan- 
tially the same as in the previous parts 
of the chapter, that the mystical Baby- 
lon — Papal Rome — would be brought to 
utter desolation. This thought is here 
exhibited under another form — that all 
which constituted festivity, joy, and 
amusement, and all that indicated thrift 
and prosperity, would disappear. Of 
course in a great and gay city there 
would be all kinds of music, and when 
it is said that this would be heard there 
no more, it is a most striking image of 
utter desolation, And musicians. Mu- 
sicians in general ,• but perhaps here 
singers, as distinguished from those who 
played on instruments, And of pipers. 
Those who played on pipes or flutes. 
See Notes on 1 Cor. xiv. 7 ; Matt. xi. 17. 

And trumpeters. Trumpets were com- 
mon instruments of music, employed on 
festival occasions, in war, and in worship. 
Only the principal instruments of music 
are mentioned here, as representatives 
of the rest. The general idea is, that 
the sound of music, as an indication of 
festivity and joy, would cease, Shall 
be heard no more at all in thee. It would 
become utterly and permanently deso- 
late. \ And no craftsman of whatsoever 
traft. That is, artificers of all kinds 
38 



23 And ths light of a candle 
shall shine no more at all in thee ; 
and the voice of the bridegroom 
b and of the bride shall be heard 
no more at all in thee : for thy mer- 
chants were e the great men of the 
earth ; for by thy sorceries d were 
all nations deceived. 

c Is. 23. 8. d 2Ki. 9. 22; Na. 3. 4. 

would cease to ply their trades there. 
The word here used — t?xv\ttis — would 
include all artizans or mechanics; all 
who were engaged in any kind of trade 
or craft. The meaning here is, that all 
these would disappear; an image, of 
course, of utter decay, And the sound 
of a millstone shall be heard no more. 
Taylor {Frag, to Col. Die. vol. iv. p. 346) 
supposes that this may refer not so much 
to the rattle of the mill, as to the voice 
of singing which usually accompanied 
grinding. The sound of a mill is cheer- 
ful; and indicates prosperity ; its ceasing 
is an image of decline. 

23. And the light of a candle shall 
shine no more at all in thee. Anothef 
image of desolation, as if every light 
were put out, and there were total dark- 
ness. ^[ And the voice of the bridegroom 
and of the bride shall' be heard no mora 
at all in thee. The merry and cheerful 
voice of the marriage procession in the 
streets (Notes on Matt. xxv. 1-7), or the 
cheerful, glad voice of the newly-married 
couple in their own dwelling (Notes John 
iii. 29). ^[ For thy merchants were the 
great men of the earth. Those who dealt 
with thee were the rich, and among them 
were even nobles and princes, and now 
that they trade with thee no more, there 
is occasion for lamentation and sorrow. 
The contrast is great between the time 
when distinguished foreigners crowded 
thy marts, and now, when none of any 
kind come to traffic with thee. The ori- 
gin of this representation is probably th« 
description of Tyre in Ezekiel xxvii. 
^[ For by thy sorceries loere all nationi 
deceived. This is stated as a reason for 
the ruin that had come upon her. It is 
a common representation of Papal Rome 
that she has deceived or deluded the na- 
tions of the earth (see Notes on ch. xiii. 
14), and no representation ever made 
accords more with facts as they have 
occurred. The word sorceries here refen 
to the various aits — the tricks, impoi- 



446 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



24 And in her was found the 
blood of prophets, and of saints, 

tures, and false pretences, by which this 
has been done. See Notes on ch. ix. 21. 

24. And in her. When she came to be 
destroyed, and her real character was 
Been, Was found the blood of pro- 
phets. Of the public teachers of the true 
religion. On the word prophets, see 
Notes on ver. 20. And of saints. Of 
the holy. See Notes on ver. 20. f And 
of all that were slain upon the earth. So 
numerous have been the slain ; so con- 
stant and bloody have been the persecu- 
tions there, that it may be said that all 
the blood ever shed has been poured out 
there. Comp. Notes on Matt, xxiii. 35. 
No one can doubt the propriety of this 
representation with respect to Pagan and 
Papal Rome. 

In regard to the general meaning and 
application of this chapter, the following 
remarks may be made : — 

(1) It refers to Papal Rome, and is 
designed to describe the final overthrow 
of that formidable Antichristian power. 
The whole course of the interpretation 
of the previous chapters demands such 
an application, and the chapter itself 
naturally suggests it. 

(2) If it be asked why so much of this 
imagery is derived from the condition 
of a maritime power, or pertains to com- 
merce, since both Babylon and Rome 
were at some distance from the sea, and 
neither could with propriety be regarded 
as sea-port towns, it may be replied, (a) 
that the main idea in the mind of John 
was that of a rich and magnificent city ; 
(6) that all the things enumerated were 
doubtless found in fact in both Babylon 
and Rome ; (c) that though not properly 
sea-port towns, they were situated on 
rivers that opened into seas, and were 
therefore not unfavorably situated for 
commerce; and (d) that in fact they 
traded with all parts of the earth. The 
leading idea is that of a great and 
luxurious city, and this is filled up 
and decorated with images of what is 
commonly found in large commercial 
towns. We are not, therefore, to look 
for a literal application of this, and it is 
not necessary to attempt to find all these 
things in fact in the city referred to. 
Much of the description may be for the 
mere sake of keeping, or ornament. 



and of all that were slain a upon 



the earth. 



a Je. 51. 49. 



(3) If this refers to Rome, as is sup- 
posed, then, in accordance with the pre- 
vious representations, it shows that the 
destruction of the Papal power is to be 
complete and final. The image which 
John had in his eye as illustrating that 
was undoubtedly ancient Babylon as 
prophetically described in Isa. xiii., xiv., 
and the destruction of the power here 
referred to is to be as complete as was 
the destruction described there. It would 
not be absolutely necessary in the fulfil- 
ment of this to suppose that Rome itself 
is to become a heap of ruins like Baby- 
lon, whatever may be true on that point, 
but that the Papal power as such is to 
be so utterly destroyed that the ruins 
of desolate Babylon would properly re- 
present it. 

(4) If this interpretation is correct, 
then the Reformation was in entire ac- 
cordance with what God would have his 
people do, and was demanded by solemn 
duty to him. Thus in ver. 4 of this 
chapter, his people are expressly com- 
manded to a come out of her, that 
they might not be partakers of her sins, 
nor of her plagues." If it had been the 
design of the Reformers to perform a 
work that should be in all respects a 
fulfilling of the command of God, they 
could have done nothing that would 
have more literally met the divine 
requirement. Indeed the church has 
never performed a duty more manifestly 
in accordance with the divine will, and 
more indispensable for its own purity, 
prosperity, and safety, than the act of 
separating entirely and for ever from 
Papal Rome. 

(5) The Reformation was a great 
movement in human aSairs. It was the 
index of great progress already reached, 
and the pledge of still greater. The 
affairs of the world were at that period 
placed on a new footing, and from the 
period of the Reformation, and just in 
proportion as the principles of the Re- 
formation are acted on, the destiny of 
mankind is onward. 

(6) The fall of Papal Rome, as de- 
scribed in this chapter, will remove one 
of the last obstructions to the final tri- 
umph of the gospel. In the Notes on 
ch. xvi. 10-16, we saw that one greaft 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIX. 



447 



CHAPTER XIX. 

AND after these things I heard 
a great voice a of much people 

hindrance to the spread of the true reli- 
gion would be taken away by the decline 
and fall of the Turkish power. A still 
more formidable hindrance will be taken 
away by the decline and fall of the Papal 
power : for that power holds more mil- 
lions of the race under its subjection, 
and with a more consummate art, and a 
more powerful spell. The Papal influ- 
ence has been felt, and still is felt, in a 
considerable part of the world. It has 
churches and schools and colleges in 
almost all lands. It exercises a vast 
influence over governments. It has 
powerful societies organized for the pur- 
pose of propagating its opinions ; and it 
so panders to some of the most powerful 
passions of our nature, and so converts 
to its own purposes all the resources of 
superstition, as still to retain a mighty, 
ihough a waning hold, on the human 
mind. When this power shall finally 
cease, any one can see that perhaps the 
most mighty obstruction which has ever 
been on the earth for a thousand years 
to the spread of the gospel, will have 
been removed, and the way will be pre- 
pared for the introduction of the long- 
□oped-for Millennium. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter, as well as the last, is an 
episode, delaying the final catastrophe, 
and describing more fully the effect of 
the destruction of the mystical Babylon. 
The chapter consists of the following 
parts : — 

I. A Hymn of the heavenly hosts in 
view of the destruction of the mystical 
Babylon, vs. 1-7. (a) A voice is heard 
in heaven shouting Hallelujah, in view 
of the fact that God had judged the great 
harlot that had corrupted the earth, vs. 
1, 2. (6) The sound is echoed and re- 
peated as the smoke of her torment 
ascends, ver. 3. (c) The four and twenty 
elders, and the four living creatures, as 
interested in all that pertains to the 
church, unite in that shout of Hallelujah, 
ver. 4. (d) A voice is heard from the 
throne commanding them (fr> praise God, 
ver. 5, and (e) the mighty shout of Hal- 
lelujah is echoed and repeated from un- 
numbered hosts, vs. 6, 7. 



in heaven, saying, Alleluia ; b Sat 

a c. 11. 15. 
b ver. 3. 4, 6. 

II. The marriage of the Lamb, vs. 8, 9 
The Lamb of God is united to his bride 
— the church — never more to be sepa- 
rated, and after all the persecutions, con- 
flicts and embarrassments which had 
existed, this long-desired union is con- 
summated, and the glorious triumph of 
the church is described under the image 
of a joyous wedding ceremony. 

III. John is so overcome with this re^ 
presentation, that in his transports of feel- 
ing he prostrates himself before the angel 
who shows him all this, ready to worship 
one who discloses such bright and glori- 
ous scenes, ver. 10. He is gently re- 
buked for allowing himself to be so 
overcome that he would render divine 
homage to any creature, and is told that 
he who communicates this to him is but 
a fellow-servant, and that God only is to 
be worshipped. 

IV. The final conquest over the beast 
and the false prophet, and the subjuga- 
tion of all the foes of the church, vs. 
11-21. 

(a) A description of the conqueror — ■ 
the Son of God, vs. 11-16. He appears 
on a white horse — emblem of victory. 
He has on his head many crowns ; wears 
a vesture dipped in blood ; is followed by 
the armies of heaven on white horses ; 
from his mouth goes a sharp sword ; and 
his name is prominently written on his 
vesture and his thigh — all emblematic of 
certain victory. 

(b) An angel is seen standing in the 
sun, calling on all the fowls of heaven to 
come to the great feast prepared for them 
in the destruction of the enemies of God 
— as if there were a great slaughter suffi- 
cient to supply all the fowls that feed on 
flesh, vs. 17, 18. 

(c) The final war, vs. 19-21. The 
beast, and the kings of the earth, and 
their armies are gathered together for 
battle ; the beast and the false prophet 
are taken, and are cast into the lake that 
burns with fire and brimstone ; and all 
that remain of the enemies of God are 
slain, and the fowls are satisfied with 
their flesh. The last obstacle that pre- 
vented the dawn of the Millennial morn- 
ing is taken away, and the church is tri- 
umphant. 

1. And after these things. The things 



448 



REVEL 



AT ION, 



[A. D. %. 



vation, a and glory, and honor, and 
power, unto the Lord our God : 

2 For true b and righteous are 
his judgments : for he hath judged 
the great whore, which did corrupt 
the earth with her fornication, and 
nath avenged c the blood of his ser- 
vants at her hand. 

a c. 7. 10, 12, b c. 16. 7. 

particularly that were exhibited in the 
previous chapter. See Notes on ch. 
xviii. 1. *H I heard a voice of much peo- 
ple in heaven. The voice of the wor- 
shippers before the throne. ^ Saying, 
Alleluia. The Greek method of writing 
Hallelujah. This word — aWnXovia — oc- 
curs in the New Testament only in this 
chapter, vs. 1, 3, 4, 6. The Hebrew phrase 

^1*1 — Hallelujah, occurs often in 

the Old Testament. It means properly 
Praise Jehovah, or Praise the Lord. The 
occasion on which it is introduced here 
is very appropriate. It is uttered by the 
inhabitants of heaven, in the immediate 
presence of God himself, and in view of 
the final overthrow of the enemies of the 
church and the triumph of the gospel. 
In such circumstances it was fit that 
heaven should render praise, and that a 
song of thanksgiving should be uttered 
in which all holy beings could unite. 

Salvation. That is, the salvation is to 
be ascribed to God. See Notes on ch. 
vii. 10. And glory and honor. Notes 
ch. v. 12. ^ And power. Notes ch. v. 
13. Unto the Lord our God. That is, 
all that there is of honor, glory, power, 
in the redemption of the world belongs 
to God, and should be' ascribed to him. 
This is expressive of the true feelings 
of piety always ; this will constitute the 
eong of heaven. 

2. For true and righteous are his judg- 
ments. That is, the calamities that come 
upon the power here referred to, are de- 
served. ^ For he hath judged the great 
whore. The power represented by the 
harlot. See Notes on ch. xvii. 1. Which 
did corrupt the earth by her fornication. 
See Notes on ch. xiv. 8, xvii. 2, 4, 5, 
xviii. 3. Comp. Notes on ch. ix. 21. ^And 
hath avenged the blood of his servants. 
See Notes on ch. xviii. 20, 24. ^ At her 
hand. Shed by her hand. 

3. And again they said, Alleluia. 
Notes ver. 1. The event was so glorious 



3 And again they said, Alleluia. 
And her smoke d rose up for ever 
and ever. 

4 And the four and twenty elders 
and the four beasts fell down and 
worshipped God that sat on the 
throne, saying, Amen ; Alleluia. 

5 And a voice came out of the 

c c. 18. 20. d Is. 34. 10; c. 18. 9, 18. 

and so important; the final destruction 
of the great enemy of the church was of 
so much moment in its bearing on the 
welfare of the world, as to call forth re- 
peated expressions of praise. ^ And her 
smoke rose up for ever and ever. See 
Notes on ch. xiv. 11. This is an image 
of final ruin ; the image being derived 
probably from the description in Genesis 
of the smoke that ascended from the 
cities of the plain. Gen. xix. 28. On the 
joy expressed here in her destruction, 
comp. Notes on ch. xviii. 20. 

4. And the four and twenty elders 'and 
the four beasts. See Notes on ch. iv. 4, 
6, 7. As representatives of the church, 
and as interested in its welfare, they are 
now introduced as rejoicing in its final 
triumph, and in the destruction of its 
last foe. \ Fell down. Prostrated them- 
selves — the usual posture of worship. 
^[ And loorshipped God that sat on the 
throne. Ch. iv. 2, 3, 10. That is, they 
now adored him for what he had done in 
delivering the church from all its perse- 
cutions, and causing it to triumph in the 
world, ^ Saying, Amen. See Notes on 
Matt. vi. 13. The word here is expres- 
sive of approbation of what God had 
done ; or of their solemn assent to all 
that had occurred in the destruction of 
the great enemy of the church. ^Alleluia. 
Notes ver. 1. The repetition of this word 
so many times shows the intenseness of 
the joy of heaven in view of the final 
triumph of the church. 

5. And a voice came out of the throne. 
A voice seemed to come from the very 
midst of the throne. It is not said by 
whom this voice was uttered. It cannot 
be supposed, however, that it was uttered 
by God himself, for the command which 
it gave was this : " Praise our God," &c. 
For the same reason it seems hardly 
probable that it was the voice of the 
Messiah, unless it be supposed that he 
here identifies himself with the redeemed 
church, and speaks of God as his God 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIX. 



44$ 



throne, saying, Praise * our God all 
ye his servants, and ye that fear 
him, both small and great. 

6 And I heard as it were the 
voice of a great multitude, and as 
the voice of many waters, and as 
a Ps. 135. l. 
b Ps. 97. 1, 12. 

and hers. It would seem rather that it 
was a responsive voice that came from 
those nearest the throne, calling on all 
to unite in praising God in view of what 
was done. The meaning then will be, 
that all heaven was interested in the tri- 
umph of the church, and that one por- 
tion of the dwellers there called on the 
others to unite in offering thanksgiving. 
IT Praise our God. The God that we 
worship. IT All ye his servants. All in 
heaven and earth; all have occasion for 
thankfulness. ^ And all ye that fear 
him. That reverence and obey him. The 
fear of the Lord is a common expression 
in the Scriptures to denote true piety. 
IF Both, small and great. All of every 
class and condition — poor and rich — 
young and old; those of humble, and 
those of exalted rank. Gomp. Ps. cxlviii. 
7-13. 

6. And I heard as it were the voice of 
a great multitude. In verse 1, he says 
that he ' heard a great voice of much 
people here he says he ' heard as it 
were a voice of a great multitude.' That 
is, in the former case he heard a shout 
that he at once recognized as the voice 
of a great multitude of persons ; here he 
says that he heard a sound not distinctly 
recognized at first as such, but which 
resembled such a shout of a multitude. 
In the former case it was distinct; here 
it was confused — bearing a resemblance 
to the sound of roaring waters, or to 
muttering thunder, but less distinct than 
the former. This phrase would imply 
(a) a louder sound; and (b) that the 
sound was more remote, and therefore 
less clear and distinct. IT And as the 
voice of many waters. The comparison 
of the voices of a host of people with the 
roar of mighty waters, is not uncommon 
in the Scriptures. See Notes on Isa. xvii. 
12,13. So in Horn *r, 

"The monarch spoke, and straight a murmur rose, 
Loud as the surges when the tempest blows; 
That dash'd on broken rocks tumultuous roar, 
And foam and thunder on the stony shore." 

T And as the voice of mighty thunderings. 
38* 



the voic 3 of many thunderings, say- 
ing, Alleluia : for h the Lord God 
omnipotent reigneth. 

7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and 
give honor to him : for the marriage 
c of the Lamb is come, and his wife 
hath made herself ready.* 

c Matt. 25; 10. m d Is. 52. 1. 

The loud, deep, heavy voice of thunder* 
The distant shouts of a multitude may 
properly be represented by the sound of 
heavy thunder. IT Saying, Alleluia, 
Notes ver. 1. This is the fourth time 
in which this is uttered as expressive of 
the joy of the heavenly hosts in view of 
the overthrow of the enemies of the 
church. The occasion will be worthy of 
this emphatic expression of joy. IT For 
the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Jeho- 
vah — God Almighty — the true God. The 
meaning is, that as the last enemy of the 
church is destroyed, lie now truly reigns. 
This is the result of his power, and there- 
fore it is proper that he should be praised 
as the omnipotent or Almighty God — for 
he has shown that he can overcome all 
his enemies, and bring the world to his 
feet. 

7. Let us rejoice. Let all in heaven 
rejoice — for all have an interest in the 
triumph of truth ; all should be glad that 
the government of God is set up over an 
apostate world. ^[ And give honor to 
him. Because the work is glorious ; and 
because it is by his power alone that it 
has been accomplished. Notes ch. v. 12. 

For the marriage of the Lamb is come. 
Of the Lamb of God — the Redeemer of 
the world. Notes ch. v. 6. The re- 
lation of God, and especially of the 
Messiah, to the church, is often in the 
Scriptures represented under the image 
of marriage. See Notes on Isa. liv. 4-6, 
lxii. 4,-5, 2 Cor. xi. 2, Eph. v. 23-33. 
Comp. Jer. iii. 14, xxxi. 32, Hos. ii. 19, 
20. The idea is also said to be common 
in Arabic and Persian poetry. It is to 
be remembered also that Papal Rome 
has just been represented as a gay and 
meretricious woman, and there is a pro- 
priety, therefore, in representing the true 
church as a pure bride, the Lamb's wife, 
and the final triumph of that church as 
a joyous marriage. The meaning is, that 
the church was now to triumph and re- 
joice as if in permanent union with her 
glorious head and Lord, And his voif* 



450 



KE VELATION, 



[A. D.96. 



8 And to her was granted that d blessed are they which are called 
she should be arrayed a in fine lin- unto the marriage-supper • of the 
en, clean and b white : for the fine Lamb. And he saith unto me, 
linen is the righteousness c of saints. These f are the true sayings of God. 

9 And he saith unto me, Write, 10 And g I fell at his feet to wor- 

o Is. 61. 10 ; c. 3. 4. b Or, bright, c Ps. 132. 9. d Lu. 14. 15. e c. 3. 20. / c. 22. 6. g c. 22. 8, 9. 



hath made herself ready. By putting on 
her beautiful apparel and ornaments. 
All the preparations had been made for 
a permanent and uninterrupted union 
with its Redeemer, and the church was 
henceforward to be recognized as his 
beautiful bride, and was no more to ap- 
pear as a decorated harlot — as it had 
during the Papal supremacy. Between 
the church under the Papacy, and the 
church in its true form, there is all the 
difference which there is between an 
abandoned woman gayly decked with 
gold and jewels, and a pure virgin, 
chastely and modestly adorned, about to 
be led to be united'in bonds of love to a 
virtuous husband. 

8. And to her was granted. It is not 
said here by whom this was granted, but 
it is perhaps implied that this was con- 
ferred by the Saviour himself on his 
bride. ^[ That she should be arrayed in 
fine linen , clean and white. See Notes 
on ch. hi. 4, 5, 18, vii. 13. White has 
perhaps in all countries been the usual 
color of the bridal dress — as an emblem 
of innocence, For the fine linen is the 
righteousness of saints. Represents the 
righteousness of the saints ; or is an em- 
blem of it. It should be remarked, how- 
ever, that it is implied here, as it is every- 
where in the Scriptures, that this is not 
their own righteousness, for it is said 
that this was ' given" to the bride — to 
the saints. It is the gracious bestow- 
ment of their Lord; and the reference 
here must be to that righteousness which 
they obtain by faith — the righteousness 
which results from justification through 
the merits of the Redeemer. Of this 
Paul speaks, when he says (Phil. iii. 9), 
"And be found in him, not having mine 
cwn righteousness, which is of the law, 
but that which is through the faith of 
Christ, the righteousness which is of 
God by faith." Comp. Notes on Rom. 
iii. 25, 26. 

9, And he saith unto me. The angel 
who made these representations to him. 
See ver. 10. IT Write, blessed are they. 
Bee Notes on ch. xiv. 13. T Which are 



called unto the marriage-supper of the 
Lamb. The idea of a festival, or a mar- 
I riage-supper, was a familiar one to the 
Jews to represent the happiness of hea- 
ven, and is frequently found in the New 
Testament. Comp. Notes on Luke xiv. 
15, 16, xvi. 22, xxii. 16, Matt. xxii. 2, 
The image in the passage before us is 
that of many guests invited to a great 
festival, And he saith unto me, These 
arc the true sayings of God. Confirming 
all by a solemn declaration. The im- 
portance of what is here said; the de- 
sirableness of having it fixed in the 
mind amidst the trials of life and the 
scenes of persecution through which the 
church was to pass, makes this solemn 
declaration proper. The idea is, that in 
all times of persecution ; in every dark 
hour of despondency; the church, as 
such, and every individual member of 
the church, should receive it as a solemn 
truth never to be doubted, that the 
religion of Christ would finally prevail, 
and that all persecution and sorrow 
here would be followed by joy and 
triumph in heaven. 

10. And I fell at his feet to worship 
him. At the feet of the angel. Notes 
ver. 9. This is a common posture of 
adoration in the East. See Rosenmiil- 
ler's Morgenland, in loc. Notes 1 Cor. 
xiv. 25. John was entirely overcome 
with the majesty of the heavenly mes- 
senger, and with the amazing truths that 
he had disclosed to him, and in the over- 
flowing of his feelings, he fell upon the 
earth in the posture of adoration. Or, 
it may be that he mistook the rank of 
him who addressed him, and supposed 
that he was the Messiah whom he had 
been accustomed to worship, and who 
had first (ch. i.) appeared to him. If so, 
his error was soon corrected. He was 
told by the angel himself who made 
these communications that he had no 
claims to such homage, and that the 
praise which he offered him should be 
rendered to God alone. It should be 
observed that there is not the slight- 
est intimation that this was the Mes- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIX. 



451 



ship him. And he said unto me, 
See thou do it not : I am thy fellow- 
servant, and of thy brethren that 



siah himself, and consequently this does 
not contain any evidence that it would 
be improper to worship him. The only- 
fair conclusion from the passage is, that 
it is wrong to offer religious homage 
to an angel. H And he said unto me, See 
thou do it not. That is, in rendering the 
homage which you propose to me, you 
would in fact render it to a creature. 
This may be regarded as an admonition 
to be careful in our worship; not to allow 
our feelings to overcome us ; and not to 
render that homage to a creature which 
is due to God alone. Of course this 
would prohibit the worship of the Virgin 
Mary, and of any of the saints, and all 
that homage rendered to a created being 
which is due to God only. Nothing is 
more carefully guarded in the Bible than 
the purity and simplicity of worship; 
nothing is more sternly rebuked than 
idolatry; nothing is more contrary to 
the divine law than rendering in any 
way that homage to a creature which 
belongs of right to the Creator. It was 
necessary to guard even John, the be- 
loved disciple, on that subject; how 
much more needful, therefore, is it to 
guard the church at large from the dan- 
gers to which it is liable. TT / am thy 
fellow-servant. Evidently this was an 
angel, and yet he here speaks of himself 
as a ( fellow-servant' of John. That is, 
he was engaged in the service of the 
same God; he was endeavoring to ad- 
vance the same cause, and to honor the 
same Redeemer. The sentiment is, that 
in promoting religion in the world, we 
are associated with angels. It is no 
condescension in them to be engaged in 
the service of the Redeemer, though it 
seems to be condescension for them to be 
associated with us in any thing; it con- 
stitutes no ground of merit in us to be 
engaged in the service of the Redeemer 
(comp. Luke xvii. 10), though we may 
regard it as an honor to be associated 
with the angels, and it may raise us in 
conscious dignity to feel that we are 
united with them. IT And of thy breth- 
ren. Of other Christians; for all are 
engaged in the same work. IT That have 
the testimony of Jesus. Who are wit- 



have the testimony of Jesus : wor« 
ship God : for the testimony of Je* 
sus a is the spirit of prophecy. 
a Ac. 10. 43. 1 Pe. 1. 10, 11. 



nesses for the Saviour. It is possible 
that there may be here a particular re- 
ference to those who were engaged in 
preaching the gospel, though the lan- 
guage will apply to all who give their 
testimony to the value of the gospel by 
consistent lives. 1T Worship God, He 
is the only proper object of worship; he 
alone is to be adored. IT For the testi- 
mony of Jesus. The meaning here seems 
to be, that this angel, and John, and 
their fellow-servants, were all engaged 
in the same work — that of bearing their 
testimony to Jesus. Thus, in this re- 
spect, they were on a level, and one of 
them should not worship another, but 
all should unite in the common worship 
of God. No one in this work, though an 
angel, could have such a pre-eminence 
that it would be proper to render the 
homage to him which was due to God 
alone. There could be but one being 
whom it was proper to worship, and they 
who were engaged in simply bearing 
testimony to the work of the Saviour, 
should not worship one another. IT Is 
the spirit of prophecy. The design of 
prophecy is to bear testimony to Jesus. 
The language does not mean, of course, 
that this is the only design of prophecy, 
but that this is its great and ultimate 
end. The word prophecy here seems to 
be used in the large sense in which it is 
often employed in the New Testament — 
meaning to make known the divine will 
(see Notes on Rom. xii. 6), and the pri- 
mary reference here would seem to be to 
the preachers and teachers of the New 
Testament. The sense is, that their 
grand business is to bear testimony to 
the Saviour. They are all — ■ whether 
angels, apostles, or ordinary teachers — 
appointed for this, and therefore should 
regard themselves as 'fellow-servants/ 
The design of the angel in this seems to 
have been, to state to John what was his 
own specific business in the communica- 
tions which he made, and then to state a 
universal truth applicable to all minis- 
ters of the gospel, that they were '•'en- 
gaged in the same work, and that no one 
of them should claim adoration from 
others. Thus understood, this passage 



452 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



11 And I saw heaven opened, | 
and behold, a white a horse ; and 
he that sat upon him was called 
Faithful b and True, and in right- 
eousness c he doth judge and make 
war. 

12 His d eyes were as a flame of 

a c. 6. 2. 6 c. 3. 14. 

e Ps. 45. 3, 4; Is. 11. 4. d c. 1. 14, 2. 18. 

has no direct reference to the prophecies 
of the Old Testament, and teaches no- 
thing in regard to their design, though 
it is in fact undoubtedly true that their 
grand and leading object was to bear 
testimony to the future Messiah. But 
this passage will not justify the attempt 
so often made to 'find Christ' everywhere 
in the prophecies of the Old Testament, 
or justify the many forced and unnatural 
interpretations by which the prophecies 
are often applied to him. 

11. And I saw heaven opened. He 
saw a new vision, as if an opening were 
made through the sky, and he was per- 
mitted to look into heaven. See Notes 
on ch. iv. 1. IT And behold, a white horse. 
On the white horse as a symbol, see 
Notes on ch. vi. 2. He is here the sym- 
bol of the final victory that is to be ob- 
tained over the beast and the false pro- 
phet (ver. 20), and of the final triumph 
of the church. IT And he that sat upon 
him was called Faithful and True. He 
is not designated here by his usual and 
real name, but by his attributes. There 
can be no doubt that the Messiah is in- 
tended, as he goes forth to the subjuga- 
tion of the world to himself. The attri- 
butes here referred to — faithful and true 
— are peculiarly appropriate, for they 
are not only strongly marked attributes 
of his character, but they would be par- 
ticularly manifested in the events that 
are described. He would thus show that 
he was faithful — or worthy of the con- 
fidence of his church in delivering it 
from all its enemies; and true to all the 
promises that he has made to it. V And 
in righteousness doth he judge. All his 
acts of judgment in determining the 
destiny of men are righteous. See Notes 
on Isa. xi. 3-5. IT And make war. That 
is, the war which he wages is not a war 
of fmbition ; it is not for tke mere pur- 
pose of conquest ; it is to save the right- 
eous, and to punish the wicked. 

12. His eyes were as a flame of fire. 



fire, and on his head were manj 
crowns ; c and he had a name * 
written that no man knew but he 
himself. 

13 And he was clothed with a 
vesture dipped in blood : and his 
name is called The s Word of God. 

e Ca. 3. 11 ; Is. 32. 3; Zee. 9. 16; He. 2. 9; c 6. 2. 
/ c. 3. 12. g Jno. 1. 1. 

See Notes on ch. i. 14. IT And on hi* 
head were many crowns. Many diadems, 
indicative of his universal reign. It is 
not said how these were worn or arranged 
on bis head — perhaps the various dia- 
dems worn by kings were in some way 
wreathed into one. IT And he had a name 
written. That is, probably on the frontr 
let of this compound diadem. Comp. 
Notes ch. xiii. 1, xiv. 1. IT Which no 
man knew but himself. See Notes on ch. 
ii. 17. This cannot here mean that no 
one could read the name, but the idea is, 
that no one but himself could fully un- 
derstand its import. It involved a depth 
of meaning, and a degree of sacredness, 
and a relation to the Father, which he 
alone could apprehend in its true import. 
This is true of the name here designated 
— ' the word of God* — the Logos — Aoyog : 
and it is true of all the names which he 
bears. See Matt. xi. 27. .Compare a 
quotation from Dr. Buchanan in the Asi- 
atic Researches, vol. i, vi. p. 264, as 
quoted by E-osenmiiller, Morgenland, 
in loc. 

13. And he ivas clothed with a vesture 
dipped in blood. Red, as if dipped in 
blood — emblem of slaughter. The origi- 
nal of this image is probably Isa. lxiii. 
2, 3. See Notes on that passage. IF And 
his name is called, The Word of God. 
The name which in ver. 12, it is said that 
no one knew but he himself. This name 
is f O \6yog tov Qsdv, or 'the Logos of God.' 
That is, this is his peculiar name ; a name 
which belongs only to him, and which 
distinguishes him from all other beings. 
The name Logos, as applicable to the 
Son of God, and expressive of his nature, 
is found in the New Testament only in 
the writings of John, and is used by him 
to denote the higher or divine nature of 
the Saviour. In regard to its meaning, 
and the reason why it is applied to him, 
see Notes on John i. 1. The reader also 
may consult with great advantage an 
article by Prof. Stuart in the Bibliotheca 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER XIX. 



453 



14 And the armies ivliich were in 
heaven followed him upon white 
horses, clothed a in fine linen, white 
and clean. 

15 And out of his mouth z> goeth 
a sharp sword, that with it he 
should smite the nations : and he 

a Matt. 28. 3. b c. 1.16. c Ps. 2. 9. 
d Is. 63. 3. e c. 17. 14. 



Sacra, vol. vii., pp. 16-31. The follow- 
ing may be some of the reasons why it is 
said (ver. 12) that no one understands 
this but he himself: — (1) No one but he 
can understand its full import, as it im- 
plies so high a knowledge of the nature 
of the Deity; (2) no one but he can un- 
derstand the relation which it supposes 
in regard to God, or the relation of the 
Son to the Father; (3) no one but he 
can understand what is implied in it 
regarded as the method in which God 
reveals himself to his creatures on earth; 
(4) no one but he can understand what 
is implied in it in respect to the manner 
£n which God makes himself known to 
other worlds. It may be added, as a 
further illustration of this, that none of 
the attempts made to explain it have 
left the matter so that there are no ques- 
tions unsolved which one would be glad 
to ask. 

14. And the armies which were in hea- 
ven followed him. The heavenly hosts, 
particularly, it would seem, the redeemed, 
as there would be some incongruity in 
representing the angels as riding in this 
manner. Doubtless the original of this 
picture is Isaiah lxiii. 3, "I have trod- 
den the wine-press alone, and of the 
people there was none with me." These 
hosts of the redeemed on white horses 
accompany him to be witnesses of his 
victory, and to participate in the joy of 
the triumph, not to engage in the work 
of blood. Upon white horses. Emblems 
of triumph or victory. Notes ch. vi. 2. 
1T Clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 
The usual raiment of those who are in 
heaven, as every where represented in 
this book, see ch. iii. 4, 5, iv. 4, vii. 9, 
13, xv. 6. 

15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp 
8toord. See Notes on ch. i. 16. In that 
place tne sword seems to be an emblem 
of his words or doctrines, as penetrating 
the hearts of men ; here it is the emblem 
©f a work of destruction wrought on his 



shall rule them with a rod c of iron : 
and he d treadeth the wine-press of 
the fierceness and wrath of Al- 
mighty God. 

16 And he hath on Ms vesture 
and on his thigh a name written, 
KING 45 OF KINGS AND LORD 
OF LORDS. 



foes. That with it he should smite the 
nations. The nations that were opposed 
to him ; to wit, those especially who were 
^represented by the beast and the false 
prophet, vs. 18-20. % And he shall rule 
them icith a rod of iron. See Notes on 
ch. ii. 27, xii. 5. IT And he treuueih the. 
ivine-press of the fierceness and wrath of 
Almighty God. This language is proba- 
bly derived from Isa. lxiii. 1-4. See it 
explained in the Notes on that place, 
and on ch. xiv. 19, 20. It means here 
that his enemies would be certainly 
crushed before him — as grapes are 
crushed under the feet of him that treads 
in the wine- vat. 

16. And he t hath on his vesture. That 
is, this name was conspicuously written 
on his garment — probably his military 
robe, And on his thigh. The robe or 
military cloak may be conceived of as 
open and flowing, so as to expose the 
limbs of the rider ; and the idea is, that 
the name was conspicuously written not 
only on the flowing robe, but on the 
other parts of his dress, so that it must be 
conspicuous whether his military cloak 
were wrapped closely around him, or 
whether it was open to the breeze. 
Grotius supposes that this name was 
on the head or hilt of the sword 
which depended from his thigh, ^ A 
name written. Or a title descriptive of 
his character, \ King of kings, and 
Lord of Lords. As in ch. xvii. 5, so 
here, there is nothing in the original to 
denote that this should be distinguished 
as it is by capital letters. As a con- 
spicuous title, however, it is not im- 
proper. It means that he is, in fact, 
the sovereign over the kings of the 
earth, and that all nobles and princes 
are under his control — a rank that pro- 
perly belongs to the Son of God. Comp. 
Notes on Eph. i. 20-22. See also ver. 
12 of this chapter. The custom here 
alluded to of inscribing the name or 
rank of distinguished individuals on 



N 



454 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



17 And I saw an angel standing 
in the sun ; and he cried with a 
loud voice, saying to all the 
fowls that fly in the midst of hea- 
ven, Come a and gather yourselves 
together unto the supper of the 
great God ; 

a Eze. 39. 17-20. 

their garments, so that they might be 
readily recognised, was not uncommon 
in ancient times. For full proof of this, 
eee Rosenmiiller, Morgenland, iii. 232- 
236. The authorities quoted there are,* 
Thevenot's Travels, i. 149 ; Gruter, p. 989 j 
Dempster's Etruria Regalis, T. ii. tab. 93; 
Montfaucon, Antiq. Expliq. T. iii. Tab. 39. 
Thus Herodotus (ii. 106), speaking of the 
figures of Sesostris in Ionia, says that, 
" Across his breast, from shoulder to 
shoulder, there is this inscription in the 
sacred characters of Egypt, ' I conquered 
this country by the force of my arms/ " 
Comp. Cic. Verr. iv. 23 ; Le Moyne ad 
Jer. xxiii. 6; Munter, Diss, ad Apec. 
xvii. 5, as referred to by Prof. Stuart, 
in loc. 

17. And I saw an angel standing in 
the sun. A different angel evidently 
from the one which had before appeared 
to him. The number of angels that ap- 
peared to John, as referred to in this 
book, was very great, and each one came 
on a new errand, or with a new message. 
Every one must be struck with the 
image here. The description is as 
simple as it can be ; and yet as sublime. 
The fewest words possible are used; and 
yet the image is distinct and clear. A j 
heavenly being stands in the blaze of j 
the brightest of the orbs that God per- j 
mits us here to see — yet not consumed, 
and himself so bright that he can be 
distinctly seen amidst the dazzling 
splendors of that luminary. It is diffi- 
cult to conceive of an image more sub- 
lime than this. Why he has his place 
in the sun is not stated, for there does 
not appear to be any thing more in- 
tended by this than to give grandeur , 
and impressiveness to the scene, ^ And 
he cried with a loud voice. So that all ! 
the fowls of heaven could hear. ^ To 
all the fowls that fly in the midst of hea- 
ven. That is, to all the birds of prey — 
all that feed on flesh — such as hover 
over a battle-field. Comp. Notes on 
Isa. xviii. 6, lvi. 9. See also Jer. vii. 33, 



18 That ye may eat the flesh of 
kings, and the flesh of captains, 
and the flesh of mighty men, and 
the flesh of horses, and of them 
that sit on them, and the flesh of 
all men, both free and bond, both 
small and great. 



xii. 9 ; Ezek. xxxix. 4-20. Come and 
gather yourselves together. All this 
imagery is taken from the idea that 
there would be a great slaughter, and 
that the bodies of the dead would be 
left unburied to the birds of prey. 

Unto the stipper of the Great God. 
As if the Great God were about to give 
you a feast:- — to wit, the carcasses of 
those slain. It is called ' his supper* 
because he gives it; and the image is 
merely that there would be a great 
slaughter of his foes, as is specified in 
the following verse. 

18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings. 
Of the kings under the control of the 
beast and the false prophet. Ch. xvi 
14, xvii. 12-14. \ And the flesh of cap- 
tains. Of those subordinate to kings in 
command. The Greek word is ^iXbp^wy 
— chiliarchs — denoting captains of a 
thousand, or as we should say, com- 
manders of a regiment. The word 
colonel would better convey the idea 
with us ; as he is the commander of a 
regiment, and a regiment is usually 
composed of about a thousand men. 
^[ And the flesh of mighty men. The 
word here means strong, and the refe- 
rence is to the robust soldiery — rank 
and file in the army. ^ And the flesh of 
horses, and of them that sit on them,. 
Cavalry — for most armies are composed 
in part of horsemen, And the flesh of 
all men, both free and bond. Freemen 
and slaves. It is not uncommon that 
freemen and slaves are mingled in the 
same army. This was the case in the 
American Revolution, and is common 
in the East, Both small and great. 
Young and old ; of small size and of 
great size ; of those of humble, and those 
of exalted rank. The later armies of 
Napoleon were composed in great part 
of conscripts, many of whom were only 
about eighteen years of age, and to this 
circumstance many of his later defeats 
are to be traced. In the army that was 
raised after the invasion of Russia, ac 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XIX. 



455 



19 And I saw the beast, and the 
kings of the earth, and their ar- 
mies, gathered together to make 
war ° against him that sat on the 
horse, and against his army. 

20 And the beast* was taken, 
and with him the false prophet 

a c. 16. 14, 16. b c. 16. 13, 14. 



less than one hundred and fifty thou- 
sand of the conscripts were between 
eighteen and nineteen years of age. 
Alison's History of Europe, iv. 27. In- 
deed it is common in most armies that 
a considerable portion of the enlist- 
ments are from those in early life, 
and besides this, it is usual to employ 
mere boys on various services about a 
camp. 

19. And I saw the beast Notes, ch. 
xiii. 1, 11 : comp. ch. xvii. 13. *jj And 
the kings of the earth, and their armies, 
gathered together. There is allusion 
here k> the same assembling of hostile 
forces which is described in ch. xvi. 13, 
14, for the great decisive battle that is 
to determine the destiny of the world — 
the question whether the Messiah or 
Antichrist shall reign. There can be 
no doubt that the writer in these pas- 
sages designed to refer to the same 
events — the still future scenes that are 
to occur when the Roman, the Pagan, 
and the Mohammedan powers shall be 
aroused to make common cause against 
the true religion, and shall stake all on 
the issue of the great conflict. See the 
Notes on ch. xvi. 13, 14. Against 
him that sat on the horse. The Messiah 
— the Son of God. Notes, ver. 11. 

And against his army. The hosts 
that are associated with him — his re- 
deemed people. Notes, ver. 14. 

20. And the beast was taken. That is, 
was taken alive, to be thrown into the 
lake of fire. The hosts were slain (ver. 
21), but the leaders were made prisoners 
of war. The general idea is, that these 
armies were overcome, and that the 
Messiah was victorious ; but there is a 
propriety in the representation here that 
the leaders — the authors of the war — 
should be taken captive, and reserved 
for severer punishment than death on 
the battle-field would be — for they had 
Btirred up their hosts, and summoned 
these armies to make rebellion against 



that wrought miracles before him, 
with which he deceived them 
that had received the mark of the 
beast, and them that worshipped 
his image. These both were cast 
alive into a lake c of fire burning 
with brimstone. 

c Da. 7. 11; c. 20.10. 



the Messiah. The beast "We, as all 
along, refers to the Papal power; and 
the idea is that of its complete and 
utter overthrow, as if the leader of an 
army were taken captive and tormented 
in burning flames, and all his followers 
were cut down on the field of battle. 
^[ And with him the false prophet. As 
they had been practically asssociated 
together, there was a propriety that they 
should shun the same fate. In regard 
to the false prophet, and the nature of 
this alliance, see Notes on ch. xvi. 13, 
% That wrought miracles before him. 
That is, the false prophet had been 
united with the beast in deceiving the 
nations of the earth. See Notes on ch. 
xvi. 14. ^[ And with which he' deceived 
them that had received the mark of the 
beast. Notes, ch. xiii. 16-18. By these 
acts they had been deceived; that is, 
they had been led into the alliance, and 
had been sustained in their opposition 
to the truth. The whole representation 
is that of an alliance to prevent th& 
spread of the true religion, as if the 
Papacy andMahommedanism were com- 
bined, and the one was sustained by the 
pretended miracles of the other. There 
would be a practical array against the 
reign of the Son of God, as if these 
great powers should act in concert, and 
as if the peculiar claims which each set 
up in behalf of its own divine origin, 
became a claim which went to sup- 
port the whole combined organization. 

These were both cast alive into a lake 
of fire. The beast and the false pro- 
phet. That is, the overthrow will be as 
signal, and the destruction as complete, 
as if the leaders of the combined hosts 
should be taken alive, and thrown into 
a pit or lake that burns with an intense 
heat. There is no necessity for sup- 
posing that this is to be literally in- 
flicted — for the whole scene is symbolical 
— meaning that the destruction of these 
powers would be as complete as if 



456 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



21 And the remnant were slain 
with the sword a of him that sat 
upon the horse, which sivord pro- 

a c. 1. 16; ver. 15. 



they were thrown into such a burning 
lake. Comp. Notes on ch. xiv. 10, 11. 
<([ Burning with brimstoie. Sulphur — 
the usual expression to denote intense 
heat, and especially as referring to the 
punishment of the wicked. See Notes 
on ch. xiv. 10. 

21. And the remnant. The remainder 
of the assembled hosts — the army at 
large, in contradistinction from the 
leaders. ^[ Were slain with the sword. 
Cut down with the sword ; not rescued 
for protracted torment. A proper dis- 
tinction is thus made betweeo the de- 
ceived multitudes and the leaders who 
bad deceived them, % Of him that sat 
on the horse. The Messiah, ver. 11. 

Which sword proceeded out of his 
mouth. Notes, ver. 15. That is, they 
were cut down by a word. They fell 
before him as he spake, as if they were 
slain by the sword. Perhaps this indi- 
cates that the effect that is to be pro- 
duced when these great powers shall be 
destroyed, is a moral effect that is, that 
they will be subdued by the word of 
tbe Son of God. \ And all the fowls 
were filled with their flesh. Notes, ver. 
17. An effect was produced as if the 
fowls of heaven should feed upon the 
carcases of the slain. 

The general idea here is, that these 
great Antichristian powers which had so 
long resisted the gospel, and prevented 
its being spread over the earth ; which 
had shed so much blood in persecution, 
and had so long corrupted and deceived 
mankind, would be subdued. The true 
religion would be as triumphant as if 
the Son of God should go forth as a 
warrior in his own might, and secure 
their leaders for punishment, and give 
up their hosts to the birds of prey. This 
destruction of these great enemies — 
which the whole course of the inter- 
pretation leads us to suppose is still 
future — prepares the way for the Millen- 
nial reign of the Son of God — as stated 
in the following chapter. The * beast' 
and the 'false prophet' are disposed of, 
and there remains only the subjugation 
of the great dragon — the source of all 
tins evil — to prepare the way for the 



ceeded out of his mouth ; and all 
the fowls b were filled with their 
flesh. 

b ver. 17, 18. 



long-anticipated triumph of the gospel. 
This subjugation of the great original 
source of all those evil influences is 
stated in ch. xx. 1-3, and then follows 
the account of the thousand years' rest 
of the saints; the resurrection of the 
dead ; and the final judgment. 

CHAPTER XX. 

ANALYSIS OP THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter, like chapters xvi. 12-21, 
xvii., xviii., xix., pertains to the future, 
and discloses things which are yet to 
occur. It is not to be wondered ac, 
therefore, for the reason stated in the 
Notes on ch. xvi. 16, that much obscu- 
rity should hang over it, nor that it is 
difficult to explain it so as to remove all 
obscurity. The statement in this chap- 
ter, however, is distinct and clear in its 
general characteristics, and time will 
make all its particular statements free 
from ambiguity. 

In the previous chapter, an account is 
given of the final destruction of two of 
the most formidable enemies of the 
church, and consequently the removal 
of two of the hindrances to the universal 
spread of the gospel — the beast and the 
false prophet — the Papal and the Mo- 
hammedan powers. But one obstacle 
remains to be removed — the power of 
Satan as concentrated and manifested in 
the form of Pagan power. These three 
powers it was said (ch. xvi. 13, 14) would 
concentrate their forces as the time of 
the final triumph of Christianity drew 
on ; and with these the last great battle 
was to be fought. Two of these have 
been subdued ; the conquest over the 
other remains, and Satan is to be ar- 
rested and bound for a thousand years. 
He is then to be released for a time, and 
afterwards finally destroyed, acd at that 
period the end will come. 

The chapter comprises the following 
parts : — 

I. The binding of Satan, vs. 1-3. An 
angel comes down from heaven, with the 
key of the bottomless pit, and a great 
chain in his hand, and seizes upon tho 
Dragon, and casts him into the pit, thai 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER XX. 



457 



for a thousand years he should deceive 
the nations no more. The great enemy 
of God and his cause is thus made a 
prisoner, and is restrained from making 
war in any form against the church. The 
way is thus prepared for the peace and 
triumph which follow. 

II. The Millennium, vs. 4-6. John 
gees thrones, and persons sitting on 
them; he sees the souls of those who 
Were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, 
and for the word of God — those who had 
not worshipped the beast nor his image 
— living and reigning with Christ during 
the thousand years : — the spirits of the 
martyrs revived, and becoming again 
the reigning spirit on earth. This he 
calls the first resurrection ; and on all 
such he says the second death has no 
power. Temporal death they might 
experience — for such the martyrs had 
experienced — but over them the second 
death has no dominion, for they live and 
reign with the Saviour. This is properly 
the Millennium — the long period when 
the principles of true religion will have 
the ascendency on the earth, as if the 
martyrs and confessors — the most devoted 
and eminent Christians of other times — 
should appear again upon the earth, and 
§ls if their spirit should become the 
reigning and pervading spirit of all who 
professed the Christian name, 

III. The release of Satan, vs. 7, 8. 
After the thousand years of peace and 
triumph shall have expired, Satan will 
be released from his prison, and will 
be permitted to go out and deceive 
the nations which are in the four 
quarters of the earth, and gather them 
together to battle; that is, a state of 
things will exist as if Satan were then 
released. There will be again an out- 
break of sin on the earth, and a conflict 
with the principles of religion, as if an 
innumerable multitude of opposers should 
be marshalled for the conflict by the great 
author of all evil. 

IV. The final subjugation of Satan, 
and destruction of his powers on the 
earth, vs. 9, 10. After the temporary 
and partial outbreak of evil (vs. 7, 8), 
Satan and his hosts will be entirely 
destroyed. The destruction will be 
as if fire should come down from heaven 
to devour the assembled hosts (ver. 9), 
ind as if Satan, the great leader of evil, 
fihould be cast into the same lake where 
the beast and false prophet are, to be 

39 



tormented for ever. Then the church 
will be delivered from all its enemies, 
and religion henceforward will be tri- 
umphant. How long the interval will 
be between this state and that next dis- 
closed (vs. 11-15) — the final judgment — 
is not stated. The eye of the Seer glances 
from one to the other, but there is nothing 
to forbid the supposition, that, according 
to the laws of prophetic vision, there may 
be a long interval in which righteousness 
shall reign upon the earth. Comp. Intro, 
to Isaiah, § 7, III. (3)-(5). 

V. The final judgment, vs. 11-15. 
This closes the earthly scene. Hence- 
forward (chs. xxi., xxii.), the scene is 
transferred to heaven — the abode of the 
redeemed. The last judgment is the 
winding up of the earthly affairs. The 
enemies of the church are all long since 
destroyed; the world has experienced, 
perhaps for a long series of ages, the full 
influence of the gospel ; countless mil- 
lions have been, we may suppose, brought 
under its power; and then at last, in the 
winding up of human affairs, comes the 
judgment of the great day, when the 
dead, small and great, shall stand before 
God ; when the sea shall give up its 
dead ; when death and hell shall give up 
the dead that are in them ; when the re- 
cords of human actions shall be opened, 
and all shall be judged according to their 
works, and when all who are not found 
written in the book of life shall be cast 
into the lake of fire. This is the earthly 
consummation ; henceforward the saints 
shall reign in glory — the New Jerusalem 
above, chs. xxi., xxii. 

In order to prepare the way for a 
proper understanding of this chapter, the 
following additional remarks may be here 
made : — 

(a) The design of this book did not 
demand a minute detail of the events 
which would occur in the consummation 
of human affairs. The main purpose was 
to trace the history of the church to the 
scene of the final triumph when all itp 
enemies would be overthrown, and when 
religion would be permanently establish- 
ed upon the earth. Hence, though in 
the previous chapters we have a detailed 
account of the persecutions that would 
be endured ; of the enemies that would 
rise up against the church, and of their 
complete ultimate overthrow — leaving 
religion triumphant on the earth — yet 
we have no minute statement of what 



458 



KEVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



will occur in the Millennium. A rapid 
view is taken of the closing scenes 
of the earth's history, and the general 
fesults only are stated. It would not 
be strange, therefore, if there should 
be much in this that would seem to be 
enigmatical and obscure — especially as it 
is now all in the future. 

(b) There may be long intervening 
periods between the events thus thrown 
together into the final grouping. We 
are not to suppose necessarily that these 
events will succeed each other imme- 
diately, or that they will be of short 
duration. Between these events thus 
hastily sketched, there may be long in- 
tervals that are not described, and whose 
general character is scarcely even glanced 
at. This results from the very nature of 
ihe prophetic vision, as described in the 
Intro, to Isaiah, g 7, III. (3)-(5). This 
may be illustrated by the view which 
we have in looking at a landscape. When 
ane is placed in a favorable situation, he 
can mark distinctly the order of the ob- 
jects in it — the succession — ike grouping. 
He can tell what objects appear to him 
o lie near to each other, and are appa- 
rently in juxtaposition. But there are 
objects which, in such a vision, the eye 
cannot take in, and which would not be 
exhibited by any description which might 
be given of the view taken. Hills in the 
distant view may seem to lie near each 
other ; one may seem to rise just back of 
another, and to the eye they may seem 
to constitute parts of the same mountain, 
and yet between them there may be deep 
and fertile vales, smiling villages, run- 
ning streams, beautiful , gardens and 
water-falls, which the eye cannot take 
in, and the extent of which it may be 
wholly impossible to conjecture ; and a 
description of the whole scene, as it ap- 
pears to the observer, would convey no 
idea of the actual extent of the intervals. 
So it is in the prophecies. Between the 
events which are to occur hereafter, as 
seen in vision, there may be long inter- 
vals, but the length of these intervals 
the prophet may have left us no means 
of determining. See these thoughts 
more fully illustrated in the introduction 
to Isaiah as above referred to. 

What is here stated may have occurred 
in the vision which John had of the fu- 
ture as described in this chapter. Time 
is marked in the prophetic description 
tt»til the fr* 1 of the great enemy of the 



church ; beyond that it does not seem to 
have been regarded as necessary to de- 
termine the actual duration of the events 
referred to. Comp. Prof. Stuart, Com. ii. 
353, 354. 

(c) These views are sustained by the 
most cursory glance of the chapter be- 
fore us. There is none of the detail 
which we have found in the previous 
portions of the book — for such detail was 
not necessary to the accomplishment of 
the design of the book. The grand pur- 
pose was to show that Christianity would 
finally triumph, and hence the detailed 
description is carried on until that oc- 
curs, and beyond that we have only the 
most general statements. Thus in this 
chapter, the great events that are to oc- 
cur are merely hinted at. The events 
of a thousand years; the invasion by 
Gog and Magog; the ultimate confine- 
ment and punishment of Satan ; the gene- 
ral judgment, are all crowded into the 
space of twelve verses. This shows that 
the distant future is only glanced at by 
the writer ; and we should not wonder, 
therefore, if it should be found to be 
obscure, nor should we regard it as 
strange that much is left to be made 
clear by the events themselves when they 
shall occur. 

(d) The end is triumphant and glorious. 
We are assured that every enemy of the 
church will be slain, and that there will 
be a long period of happiness, prosperity, 
and peace. "The eye of hope," says 
Prof. Stuart beautifully, "is directed for- 
ward, and sees the thousand years of 
uninterrupted prosperity; then the sud- 
den destruction of a new and fatal enemy; 
and all the rest is left to joyful anticipa- 
tion. When all clouds are swept from 
the face of the sky, why should not the 
sun shine forth in all his glory? I can- 
not, therefore, doubt that the setting sun 
of the church on earth is to be as a hea- 
ven of unclouded splendor. Peaceful 
and triumphant will be her latest age. 
The number of the redeemed will be 
augmented beyond all computation ; and 
the promise made from the beginning, 
that 'the Seed of the woman should 
bruise the serpent's head/ will be ful- 
filled in all its extent, and with a divine 
plenitude of meaning. The understand- 
ing and pious reader closes the book 
with admiration, with wonder, with de- 
light, with lofty anticipation of the future, 
and with undaunted resolution to follow 



A. J>, 96.] 



CHAPT 



ER XX. 



459 



CHAPTER XX. 

AND I saw an angel come down 
from heaven, having the key ° 
of the bottomless pit and a great 
chain in his hand. 



on in the steps of those who through 
faith and patience have inherited the 
promises and entered into everlasting 
rest." Vol. ii. pp. 354, 355. 

1. And I saw an angel come down from 
heaven. Clomp. Notes on ch. x. 1. He 
does not say whether this angel had ap- 
peared to him before, but the impression 
is rather that it was a different one. The 
whole character of the composition of 
the book leads us to suppose that differ- 
ent angels were employed to make these 
communications to John, and that in 
fact, in the progress of things disclosed 
in the book, he had intercourse with a 
considerable number of the heavenly 
inhabitants. The scene that is recorded 
here occurred after the destruction of the 
beast and the false prophet (ch. xix. 18- 
21), and therefore, according to the prin- 
ciples expressed in the explanation of 
the previous chapters, what is intended 
to be described here will take place after 
the final destruction of the Papal and 
Mohammedan powers. ^[ Having the 
hey of the bottomless pit. See Notes on 
ch. i. 18, ix. 1. The fact that he has the 
key of that under-world is designed to 
denote here that he can fasten it on 
Satan so that it shall become his prison. 
^ And a great chain in his hand. With 
which to bind the dragon, ver. 2. It is 
called great because of the strength of 
him that was to be bound. The chain 
only appears to have been in his hand. 
Perhaps the key was suspended to his 
side. 

2. And he laid hold on. Seized him 
by violence — Upar^ae. The word de- 
notes the employment of strength or 
force, and it implies that he had power 
superior to that of the dragon. Comp. 
Matt. xiv. 3, xviii. 28, xxi. 46, xxii. 6, 
xxvi. 4. We can at once see the pro- 
priety of the use of this word in this 
connexion. The great enemy to be 
bound has himself mighty power, and 
can be overcome only by a superior. 
This may teach us that it is only a 
power from heaven that can destroy the 
empire of Satan in the world ; and per- 
haps it may teach us that the interposi- 



2 And he laid hold on the drar 
gon, 1 that old serpent, which is the 
Devil, and Satan, and bound c him 
a thousand years. 

oc.l.l8;9.1. &C.12.9. c 2 Pe. 2. 4. Jude 6. 



tion of angels will be employed in bring- 
ing in the glorious state of the Millenni- 
um. Why should it not be? If The 
dragon. See Notes on ch. xii. 3. Comp. 
ch. xii. 4, 7, 13, 16, 17; xiii. 2, 4, 11; 
xvi. 13. There can be no doubt as tc 
the meaning of the word here ; for it is 
expressly said to mean the Devil, and 
Satan. It would seem, however, that it 
refers to some manifestation of the pow- 
er of Satan that would exist after the 
beast and false prophet — that is the 
Papacy and Mohammedanism — should 
be destroyed, and probably the main 
reference is to the still existing power 
of Paganism. Comp. Notes on ch. xvi. 
13, 14. It may include, however, all 
the forms of wickedness which Satan 
shall have kept up on the earth, and all 
the modes of evil by which he will en- 
deavor to perpetuate his reign, f That 
old serpent. This is undoubtedly an 
allusion to the serpent that deceived our 
first parents (Gen. iii. 1, seq.), and there- 
fore a proof that it was Satan that, under 
the form of a serpent, deceived them. 
Comp. Notes on ch. xii. 3. % Which is 
the Devil. On the meaning of this word, 
see Notes on Matt. iv. 1. ^ And Satan. 
On the meaning of this word, see Notes 
on Job i. 6. In regard to the repetition 
of the names of that great enemy of God 
and the church here, Mr. Taylor, in the 
Fragments to Calmefs Dictionary, No. 
152, says, that this " almost resembles a 
modern Old Bailey indictment, in which 
special care is taken to identify the cul- 
prit by a sufficient number of aliases. 
An angel from heaven, having the key 
of the prison of the abyss, and a great 
chain to secure the prisoner, 'appre- 
hended the dragon, alias the old serpent, 
alias the devil, alias the Satan, alias the 
seducer of the world/ who was sentenced 
to a thousand years' imprisonment." The 
object here, however, seems to be not so 
much to identify the culprit by these 
aliases, as to show that under whatever 
forms and by whatever names he had 
appeared, it was always the same being, 
and that now the author of the whole 
evil would be arrested. Thus the one 



KEVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



3 And cast him into the bottom- 
less pit, and shut him up, and set 
a seal ° upon him, that he should 

a Da. 6. 17. 



great enemy sometimes has appeared in 
a form that would be best represented 
by a fierce and fiery dragon ; at another 
in a form that would be best represented 
by a cunning and subtle serpent; now 
in a form to which the word devil, or 
accuser, would be most appropriate ; and 
now in a form in which the word Satan 
—an adversary — would be most expres- 
sive of what he does. In these various 
forms and under these various* names, he 
has ruled the fallen world; and when 
this one great enemy shall be seized and 
imprisoned, all these forms of evil will 
of course come to an end. <jf A thousand 
years. This is the period usually desig- 
nated as the Millennium — f:>r the word 
Millennium means a thousand years. It 
is on this passage that the whole doctrine 
of the Millennium as such has been 
founded. It is true that there are else- 
where in the Scriptures abundant pro- 
mises that the gospel will ultimately 
spread over the world; but the notion 
of a Millennium as such is found in this 
passage alone. It is, however, enough 
to establish the doctrine, if its meaning 
be correctly ascertained, for it is a just 
rule in interpreting the Bible that the 
clearly-ascertained sense of a single pas- 
sage of Scripture is sufficient to establish 
the truth of a doctrine. The fact, how- 
ever, that this passage stands alone in 
this respect, makes it the more important 
to endeavor accurately to determine its 
meaning. There are but three ways in 
which the phrase ' a thousand years' can 
be understood here : either (a) literally; 
or (b r ) in the prophetic use of the term, 
where a day would stand for a year, thus 
making a period of three hundred and 
(sixty thousand years ; or (c) figuratively, 
supposing that it refers to a long but in- 
definite period of time. It may be im- 
possible to determine which of these 
periods is intended, though the first has 
been generally supposed to be the true 
one, and hence the common notion of 
the Millennium. There is nothing, how- 
ever, in the use of the language here, as 
there would be nothing contrary to the 
common use of symbols in this book in 
regard to timo, in tho supposition that 



deceive the nations no more, till the 
thousand years should be fulfilled ; 
and after that he must be loosed a 
little season. 



this was designed to describe the longest 
period here suggested, or that it is 
meant that the world shall enjoy a reign 
of peace and righteousness during the 
long period of three hundred and sixty 
thousand years. Indeed, there are some 
things in the arrangements of nature 
which look as if it were contemplated 
that the earth would continue under a 
reign of righteousness through a vastly 
long period in the future. 

3. And cast him into the bottomless pit. 
See Notes on ch. ix. 1. A state of peace 
and prosperity would exist as if Satan, 
the great disturber, were confined in the 
nether world as a prisoner, And shut 
him up. Closed the massive doors of the 
dark prison-house upon him. Comp. 
Notes on Job x. 21, 22. ^ And set* a 
seal upon him. Or, rather, 'upon it'—- 
Indvo) clvtov. The seal was placed upon 
the door or gate of the prison, not be- 
cause this would fasten the gate or door 
of itself and make it secure, for this was 
secured by the key, but because it pre- 
vented intrusion, or any secret opening 
of it without its being known. See Notes 
on Dan. vi. 17, and Matt, xxvii. 66. The 
idea here is, that every precaution was 
taken for absolute security, That he 
should deceive the nations no more. That 
is, during the thousand years. Comp. 
Notes on ch. xii. 9. Till the thousand 
years should be f ulfilled. That is, during 
that period there will be a state of things 
upon the earth as if Satan should be 
withdrawn from the world, and confined 
in the great prison where he is ultimately 
to dwell for ever, And after that he 
must be loosed for a little season/ See 
vs. 7, 8. That is, a state of things will 
then exist, for a brief period, as if he 
were again released from his prison- 
house, and suffered to go abroad upon 
the earth. The phrase 'a little season' 
—{UKphv xpovov, little time — denotes pro- 
perly that this would be brief as com- 
pared with the thousand years. No in- 
timation is given as to the exact time, 
and it is impossible to conjecture how 
long it will be. All the circumstances 
stated, however, here and in vs. 7-10, 
would lead us to suppose that what is 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EE* XX. 



461 



referred to will be like the sudden out- 
break of a rebellion in a time of general 
peace, but which will soon be quelled. 

§ a. Condition of the world in the 
period referred to in vs. 1-3. 

It may be proper, in order to a correct 
understanding of this chapter, to present 
a brief summary under the different parts 
(see the Analysis of the chapter), of what, 
according to the interpretation proposed, 
may be expected to be the condition of 
things in the time referred to. On the 
portion now before us (vs. 1-3), accord- 
ing to the interpretation proposed, the 
following suggestions may be made : 

(1) This will be subsequent to the 
downfall of the Papacy and the termi- 
nation of the Mohammedan power in the 
world. Of course, then, this lies in the 
future — how far in the future it is impos- 
sible to determine. The interpretation 
of the various portions of this book and 
the book of Daniel, have, however, led 
to the conclusion that the termination 
of those powers cannot now be remote. 
If so, we are on the eve of important 
events in the world's history. The affairs 
of the world look as if things were tend- 
ing to a fulfilment of the prophecies so 
understood. 

(2) It will be a condition of the world 
as if Satan were bound; that is, where 
his influences will be suspended, and the 
principles of virtue and religion will pre- 
vail. According to the interpretation 
of the previous chapters, it will be a state 
in which all that has existed, and that 
now exists in the Papacy to corrupt man- 
kind, to maintain error, and to prevent 
the prevalence of free and liberal prin- 
ciples, will cease ; in which all that there 
now is in the Mohammedan system to 
fetter and enslave mankind — now con- 
trolling more than one hundred and 
twenty millions of the race — shall ha^e 
come to an end ; and in which, in a great 
measure, all that occurs under the direct 
influence of Satan in causing or perpetu- 
ating slavery, war, intemperance, lust, 
avarice, disorder, scepticism, atheism, 
will be checked and stayed. It is proper 
to say, however, that this passage does 
not require us to suppose that there will 
be a total cessation of Satanic influence 
in the earth during that period. Satan 
will indeed be bound and restrained as 
tc his former influence and power. But 
there will be no change in the character 
of man as he comes into the world. 

39* 



There will still be corrupt passions in 
the human heart. Though greatly re 
strained, and though there will be a 
general prevalence of righteousness on 
the earth, yet we are to remember that 
the race is fallen, and that even then, 
if restraint should be taken away, 
man would act out his fallen nature. 
This fact, if remembered, will make it 
appear less strange that after this period 
of prevalent righteousness, Satan should 
be represented as loosed again, and as 
able once more for a time to deceive the 
nations. 

(3) It will be a period of long dura- 
tion. On the supposition that it is to be 
literally a period of one thousand years, 
this is in itself long, and will give, espe- 
cially under the circumstances, oppor- 
tunity for a vast progress in human 
affairs. To form some idea of the length 
of the period, we need only place our- 
selves in imagination back for a thousand 
years — say in the middle of the ninth 
century, and look at the condition of the 
world then, and think of the vast changes 
in human affairs that have occurred dur- 
ing that period. It is to be remembered 
also that if the Millennial period were 
soon to commence, it would find the 
world in a far different state in reference 
to future progress from what it was in 
the ninth century, and that it would 
start off, so to speak, in that period, with 
all the advantages in the arts and sci- 
ences which have been accumulated in 
all the past periods of the world. Even 
if there were no special divine interposi- 
tion, it might be presumed that the race, 
in such circumstances, would make great 
and surprising advances in the long pe- 
riod of a thousand years. And here a 
^very striking remark of Mr. Hugh Miller 
may be introduced as illustrating the 
subject. " It has been remarked by 
some students of the Apocalypse," says 
he, " that the course of predicted events 
at first moves slowly, as, one after one, 
six of seven seals are opened; that on 
the opening of the seventh seal, the pro- 
gress is so considerably quickened that 
the seventh period proves as fertile in 
events — represented by the sounding of 
the seven trumpets — as the foregoing 
six taken together; and that on thi 
seventh trumpet, so great is the further 
acceleration, that there is an amount of 
incident condensed in this seventh part 
. of the seventh period equal, as in the 



462 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



former case, to that of all the previous 
Eix parts in one. There are three cycles, 
it has been said, in the scheme — cycle 
within cycle — the second comprised 
within a seventh portion of the first, and 
the third within a seventh portion of the 
second. Be this as it may, we may at 
least see something that exceedingly 
resembles it in that actual economy of 
change and revolution manifested in 
English history for the last two centuries. 
It would seem as if events in their down- 
ward course, had come under the influ- 
ence of that law of gravitation through 
which falling bodies increase in speed, as 
they descend, according to the squares of 
the distances." First Impressions of Eng- 
land and its People, pp. vii. viii. If to 
this we add the supposition which we 
have seen (Notes on ver. 2) to be by no 
means improbable, that it is intended in 
the description of the Millennium in this 
chapter, that the world will continue 
under a reign of peace and righteousness 
for the long period of three hundred and 
sixty thousand years, it is impossible to 
anticipate what progress will be made 
during that period, or to enumerate the 
numbers that will be saved. On this 
subject, see some very interesting re- 
marks in the Old Red Sandstone, by 
Hugh Miller, pp. 248, 249, 250, 258, 
259. Comp. Prof. Hitchcock's Religion 
and Geology, pp. 370-409. 

(4) What, then, will be the state of 
things during that long period of a thou- 
sand years ? 

(a) There will be a great increase in 
the population of the globe. Let wars 
cease, and intemperance cease, and 
slavery cease, and the numberless pas- 
sions that now shorten life be stayed, 
and it is easy to see that there must be a 
vast augmentation in the number of the 
human species. 

(b) There will be a general diffusion 
of intelligence on the earth. Every cir- 
cumstance would be favorable to it, and 
the world would be in a condition to 
make rapid advances in knowledge. 
Dan. xii. 4. 

(c) That period will be characterized 
by the universal diffusion of revealed 
truth. Isa. xi. 9, xxv. 7. 

(d) It will be marked by unlimited 
subjection to the sceptre of Christ. Ps. 
ii. 7 ; Zech. ix. 10 ; Ps. xxii. 27-29 ; Isa. 
ii. 2, 3, lxvi. 23 ; Zech. xiv. 9 ; Matt. xiii. 
31, 32 ; Rev. xi. 15. 

(e) There will be great progress in all 



that tends to promote the welfare of man. 
We are not to suppose that the resources 
of nature are exhausted. Nature gives 
no signs of exhaustion or decay. In the 
future, there is no reason to doubt that 
there will yet be discoveries and inven- 
tions more surprising and wonderful than 
the art of printing, or the uses of steam, 
| or the .magnetic telegraph. There are 
I profounder secrets of nature that may be 
delivered up than any of these, and the 
world is tending to their development. 

(/) It will be a period of the universal 
reign of peace. The attention of man- 
kind will be turned to the things which 
tend to promote the welfare of the race, 
and advance the best interests of society. 
The single fact that wars will cease, will 
make an inconceivable difference in the 
aspect of the world; for if universal 
peace shall prevail through the long 
period of the Millennium, and the 
wealth, the talent, and the science now 
employed in human butchery shall be 
devoted to the interests of agriculture, 
the mechanic arts, learning, and religion, 
it is impossible now to estimate the pro- 
gress which the race will make, and the 
changes which will be produced on the 
earth. For scripture proofs that it will 
be a time of universal peace, see Isa. ii. 
4, Mic. iv. 3, Isa. xi. 6-9. 

(g) There will be a general prevalence 
of evangelical religion. This is apparent 
in the entire description in this passage, 
for the two most formidable opposing 
powers that religion has ever known — 
the beast and the false prophet — will be 
destroyed, and Satan will be bound. In 
this long period, therefore, we are to 
suppose that the gospel will exert its fair 
influence on governments, on families, 
on individuals ,* in the intercourse of 
neighbors, and in the intercourse of na- 
tions. God will be worshipped in spirit 
and in truth, and not in the mere forma 
of devotion ; and temperance, truth, lib- 
erty, social order, honesty, and love, will 
prevail over the world. 

(h) It will be a time when .the He- 
brew people — the Jews — will be brought 
to the knowledge of the truth, and will 
embrace the Messiah whom their fathers 
crucified. Rom. xi. 26-29 ; Zech. xii. 10, 
xiii. 1. • 

(i) Yet, we are not necessarily to sup- 
pose thata^ the world will be absolutely 
and entirely brought under the power of 
the gospel. There will be still on the 
earth the remains of wickedness in the 



4. D. 96.] 



C H APT 



ER XX. 



463 



4 And I saw thrones, a and they 

a Da. 7. 9, 22. 27 ; Lu. 22. 30. 

corrupted human heart, and there will 
toe so much tendency to sin in the human 
soul, that Satan, when released for a 
time (vs. 7, 8), will he able once more to 
deceive mankind, and to array a formi- 
dable force, represented by Gog and 
Magog, against the cause of truth and 
righteousness. We are not to suppose 
that the nature of mankind as fallen will 
be essentially changed, or that there 
may not be sin enough in the human 
heart to make it capable of the same op- 
position to the gospel of God which has 
thus far been evinced in all ages. From 
causes which are not fully stated, (vs. 8, 
9), Satan will be enabled once more to 
rouse up their enmity, and to make one 
more desperate effort to destroy the 
kingdom of the Redeemer by rallying 
his forces for a conflict. See these views 
illustrated in the work entitled Christ's 
Second Coming, by Rev. David Brown, 
of St. James' Free Church, Glasgow. N. 
Y., 1851. Pp. 398-442. 

4. And I saw thrones — 3-povovs. See 
ch. i. 4, iii. 21, iv. 2, 4. John here sim- 
ply says that he saw in vision thrones, 
with persons sitting on them, but with- 
out intimating who they were that sat 
on them. It is not the throne of God 
that is now revealed, for the word is in 
the plural number, though the writer 
does not hint how many thrones there 
were. It is intimated, however, that 
these thrones were placed with some re- 
ference to pronouncing a judgment, or 
determining the destiny of some portion 
of mankind, for it is immediately added, 
"and judgment was given unto them." 
There is considerable resemblance, in 
many respects, between this and the 
statement in Daniel (vii. 9) : "I beheld 
till the thrones were cast down, and the 
Ancient of days did sit,-" or, as it should 
be rendered, { I beheld' — that is, I con- 
tinued to look — 'until the thrones were 
placed or set/ to wit, for purposes of 
judgment. See Notes on that passage. 
So John here sees, as the termination of 
human affairs approaches, thrones placed 
with reference to a determination of the 
destiny of some portion of the race, as if 
they were now to have a trial, and to 
receive a sentence of acquittal or con- 
demnation. The persons on whom this 
pigment is to pass, are specified in the 



sat upon them, and judgment 6 was 
b l Co. 6. 2, 3. 

course of the verse — as those who were 
' beheaded for the witness of Jesus, who 
had the word of God, who had not wor- 
shipped the beast/ &a. The time when 
this was to occur manifestly was at the 
beginning of the thousand years, fl" And 
they sat on them. Who sat on them is 
not mentioned. The natural construc- 
tion is, that judges sat on them, or that 
persons sat on them to whom judgment 
was entrusted. The language is such as 
would be used on the supposition either 
that he had mentioned the subject before, 
so that he would be readily understood, 
or that, from some other cause, it was so 
well understood that there was no neces- 
sity for mentioning who they were. John 
seems to have assumed that it would be 
understood who were meant. And yet to 
us it is not entirely clear — for John has 
not before this given us any such intima- 
tion that we can determine with certainty 
what is intended. The probable con- 
struction is, that those are referred to 
to whom it appropriately belonged to 
occupy such seats of judgment, and 
who they are is to be determined from 
other parts of the Scriptures. In Mat- 
thew xix. 28, the Saviour says to his 
apostles, " When the Son of man shall 
sit on the throne of his glory, ye also 
shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging 
the twelve tribes of Israel." In 1 Cor. 
vi. 2, Paul asks the question, " Do ye 
not know that the saints shall judge the 
world ?" The meaning, as thus explain- 
ed, is, that Christians will, in some way, 
be employed in judging the world : — that 
is, that they will be exalted to the right 
hand of the Judge, and be elevated to a 
station of honor, as if they were asso- 
ciated with the Son of God in the judg- 
ment. Something of that kind is doubt- 
less referred to here, and John probably 
means to say that he saw the thrones 
placed on which those will sit who will 
be employed in judging the world. If 
the apostles are specially referred to, 
it was natural that John, eminent for 
modesty, should not particularly men- 
tion them, as he was one of them, and 
as the true allusion would be readily 
understood. And judgment was given 
unto them. The power of pronouncing 
sentence in the case referred to was con- 
ferred on them, and they proceeded to 



464 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 06. 



given unto them: and I saw the 
souls ° of them that were beheaded 

a c. 6. 9. 

exercise that power. This was not in 
relation to the whole race of mankind, 
but to the martyrs, and to those who, 
amidst many temptations and trials, had 
kept themselves pure. The sentence 
which is to be passed would seem to be 
that in consequence of which they are to 
be permitted to 'live and reign with 
Christ a thousand years/ The form of 
this expressed approval is that of a 
resurrection and judgment ; whether 
this be the literal mode is another en- 
quiry, and will properly be considered 
when the exposition of the passage 
shall have been given, And I saw 
the souls of them. This is a very im- 
portant expression in regard to the 
meaning of the whole passage. John 
says he saw the souls — not the bodies. 
If the obvious meaning of this be the 
correct meaning ; if he saw the souls of 
the martyrs, not the bodies, this would 
seem to exclude the notion of a literal 
resurrection, and consequently overturn 
many of the theories of a literal resur- 
rection, and of a literal reign of the 
saints with Christ during the thousand 
years of the Millennium. The doctrine 
of the last resurrection, as everywhere 
stated in the Scripture, is, that the body 
will be raised up, and not merely that 
the soul will live (see 1 Cor. 1 Cor. xv. 
and the Notes on that chapter), and 
consequently John must mean to refer 
in this place to something different from 
that resurrection, or to any proper re- 
surrection of the dead as the expression 
is commonly understood. The doctrine 
which has been held, and is held, by 
those who maintain that there will be a 
literal resurrection of the saints to reign 
with Christ during a thousand years, 
can receive no support from this pas- 
sage, for there is no ambiguity respect- 
ing the word souls — ip v X<* s — as use d here. 
By no possible construction can it mean 
the bodies of the saints. If John had 
intended to state that the saints, as such, 
would be raised as they will be at the 
last day, it is clear that he would not 
have used this language, but would have 
employed the common language of the 
New Testament to denote it. The lan- 
guage here does not express the doc- 



tor the witness of Jesus, and for 
the word of God, and which had 
not worshipped the beast, neither 



trine of the resurrection of the body, 
and if no other language but this had 
been used in the New Testament, the 
doctrine of the resurrection, as now 
taught and received, could not be esta- 
blished. These considerations make it 
clear to my mind that John did not 
mean to teach that there would be a 
literal resurrection of the saints, that 
they might live and reign with Christ 
personally during the period of a thou- 
sand years. There was undoubtedly 
something that might be compared with 
the resurrection, and that might, in some 
proper sense, be called a resurrection 
(vs. 5, 6), but there is not the slightest 
intimation that it would be a resur- 
rection of the body, or that it would 
be identical with the final resurrection. 
John undoubtedly intends to describe 
some honor conferred on the spirits or 
souls of the saints and martyrs during 
this long period, as if they were raised 
from the dead, or which might be repre- 
sented by a resurrection from the dead. 
What that honor is to be, is expressed 
by their i living and reigning with Christ/ 
The meaning of this will be explained 
in the exposition of these words : — 
but the word used here is fatal to the 
notion of a literal resurrection and a 
personal reign with Christ on the earth. 
^ That were beheaded. The word here 
used — 7T£>£Kt£a> — occurs nowhere else in 
the New Testament. It properly means, 
to axe, that is, to hew or cut with an 
axe — from niXticvs — axe. Hence it means 
to behead with an axe. This was a 
common mode of execution among the 
Unmans, and doubtless many of tho 
Christian martyrs suffered in this man- 
ner, but "it cannot be supposed to have 
been the intention of the writer to confine 
the rewards of martyrs to those who 
suffered in this particular way ; for this 
specific and ignominious method of 
punishment is designated merely as the 
symbol of any and every kind of mar- 
tyrdom." Prof. Stuart, For the wit- 
ness of Jesus. As witnesses for Jesus ; 
or bearing in this way their testimony to 
the truth of his religion. See Notes on 
ch. i. 9 ; comp. ch. vi. 9. And for the 
word of God, See Notes on ch. L 9. 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XX. 



466 



his image, neither had received 
his mark upon their foreheads, 
or in their hands ; and they lived 



^[ Which had not worshipped the beast 
Who had remained faithful to the prin- 
ciples of the true religion, and had re- 
sisted all the attempts made to seduce 
them from the faith, even the temptations 
and allurements in the times of the 
Papacy. See this language explained 
in the Notes on ch. xiii. 4. Neither 
his image. Notes, chapter xiii. 14, 15. 
^[ Neither had received his mark upon 
their foreheads, or in their hands. See 
Notes on ch. xiii. 16. ^ And they lived, 
etyaav, from — to live. Very much, 
in the whole passage, depends on this 
word. The meanings given to the word 
by Prof. Robinson (Lex.) are the follow- 
ing : — (a) to live, to have life, spoken of 
physical life and existence; (b) to live ; 
that is, to sustain life, to live on or by 
any thing; (c) to live in any way, to 
pass one's life in any manner; (d) to 
live and prosper; to be blessed. It 
may be applied to those who were 
before dead (Matt. ix. 18 ; Mark xvi. 
11 ; Luke xxiv. 23 ; John v. 25 ; Acts 
i. 3, ix. 41), but it does not necessarily 
imply this, nor does the mere use of the 
word suggest it. It is the proper notion 
of living, or having life now, whatever 
was the former state — whether non- 
existence, death, sickness, or health. 
The mind, in the use of this word, is 
fixed on the present as a state of living. 
It is not necessarily in contrast with a 
former state as dead, but it is on the fact 
that they are now alive. As, however, 
there is reference, in the passage before 
us, to the fact that a portion of those men- 
tioned had been ' beheaded for the wit- 
ness of Jesus/ it is to be admitted that 
the word here refers, in some sense, to 
that fact. They were put to death in 
the body, but their ' soids' were now 
seen to be alive. They had not ceased 
to be, but they lived and reigned with 
Christ as if they had been raised up 
from the dead. And when this is said 
of the 'souls' of those who were be- 
headed, and who were seen to reign 
with Christ, it cannot mean (a) that 
their soids came to life again — for 
there is no intimation that they had for 
a moment ceased to exist; nor (b) that 
thej then became immortal — for that 



and reigned a with Christ a thou- 
sand years. 

a c. 5. 10. 



was always true of them; nor (c) that 
there was any literal resurrection of the 
body, as Prof. Stuart (ii. 360, 475, 476), 
supposes, and as is supposed by those 
who hold to a literal reign of Christ on 
the earth, for there is no intimation of 
the resurrection of the body. The mean- 
ing, then, so far as the language is con- 
cerned, must be, that there would exist 
at the time of the thousand years, a 
state of things as if the martyrs were 
raised up from the dead — an honoring 
of the martyrs as if they should live and 
reign with Christ. Their names would 
be vindicated ; their principles would be 
revived ; they would be exalted in pub- 
lic estimation above other men ; they 
would be raised from the low rank in 
which they were held by the world in 
times of persecution, to a state which 
might well be represented by their 
sitting with Christ on the throne of 
government, ar*d by their being made 
visible attendants on his glorious king- 
dom. This would not occur in respect 
to the rest of the dead — even the pious 
dead (ver. 5), for their honors and re- 
wards would be reserved for the great 
day when all the dead should be judged 
according to their deeds. In this view 
of the meaning of this passage, there is 
nothing that forbids us to suppose that 
the martyrs will be conscious of the 
honor thus clone to their names, their 
memory, and their principles on earth, 
or that this consciousness will in- 
crease their joy even in heaven. This 
sense of the passage is thus expressed, 
substantially, by Archbishop Whateley 
(Essays on the Future State) : " It may 
signify not the literal raising of dead 
men, but the raising up of an increased 
Christian zeal and holiness : the re- 
vival in the Christian church, or in 
some considerable portion of it, of the 
spirit and energy of the noble martyrs 
of old (even as John the Baptist came 
in the spirit and power of Elias) ; so that 
Christian principles shall be displayed 
in action throughout the woild in an 
infinitely greater degree than ever be- 
fore." This view of the signification of 
the word lived is sustained by its use else 
where in the Scriptures, and by its *wa- 



466 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years 



mon use among men. Thus in this 
very book, ch. xi. 11, " And after three 
days and an half, the Spirit of life from 
God entered into them, and they stood 
upon their feet." So in Ezekiel, in 
speaking of the restoration of the Jews, 
" Thus saith the Lord God, my 
people, / will open your graves, and 
cause you to come up out of your graves, 
and bring you into the land of Israel. 
And ye shall know that I am the Lord, 
when I have opened your graves, and 
brought you up out of your graves, and 
shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall 
live" ch. xxvii. 12-14. So in Hosea, 
vi. 2, " After two days he will revive us 
[cause us to live again ] ,• in the third 
day he will raise us up, and we shall 
live in his sight." So in the Parable of 
the Prodigal Son : " This thy brother 
was dead, and is alive again," Luke xv. 
32. So in Isaiah xxvi. 19, " Thy dead 
men shall live, together with my dead 
body shall they arise." The following 
extract from D'Aubigne's History of the 
Reformation, will show how natural it is 
to use the very language employed here 
when the idea is intended to be con- 
veyed of reviving former principles as if 
•the men who held them should be raised 
to life again. It is the language of the 
martyr John Huss, who, in speaking of 
himself in view of a remarkable dream 
that he had, said, " I am no dreamer, 
but I maintain this for certain that the 
image of Christ will never be effaced. 
They [his enemies] have wished to 
destroy it, but it shall be painted afresh 
in all hearts by much better preachers 
than myself. The nation that loves 
Christ will rejoice at this. And I, 
awaking from among the dead, and 
rising, so to spealz, from my grave, shall 
leap with great joy." So a Brief ad- 
dressed by Pope Adrian to the Diet at 
Nuremberg, contains these words : " The 
heretics Huss and Jerome are now alive 
again in the person of Martin Luther." 
For a further illustration of the pas- 
sage, see the remarks which follow (£ b) 
on the state of things which may be 
expected to exist in the time referred 
to in vs. 4-6. ^[ And reigned with 
Christ, Were exalted in their princi- 
ples, and in their personal happiness in 
heaven, as i/*they occupied the throne 
frith him, and personally shared his 



honors and his triumphs. Who can tell, 
also, whether they may not be employed 
in special services of mercy, in adminis- 
tering the affairs of his government 
during that bright and happy period? 
\ A thousand years. During the period 
when Satan will be bound, and when 
the true religion will have the as- 
cendency in the earth. Notes, ver. 2. 

5. But the rest of the dead. In contra- 
distinction from the beheaded martyrs, 
and from those who had kept themselves 
pure in the times of great temptation. 
The phrase 'rest of the dead' here would 
most naturally refer to the same general 
class which was before mentioned — the 
pious dead. The meaning is, that the 
martyrs would be honored as if they were 
raised up and the others not; that is, 
that special respect would be shown to 
their principles, their memory, and their 
character. In other words, special honor 
would be shown to a spirit of eminent 
piety during that period, above the com- 
mon and ordinary piety which has been 
manifested in the church. The 'rest of 
the dead' — the pious dead — would indeed 
be raised up and rewarded, but they 
would occupy comparatively humble 
places, as if they did not partake in the 
exalted triumphs when the world should 
be subdued to the Saviour. Their places 
in honor, in rank, and in reward, would 
be beneath that of those who in fiery times 
had maintained unshaken fidelity to the 
cause of truth. IT Lived not. On the 
word lived, see Notes on ver. 4. That is, 
they lived not during that period in the 
peculiar sense in which it is said (ver. 4,) 
that the eminent saints and martyrs 
lived. They did not come into remem- 
brance ; their principles were not what 
then characterised the church ; they did 
not see, as the martyrs did, their princi- 
ples and mode of life in the ascendency, 
and consequently they had not the aug- 
mented happiness and honor which the 
more eminent saints and martyrs had. 
IT Until the thousand years are finished. 
Then all who were truly the children of 
God, though some might be less eminent 
than others had been, would come into 
remembrance, and would have their 
proper place in the rewards of heaven. 
The language here is not necessarily to 
be interpreted as meaning that they would 
be raised up then, or would live then, 



k. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XX. 



467 



were finished. This is the first 
resurrection. 

6 Blessed and holy is he that 
hath part in the first resurrection : 

a c. 2.11; 21. 8. 

whatever may be true on that point. It 
is merely an emphatic mode of affirming 
that up to that period they would not live 
in the sense in which it is affirmed that 
the others would. But it is not amrmed 
that they would even then ' live' imme- 
diately. A long interval might elapse 
before that would occur in the general 
resurrection of the dead. See the Ana- 
lysis of the chapter. ^ This is the first 
resurrection. The resurrection of the 
saints and martyrs, as specified in ver. 4. 
It is called the first resurrection in con- 
tradistinction from the second and last — 
the general resurrection — when all the 
dead will be literally raised up from their 
graves, and assembled for the judgment, 
ver. 12. It is not necessary to suppose 
that what is called here the ' first resur- 
rection' will resemble the real and literal 
resurrection in every respect. All that 
is meant is, that there will be such a re- 
semblance as to make it proper to call it 
a resurrection — a coming to life again. 
This will be, as explained in the Notes 
on ver. 4, in the honor done to the mar- 
tyrs ; in the restoration of their principles 
as the great actuating principles of the 
church,- and perhaps in the increased 
happiness conferred on them in heaven, 
and in their being employed in promot- 
ing the cause of truth in the world. 

6. Blessed. That is, his condition is 
to be regarded as a happy or a favored 
one. This is designed apparently to sup- 
port and encourage those who in the 
time of John suffered persecution, or 
who might suffer persecution afterwards. 
IT And holy. That is, no one will be thus 
honored who has not an established 
character for holiness. Holy principles 
will then reign, and none will be exalted 
to that honor who have not a character 
for eminent sanctity, That hath part 
in the first resurrection. That partici- 
pated in it; that is, who is associated 
with those who are thus raised up. ^ On 
iuck the second death hath no power. The 
* second death' is properly the death 
^fhich the wicked will experience in the 
world of woe. See ver. 14 The mean- 
ing here is, that all who are here referred 



on such the second death a hath no 
power, but they shall be priests 1 
of God and of Christ, and shall 
reign with him a thousand years. 
b Is. 61. 6; c.l. 6. 



to as having part in the first resurrection, 
will be secure against that. It will be 
one of the blessed privileges of heaven 
that there will be absolute security 
against death in any and every form ; 
and when we think of what death is here, 
and still more when we think of 'the 
bitter pains of the second death/ we may 
well call that state ' blessed' in which 
there will be eternal exemption from 
either. ^ But they shall be priests of God 
and of Christ, and shall reign with him* 
See Notes on chs. i. 6, v. 10. 

$ b. Condition of the world in the pe- 
riod referred to in vs. 4-6. 

I. It is well known that this passage 
is the principal one which is relied on 
by those who advocate the doctrine of 
the literal reign of Christ on the earth 
for a thousand years, or who hold what 
are called the doctrines of the 'second 
advent/ The points which are main- 
tained by those who advocate these views, 
are, substantially, (a) that at that period 
Christ will descend from heaven to reign 
personally upon the earth; (b) that he 
will have a central place of power and 
authority, probably Jerusalem ; (c) that 
the righteous dead will then be raised, 
in such bodies as are to be immortal; 
(d) that they will be his atten dents, and 
will participate with him in the govern- 
ment of the world ; (e) that this will con- 
tinue during the period of a thousand 
years; (/) that the world will be subdued 
and converted during this period, not by 
moral means, but by ' a new dispensa- 
tion' — by the power of the Son of God; 
and (g) that at the close of this period 
all the remaining dead will be raised, 
the judgment will take place, and the 
affairs of the earth will be consum- 
mated. 

The opinion here adverted to was held 
substantially by Papias, Justin Martyr, 
Irenaeus, Tertullian, and others among 
the Christian Fathers, and, it need not 
be said, is held by many modern exposi- 
tors of the Bible, and by large numbers 
of Christian ministers of high standing, 
and other Christians. See the Literalittf 
passim. The opinion of the Christi&i 



468 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



Fathers, with which the modern ' literal- 
ists,' as they are called, substantially co- 
incide, is thus stated by Mr. Elliott : — 
" This resurrection is to be literally that 
of departed saints and martyrs, then at 
length resuscitated in the body from 
death and the grave ; its time to synchro- 
nize with, or follow instantly after, the 
destruction of the beast Antichrist, on 
Christ's personal second advent; the 
binding of Satan to be an absolute re- 
striction of the power of hell from tempt- 
ing, deceiving, or injuring mankind, 
throughout a literal period of a thousand 
years, thence calculated j the government 
of the earth during its continuance to be 
administered by Christ and the risen 
saints — the latter being now taayyeXoi — 
in nature like angels ; and under it, all 
false religion having been put down, the 
Jews and saved remnant of the Gentiles 
been converted to Christ, the earth reno- 
vated by the fire of Antichrist's destruc- 
tion, and Jerusalem made the universal 
capital, there will be a realization on 
earth of the blessedness depicted in the 
Old Testament prophecies, as well as 
perhaps of that too which is associated 
with the new Jerusalem in the visions 
of the Apocalypse — until at length this 
Millennium having ended, and Satan 
gone forth to deceive the nations, the 
final consummation will follow; the new- 
raised enemies of the saints, Gog and 
Magog, be destroyed by fire from heaven : 
and then the general resurrection and 
judgment take place, the Devil and his 
servants be cast into the lake of fire, 
and the Millennial reign of the saints 
extend itself into one of eternal dura- 
tion." Elliott on the Apocalypse, iv. 
177, 178. 

Mr. Elliott's own opinion, represent- 
ing, it is supposed, that of the great body 
of the ( liter alists,' is thus expressed : "It 
would seem, therefore, that in this state 
of things and of feeling in professing 
Christendom [a feeling of carnal securi- 
ty], all suddenly, and unexpectedly, and 
conspicuous over the world as the light- 
ning that shineth from the East even 
unto the West, the second advent and 
appearing of Christ will take place ; that 
at the accompanying voice of the Arch- 
angel, and trump of God, the departed 
saints of either dispensation will rise 
from their graves to meet him — alike 
patriarchs, and prophets, and apostles, 
and martyrs, and confessors — all at once 



and in the twinkling of an eye ; and then 
instantly the saints living at the time 
will be also caught up to meet him in 
the air; these latter being separated out 
of the ungodly nations, as when a shep- 
herd divides his sheep from the goats, 
and all, both dead and living saints, 
changed at the moment from corruption 
to incorruption, from dishonor to glory, 
though with very different degrees of 
glory; and so in a new angelic nature, 
to take part in the judging and ruling in 
this world. Meanwhile, with a tremen- 
dous earthquake accompanying, of vio- 
lence unknown since the revolutions of 
primeval chaos, an earthquake under 
which the Roman world at least is to 
rock to and fro like a drunken man, the 
solid crust of this earth shall be broken, 
and fountains burst forth from its inner 
deep, not as once of water, but of liquid 
fire ; and that the flames shall consume 
the Antichrist and his confederate kings, 
while the sword also does its work of 
slaughter; the risen saints being perhaps 
the attendants of the Lord's glory in this 
destruction of Antichrist, and assessors 
in his judgment on a guilty world. And 
then immediately the renovation of this 
our earth is to take place, its soil being 
purified by the very action of the fire, 
and the Spirit poured out from on high, 
in a yet better sense, the moral face of 
nature ; the shekinah, or personal glory 
of Christ amidst his saints being mani- 
fested chiefly in the Holy Land and at 
Jerusalem, but the whole earth partaking 
of the blessedness ; and thus the regene- 
ration of all things, and the world's re- 
demption from the curse, having their ac- 
complishment, according to the promise, 
at the manifestation of the sons of God." 
iv. 224-231.* 

To this account of the prevailing opi- 
nion of the ' literalists' in interpreting 
the passage before us, there should be 
added that of Prof. Stuart, who, in gene- 
ral, is as far as possible from sympa- 
thizing with this class of writers. He 
says in his explanation of the expression 
'they lived* in ver. 4, "There would 
seem to remain, therefore, only one 
meaning which can be consistently given 
to etyoav, [they lived], viz. : that they (the 
martyrs who renounced the beast) are 
now restored to life, viz., such life as 
implies the vivification of the body. Not 

* I have (lightly abridged this pasrsge, b«t bar* f 
Uiaed the sens*. 



A. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER XX. 



469 



to a union of the soul with a gross mate- 
rial body indeed,, but with such an one 
as the saints in general will have at the 
final resurrection — a spiritual body. 
1 Cor. xv. 44. In no other way can this 
resurrection be ranked as correlate with 
the second resurrection named in the 
sequel." ii. 360. So again, Excursus vi. 
(vol. ii. p, 476), he says, "I do not see 
how we can, on the ground of exegesis, 
fairly avoid the conclusion, that John 
has taught in the passage before us, that 
there icill be a resurrection of the martyr- 
saints, at the commencement of the period 
after Satan shall have been shut up in the 
dungeon of the great abyss.' 3 This opi- 
nion he defends at length, pp. 476-490. 
Prof. Stuart, indeed, maintains that the 
martyrs thus raised up will be taken to 
heaven and reign with Christ there, and 
opposes the whole doctrine of the literal 
reign on the earth, ii. 480. The risen 
saints and martyrs are to be " enthroned 
with Christ ; that is, they are to be where 
he dwells, and where he will continue to 
dwell, until he shall make his descent at 
the final judgment-day." 

II. In regard to these views as ex- 
pressive of the meaning of the passage 
under consideration, I would make the 
following remarks : — 

(1) There is strong presumptive evi- 
dence against this interpretation, and 
especially against the main point in the 
doctrine — that there will be a literal 
resurrection of the bodies of the saints at 
the beginning of that Millennial period 
to live and reign with Christ on earth — 
from the following circumstances: — (a) 
It is admitted on all hands that this 
doctrine, if contained in the Scriptures 
at all, is found in this one passage only. 
It is not pretended that there is in any 
other place a direct affirmation that this 
will literally occur, nor would the advo- j 
cates for that opinion undertake to show 
that it is fairly implied in any other part j 
of the Bible. But it is strange, not to 
say improbable, that the doctrine of the j 
literal resurrection of the righteous a 
thousand years before the wicked, should 
be announced in one passage only. If it j 
were so announced in plain and unam- 
biguous language, I admit that the be- ! 
liever in the divine origin of the Scrip- 
tures would be bound to receive it ; but j 
this is so contrary to the usual method 
of the Scriptures on all great and im- : 
portant doctrines, that this circumstance ! 
4* 



should lead us at least to doubt whether 
the passage is correctly interpreted. The 
resurrection of the dead is a subject on 
which the Saviour often dwelt in his in- 
structions : it is a subject which the apos- 
tles discussed very frequently and at 
great length in their preaching, and in 
their writings ; it is presented by them 
in a great variety of forms, for the con- 
solation of Christians in time of trouble, 
and with reference to the condition of 
the world at the winding up of human 
affairs; and it is strange that in respect 
to so important a doctrine as this, if it 
be true, there is not elsewhere in the 
New Testament, a hint, an intimation, 
an allusion, that would lead us to sup- 
pose that the righteous are to be raised 
in this manner, (b) If this is a true 
doctrine, it would be reasonable to ex- 
pect that a clear and unambiguous state- 
ment of it would be made. Certainly if 
there is but one statement on the subject, 
that might be expected to be a perfectly 
clear one. It would be a statement 
about which there could be no diversity 
of opinion, concerning which those who 
embraced it might be expected to hold the 
same views. But it cannot be pretended 
that this is so in regard to this passage. 
It occurs in the book which of all the 
books in the Bible is most distinguished 
for figures and symbols: it cannot be 
maintained that it is directly and clearly 
affirmed: and it is not so taught that 
there is any uniformity of view among 
those who profess to hold it. In nothing 
has there been greater diversity among 
men than in the opinions of those who 
profess to hold the 'literal' views re- 
specting the personal reign of Christ on 
the earth. But this fact assuredly af- 
fords presu?nptive evidence that the doc- 
trine of the literal resurrection of the 
saints a thousand years before the rest 
of the dead is not intended to be taught, 
(c) It is presumptive proof against this, 
that nothing is said of the employment 
of those who are raised up ; of the reason 
why they are raised ; of the new circum- 
stances of their being; and of their con- 
dition when the thousand years shall 
have ended. In so important a matter 
as this, we can hardly suppose that the 
whole subject would be left to a single 
hint in a symbolical representation — de- 
pending on the doubtful meaning of a 
single word, and with nothing to enable 
us to determine with absolute certainty 



470 



REVELATION, 



[A. J). 96. 



that this must be the meaning, (d) If 
it be meant that this is a description of 
the resurrection of the righteous as such 
— embracing all the righteous — then it 
is wholly unlike all the other descrip- 
tions of the resurrection of the righteous 
that we have in the Bible. Here the 
account is confined to ' those that were 
beheaded for the witness of Jesus/ and 
to ' those who had not worshipped the 
beast.' If the righteous as such are here 
referred to, why are these particular 
classes specified ? Why are not the usual 
general terms employed ? Why is the 
account of the resurrection confined to 
these ? Elsewhere in the Scriptures the 
account of the resurrection is given in 
the most general terms (comp. Matt. xxv. 
41; John v. 28, 29, iv. 54; Rom. ii. 7; 
1 Cor. xv. 23 ; Phil. iii. 20, 21 ; 2 Thess. 
i. 10 ; Heb. ix. 28 ; 1 John ii. 28, 29, iii. 
2), and if this had been the designed 
reference here, it is inconceivable why 
the statement should be limited to the 
martyrs, and to those who have evinced 
great fidelity in the midst of temptations 
and allurements to apostacy. These cir- 
cumstances furnish strong presumptive 
proofs, at least, against the doctrine that 
-Sere is to be a literal resurrection of all 
th^s saints at the beginning of the Millen- 
nial period. Comp. " Christ's Second 
Coming" by Rev. David Brown, p. 219, 
seq. 

(2) In reference to many of the views 
necessarily implied in the doctrine of the 
' Second Advent/ and avowed by those 
who hold that doctrine, it cannot be 
pretended that they receive any counte- 
nance or support from this passage. In 
the language of Prof. Stuart (com. ii. 
479), there is "not a word of Christ's 
descent to the earth at the beginning of 
the Millennium. Nothing of the literal 
assembling of the Jews in Palestine ; 
nothing of the Messiah's temporal reign 
on earth; nothing of the overflowing 
abundance of worldly peace and plenty." 
Indeed, in all this passage, there is net 
the remotest hint of the grandeur and 
magnificence of the reign of Christ as a 
literal king upon the earth ; nothing of 
his having a splendid capital at Jerusa- 
lem or any where else ; nothing of a new 
dispensation of a miraculous kind ; no- 
thing of the renovation of the earth to 
fit it for the abode of the risen saints. 
All this is the mere work of fancy, and 
no man can pretend that it is to be found 
in this passage. 



(3) Nor is there any thing here of 
a literal resurrection of the bodies of 
the dead, as Prof. Stuart himself sup- 
poses. It is not a little remarkable that 
a scholar so accurate as Prof. Stuart is, 
and one too who has so little sympathy 
with the doctrines connected with a 
literal reign of Christ on the earth, 
should have lent the sanction of his 
name to perhaps the most objectionable 
of all the dogmas connected with thai 
view — the opinion that the bodies of the 
saints will be raised up at the beginning 
of the Millennial period. Of this there 
is not one word, one intimation, one hint 
in the passage before us. John says 
expressly, and as if to guard the point 
from all possible danger of this construc- 
tion, that he 'saw the souls of them 
that were beheaded for the witness of 
Jesus / he saw them Hiving* and 'reign- 
ing' with Christ — raised to exalted honor 
during that period, as if they had been 
raised from the dead; but he nowhere 
mentions or intimates that they were 
raised up from their graves ; that they 
were clothed with bodies; that they 
had their residence now literally on 
the earth; or that they were in any 
way otherwise than disembodied spirits. 
There is not even one word of their 
having * a spiritual body/ 

(4) There are positive arguments, 
svhich are perfectly decisive, against the 
interpretation which supposes that the 
bodies of the saints will be raised up at 
the beginning of the Millennial period 
to reign with Christ on the earth for a 
thousand years. Among these are the 
following : — 

(«) If the 'first resurrection' mean 
rising from the grave in immortal and 
glorified bodies, we do not need the as- 
surance (ver. 6) that "on such the se- 
cond death hath no power;" that is, 
that they would not perish for ever. 
That would be a matter of course, and 
there was no necessity for such a state- 
ment. But if it be supposed that the 
main idea is that the principles of the 
martyrs and of the most eminent saints 
would be revived and would live — as if 
the dead were raised up — and would be 
manifested by those who were in mortal 
bodies — men living on the earth — then 
there would be a propriety in saying that 
all such were exempt from the danger 
of the second death. Once indeed they 
would die ; but the second death could 
not reach them. Comp. Rev. ii. 10, 11, 



A. D. 96. J 



C II A P T 



ER XX. 



47i 



(b) In the -?Aole passage there are j 
but two classes ri men referred to. There 
are those ' who have part in the first j 
resurrection;' that is, according to the 
supposition, all the saints; and there 
are those over whom ' the second death* 
has power. Into which of these classes 
are we to put the myriads of men having 
flesh and blood who are to people the 
world during the Millennium ? They 
have no part in 'the first resurrection' 
if it be a bodily one. Are they then 
given over to the power of the ' second 
death ?' But if the 1 first resurrection' be 
regarded as figurative and spiritual, then 
the statement that those who are actu- 
ated by the spirit of the martyrs and of 
the eminent saints shall not experience 
the 'second death,' is seen to have 
meaning and pertinency. 

(c) The mention of the time during 
which they are to reign, if it be literally 
understood, is contrary to the whole 
statement of the Bible in other places. 
They are to 'live and reign with Christ' 
a thousand years. What then ? Are 
they to live no longer? Are they to 
reign no longer with him ? This sup- 
position is entirely contrary to the cur- 
rent statement in the Scriptures, which 
is, that they are to live and reign with 
him for ever. 1 Thess. iv. 17 : " And so 
shall we ever be with the Lord." Accord- 
ing to the views of the ' literalists,' the 
declaration that they 'should live and 
reign with Christ,' considered as the 
characteristic feature of the Millennial 
state, is to terminate with the thousand 
years — for this is the promise, according 
to that view, that they should thus live 
and reign. But it need not be said that 
this is wholly contrary to the current 
doctrine of the Bible, that they are to 
live and reign with him for ever. 

(d) A farther objection to this view is, 
that the wicked part of the world — "the 
rest of the dead who lived not again un- 
til the thousand years were finished," 
must of course be expected to 'live 
again' in th<> same bodily sense when 
those thousand years were finished. But 
go far from this, there is no mention of 
their living then. "When the thousand 
years are finished, Satan is loosed for a 
season ; thea the nations are roused to 
opposition against God ; then there is a 
conflict, a>d the hostile forces are over- 
thrown; and then comes the final judg- 
ment. Euring all tius time we read of 



! no resurrection at all. The period after 
| this is to be filled up with something 
, besides the resurrection of 'the rest of 
the dead.' There is no intimation, as 
the literal construction as it is claimed 
would demand, that immediately after 
the 'thousand years are finished' the 
'rest of the dead' — the wicked dead — 
would be raised up : nor is there any in- 
timation of such a resurrection until all 
the dead are raised up for the final trial, 
ver. 12. But every consideration de- 
mands, if the interpretation of the 'lite- 
ralists' be correct, that the 'rest of the 
dead' — the unconverted dead — should 
be raised up immediately after the close 
of the Millennial period, and be raised 
up as a distinct and separate class. 

(e) There is no intimation in the pas 
sage itself that the righteous will be 
raised up as such in this period, and the 
proper interpretation of the passage is 
contrary to that supposition. There are 
but two classes mentioned as having part 
in the first resurrection. They are those 
who were 'beheaded for the witness of 
Jesus,' and those who 'had not wor- 
shipped the beast;' that is, the martyrs, 
and those who had been eminent for 
their fidelity to the Saviour in times of 
great temptation and trial. There is no 
mention of the resurrection of the right- 
eous as such — of the resurrection of the 
great body of the redeemed; and if it 
could be shown that this refers to a lite- 
ral resurrection, it would be impossible 
to apply it, according to 'any just rules 
of interpretation, to any more than the 
two classes that are specified. By what 
rules of interpretation is it made to teach 
that all the righteous will be raised up 
on that occasion, and will live on the 
earth during that long period? In this 
view of the matter, the passage does not 
express the doctrine that the whole 
church of God will be raised bodily from 
the grave. And supposing it had been 
the design of the Spirit of God to teach 
this, is it credible, when there are so 
many clear expressions in regard to the 
resurrection of the dead, that so import- 
ant a doctrine should have been reserved 
for one single passage so obscure, and 
where the great mass of the readers of 
the Bible in all ages have failed to per- 
ceive it? That is not the way in which, 
in the Scriptures, great and momentous 
doctrines are communicated to mankind 
(/) The fair statement in vs. 11-15 



172 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



is, that all the dead will then be 
raised up, and be judged. This is im- 
plied in the general expressions there 
used — 'the dead, small and great the 
'book of life was opened' — as if not 
opened before; 'the dead' — all the dead 
— 'were judged out of those things which 
were written in the books ' the sea gave 
up the dead which were in it, and death 
and hell (hades) delivered up the dead 
which were in them/ This is entirely 
inconsistent with the supposition that a 
large part of the race — to wit, all the 
righteous — had been before raised up ; 
had passed the solemn judgment; had 
been clothed with their immortal bodies, 
and had been admitted to a joint-reign 
with the Saviour on his throne. In the 
last judgment, what place are they to 
occupy ? In what sense are they to be 
raised up and judged? Would such a 
representation have been made as is 
found in vs. 11-15, if it had been de-* 
signed to teach that a large part of the 
race had been already raised up, and had 
received the approval of their judge ? 

(g) This representation is wholly in- 
consistent, not only with vs. 11-15, but 
with the uniform language of the Scrip- 
tures that all the righteous and the wicked 
will be judged together, and both at the 
coming of Christ. On no point are the 
statements of the Bible more uniform 
and explicit than on this, and it would 
seem that the declarations had been of 
design so made that there should be no 
possibility of mistake. I refer for full 
proof on this point to the following pas- 
sages of the New Testament: Matt. x. 
32, 33, compared with ' Mark viii. 38 ; 
Rev. xxii. 12-15 ; Matt. xvi. 24-27, vii. 
21-23, xxv. 10, 31-46, xiii. 30, 38-43; 
John v. 28, 29 ; Acts xviii. 31 ; Rom. ii. 
5-16; 2 Cor. v. 9-11; 1 Cor. iv. 5; 2 
Thess. i. 6-10 ; 1 Cor. iii. 12-15 ; 1 John 
ii. 28, iv. 17; Rev. iii. 5; 1 Tim. v. 24, 
25; Rom. xiv. 10, 12; 2 Pet. iii. 7, 10, 
12; Rev. xx. 11-15. It is utterly im- 
possible to explain these passages on 
any other supposition than that they are 
intended to teach that the righteous and 
the wicked will be judged together, and 
both at the coming of Christ. And, if 
this is so, it is of course impossible to 
explain them consistently with the view 
that all the righteous will have been 
already raised up at the beginning of the 
Millennium in their immortal and glori- 
fied bodies, and that they have been 



solemnly approved by the Saviour, and 
admitted to a participation in his glory. 
Nothing could be more irreconcilable 
than these two views, and it seems to 
me, therefore, that the objections to the 
literal resurrection of the saints at the 
beginning of the Millennial period are 
insuperable. 

III. The following points, then, ac- 
cording to the interpretation proposed, 
are implied in this statement respecting 
the 'first resurrection/ and these will 
clearly comprise all that is stated on the 
subject. 

(1) There will be a reviving, and a 
prevalence of the spirit which actuated 
the saints in the best days, and a restor- 
ation of their principles as the grand 
principles which will control and govern 
the church, as if the most eminent saints 
were raised again from the dead, and 
lived and acted upon the earth. 

(2) Their memory will then be sacred- 
ly cherished, and they will be honored 
on the earth with the honor which is due 
to their names, and which they should 
have received when in the land of the 
living. They will be no longer cast out 
and reproached; no longer held up to 
obloquy and scorn ; no longer despised 
and forgotten, but there will be a reviving 
of sacred regard for their principles, as 
if they lived on the earth, and had the 
honor which was due them. 

(3) There will be a state of things 
upon the earth as if they thus lived and 
were thus honored. Religion will no 
longer be trampled under foot, but will 
triumph. In all parts of the earth it will 
have the ascendency, as if the most emi- 
nent saints of past ages lived and reigned 
with the Son of God in his kingdom. A 
spiritual kingdom will be set up with the 
Son of God at the head of it, which will 
be a kingdom of eminent holiness, as if 
the saints of the best days of the church 
should come back to the earth and dwell 
upon it. The ruling influence in the 
world will be the religion of the Son of 
God, and the principles which have 
governed the most holy of his people. 

(4) It may be implied that the saints 
and martyrs of other times will be em- 
ployed by the Saviour in embassies of 
mercy; in visitations of grace to our 
world to carry forward the great work 
of salvation on earth. Nothing forbids 
the idea that the saints in heaven may 
be thus employed, and in this long 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XX. 



473 



7 And when the thousand years 
are expired, Satan shall be loosed 
out of his prison. 



period of a thousand years, it may be 
that they will be occupied in such mes- 
sages and agencies of mercy to our world 
as they have never been before — as if 
they were raised from the dead, and were 
employed by the Redeemer to carry 
forward his purposes of mercy to man- 
kind. 

(5) In connexion with these things, 
and in consequence of these things, they 
may be, during that period, exalted to 
higher happiness and. honor in heaven. 
The restoration of their principles to 
the earth ; the Christian remembrance 
of their virtues ; the prevalence of those 
truths to establish which they laid down 
their lives, would in itself exalt them, 
and would increase their joy in heaven. 
All this would be well represented, in 
vision, by a resurrection of the dead ; 
and admitting that this was all that was 
intended, the representation of John 
here would be in the highest degree ap- 
propriate. What could better symbolize 
it — and we must remember that this is 
a symbol — than to say that at the com- 
mencement of this period there was, as 
it were, a solemn preparation for a judg- 
ment, and that the departed dead seemed 
to stand there, and that a sentence was 
pronounced in their favor, and that they 
became associated with the Son of God 
in the honors of his kingdom, and that 
their principles were now to reign and tri- 
umph in the earth, and that the king- 
dom which they labored to establish 
would be set up for a thousand years, 
and that in high purposes of mercy 
and benevolence during that period 
they would be employed in maintaining 
and extending the principles of reli- 
gion in the world? Admitting that 
the Holy Spirit intended to represent 
these things, and these only, no more 
appropriate symbolical language could 
have been used; none that would more 
accord with the general style of the 
Book of Revelation. 

7. And when the thousand years are 
expired. See ver. 2. Satan shall be 
loosed out of his prison. See ver. 3. 
That is, a state of things will then occur 
as if Satan should be for a time let loose 
40* 



8 And shall go out to deceive 
the nations which are in the four 
quarters of the earth, Gog a and 

a Eze. 38. 2, 39. 1. 



again, and should be permitted to go as 
formerly over the world. No intima- 
tion is given why or how he would be 
thus released from his prison. We are 
not, however, to infer that it would be 
a mere arbitrary act on the part of God. 
All that is necessary to be supposed is, 
that there would be, in certain parts of 
the world, a temporary outbreak of 
wickedness, as if Satan were for a time 
released from his chains. 

8. And shall go out to deceive the 
nations. See Notes on eh. xii. 9. The 
meaning here is, that he would again, 
for a time, act in his true character, and 
in some way delude the nations oncfc 
more. In what way this would be done 
is not stated. It would be, howev«r, 
clearly an appeal to the wicked passions 
of mankind, exciting a hope that they 
might yet overthrow the kingdom of 
God on the earth, ^ Which are in the 
four quarters of the earth. Literally 
corners of the earth, as if the earth were 
one extended square plain. The earth 
is usually spoken of as divided into 
four parts or quarters — the eastern, the 
western, the northern, and the southern. 
It is implied here that the deception or 
apostacy referred to would not be con- 
fined to one spot or portion of the world, 
but would extend afar. The idea seems 
to be, that during that period, though 
there would be a general prevalence of 
the gospel, and a general diffusion of 
its blessings, yet that the earth would 
not be entirely under its influence, and 
especially that the native character of 
the human heart would not be changed. 
Man, under powerful temptations, would 
be liable to be deluded by the great 
master spirit that has so often corrupted 
the race. Once more he would be per- 
mitted to make the trial, and then his 
power would for ever come to an end. 
^[ Gog and Magog. The name Gog oc- 
curs as the name of a prince, in Ezek. 
xxxviii. 2, 3, 16, 18, xxxix. 1, 11. Ee 
is an invader of the land of Israel, the 
chief prince of Meshech and Tubal/' 
Ezek. xxxviii. 2. Magog is also men- 
tioned in Ezek. xxxviii. 2, " the land 7>f 
Magog/' and in Ezekc xxxix. 6, " I will 



474 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



Magog, to a gather them together 

a c. 16. 14. 

send a fire on Magog." As the terms 
are used in the Old Testament, the re- 
presentation would seem to be that Gog 
was the king of a people called Magog. 
The signification of the names is un- 
known, and consequently nothing can 
be determined about the meaning of this 
passage from that source. Nor is there 
much known about the people who are re- 
ferred to by Ezekiel. His representation 
would seem to be, that a great and pow- 
erful people, dwelling in the extreme re- 
cesses of the North (ch. xxxviii. 15, xxxix. 
2), would invade the holy land after the 
return from the exile, ch. xxxviii. 8-12. 
It is commonly supposed that they were 
Scythians, residing between the Caspian 
and Euxine Seas, or in the region of 
Mount Caucasus. Thus Josephus (Ant. 
i. 6, 3) has dropped the Hebrew word 
Magog, and rendered it by HkvQcu — 
Scythians ; and so does Jerome. Suidas 
renders it FLtpaai — Persians; but this 
does not materially vary the view, since 
the word Scythians among the ancient 
writers is a collective word to denote all 
the north-eastern, unknown, barbarous 
tribes. Among the Hebrews, the name 
Magog, also, would seem to denote all 
the unknown barbarous tribes about the 
Caucasian Mountains. The fact that 
the names Gog and Magog are in Eze- 
kiel associated with Meshech and Tubal 
seems to determine the locality of these 
people, for those two countries 'lie 
between the Euxine and Caspian Seas, 
or at the south-east extremity of the 
Euxine Sea. Rosenm. Bib. Geog. i. p. 
240. The people of that region were, 
it seems, a terror to Middle Asia, in 
the same manner as the Scythians were 
to the Greeks and Romans. Inter- 
course with such distant and savage 
nations was scarcely possible in ancient 
times; and hence, from their numbers 
and strength, they were regarded with 
great terror, just as the Scythians 
were regarded by the ancient Greeks 
and Romans, and as the Tartars were 
in the Middle Ages. In this manner 
they became an appropriate symbol of 
rude and savage people; of enemies 
fierce and warlike ; of foes to be dreaded ; 
and as such they were referred to by 
both Ezekiel and John. It has been 
made a question whether Ezekiel and 



to battle : the number of whom is 
as the sand of the sea. 



J ohn do not refer to the same period, 
but it is not necessary to consider that 
question here. All that is needful to be 
understood is, that John means to say 
that at the time referred to, there would 
be formidable enemies of the church 
who might be compared with the dread- 
ed dwellers in the land of Magog; or, 
that after this long period of Millennial 
tranquillity and peace, there would be a 
state of things which might be properly 
compared with the invasion of the holy 
land by the dreaded barbarians of Ma- 
gog or Scythia. It is not necessary to 
suppose that any particular country is 
referred to, or that there would be any 
one portion of the earth which the gos- 
pel would not reach, and which would 
be still barbarous, heathen, and savage : 
all that is necessary to be supposed is, 
that though religion would generally 
prevail, human nature would remain 
essentially corrupt and unchanged; and 
that, therefore, from causes which are 
not stated, there might yet be a fearful 
apostacy, and a somewhat general pre- 
valence of iniquity. This would be 
nothing more than has occurred after the 
most favored times in the church, and 
nothing more than human nature would 
exhibit at any time, if all restraints were 
withdrawn, and men were suffered to 
act out their native feelings. Why this 
will be permitted; what causes will 
bring it about ; what subordinate agen- 
cies will be employed, is not said, and 
conjecture would be vain. The reader 
who wishes more information in regard 
to Go.g and Magog, may consult Prof. 
Stuart on this book, vol. ii. pp. 364-368, 
and the authorities there referred to. 
Comp. especially Rosenmiiller on Ezek. 
xxxviii. 2. See also Sale's Koran, Pre. 
Dis. $ 4, and the Koran itself, Sura xviii. 
94, and xxi. 95. ^ To gather them to- 
gether to battle. As if to assemble them 
for war ; that is, a state of things would 
exist in regard to the kingdom of God 
and the prevalence of the true religion, 
as if distant and barbarous nations 
should be aroused to make war on the 
church of God. The meaning is, that 
there would be an awakened hostility 
against the kingdom of Christ in the 
earth. See Notes on ch. xvi. 14. The 
number of whom is as the sand of the 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEK XX. 



475 



eea. A common comparison in the Scrip- 
tures to denote a great multitude. Gen. 
xxii. 17, xxxii. 12, xli. 49; 1 Sam. xiii. 
5 ; 1 Kings iv. 20, et al. 

$ c. Condition of things in the period 
referred to in vs. 7, 8. 

(1) This will occur at the close of the 
Millennial period — the period of the 
thousand years. It is not said, indeed, 
that it would be immediately after that ; 
but the statement is explicit that it will 
be after that, or "when the thousand 
years are expired." There may be an 
interval before it shall be accomplished 
of an indefinite time; the alienation and 
corruption may be gradual ; a considera- 
ble period may elapse before the apos- 
tacy shall assume an organized form, or, 
in the language of John, before the hosts 
shall " be gathered to battle," but it is to 
be the next marked and prominent event 
in the history of the world, and is to pre- 
cede the final consummation of all things. 

(2) This will be a brief period. Com- 
pared with the long period of prosperity 
that preceded it, and perhaps compared 
with the long period that shall follow it 
before the final judgment, it will be short. 
Thus in ver. 3, it is said that Satan 
" must be loosed a little season." See 
Notes on that verse. There is no way of 
determining the time with exactness; but 
we are assured that it will not be long. 

(3) What will be the exact state of 
things then, can be only a matter of con- 
jecture. We may say, however, that it 
will not be (a) necessarily war. The lan- 
guage is figurative and symbolical, and 
it is not necessary to suppose that an 
actual and bloody warfare will be lite- 
rally waged against the church. Nor (b) 
will there be a literal invasion of the 
land of Palestine as the residence of the 
saints, and the capital of the Redeemer's 
visible empire ; for there is not a hint of 
this — not a word to justify such an in- 
terpretation. Nor (c) is it necessary to 
suppose that there will be literally such 
nations as will be then called ' Gog and 
Magog' — for this language is figurative, 
and designed to characterize the foes of 
the church — as being in some respects 
formidable and terrible as were those 
ancient nations. 

We may thus suppose that at that 
time, from causes which are unexplained, 
there will be (a) a revived opposition to 
the truths of religion; (b) the prevalence, 
to a greater or less extent, of infidelity; 



(c) a great spiritual declension ; (d) a 
combination of interests opposed to the 
gospel; (e) possibly some new form 
of error and delusion that shall exten- 
sively prevail. Satan may set up some 
new form of religion, or he may breathe 
into those that may already exist a spirit 
of worldliness and vanity — some new 
manifestation of the religion of forms — 
that shall for a limited period produce a 
general decline and apostacy. As there 
is, however, no distinct specification of 
what will characterize the world at that 
time, it is impossible to determine what 
is referred to any more than in this gene- 
ral manner. 

(4) A few remarks may, however, be 
made on the probability of what is here 
affirmed — for it seems contrary to what 
we should suppose would be the charac- 
teristics of the closing period of the 
world. The following remarks, then, 
may show that this anticipated state 
of things is not improbable : (a) We 
are to remember that human nature will 
then be essentially the same as now. 
There is no intimation that man as born 
into the world will be then different from 
what he is now; or that any of the natu- 
ral corrupt -tendencies of the human 
heart will be changed. Men will be 
liable to the same outbreaks of passion ; 
to be influenced by the same forms of 
temptation ; to fall into the same degene- 
racy and corruption ; to feel the same 
unhappy influences of success and pros- 
perity as now — for all this appertains to 
a fallen nature, except as it is checked 
and controlled by grace. We often mis- 
take much in regard to the Millennial 
state by supposing that all the evils of 
the apostacy will be arrested, and that 
the nature of man will be as wholly 
changed as it will be in the heavenly 
world. (b) The whole history of the 
church has shown that there is a liability 
to declension even in the best state, and 
in the condition of the highest spiritual 
prosperity. To see this we have only to 
remember the example of the Hebrews, 
and how readily they apostatized after 
the most striking manifestation of the 
divine mercies ; the early Christian 
church, and how soon it declined; the 
seven churches of Asia Minor, and how 
soon their spirituality departed ; the va- 
rious revivals of religion that have oc- 
curred from time to time, and how soon 
they have been succeeded by coldness. 



476 



KEVEL 



AT ION, 



I A. D. 96 



9 And a they went up on the 

a Is. 8. 8 ; Eze. 38. 9, 16. 

worldliness, and error; the fact that great 
religious denominations which have be- 
gun their career with zeal and love, have 
so soon degenerated in spirit, and fallen 
into the same formality and worldliness 
which they have evinced who have gone 
before them ; and the case of the indi- 
vidual Christian, who from the most ex- 
alted state of love and joy, so soon often 
declines into a state of conformity to the 
world. These are sad views of human 
nature, even under the influence of true 
religion ; but the past history of man has 
given but too much occasion for such 
reflections, and too much reason to ap- 
prehend that the same things may occur, 
for a time, even under the best forms in 
which religion may manifest itself in a 
fallen world. Man's nature will be better 
in heaven, and religion there in its 
purest and best form will be permanent; 
here we are not to be surprised at any 
outbreak of sin, or any form of declen- 
sion in religion. What has often occurred 
in the world on a small scale, we may 
suppose may then occur on a larger scale. 
•Just as on a small scale, .in some little 
community like that of Northampton, 
as described by President Edwards, after 
the remarkable sense of God's presence 
over the whole town had begun to wax 
feeble, the still unconverted persons of 
it, though subdued and seemingly won 
over to Christ, would by little and little 
recover themselves, and at length ven- 
ture forth in their true character, so it 
will be, in all probability, on a vast scale, 
at the close of the latter day. The un- 
converted portion of the world — long 
constrained by the religious influences 
every where surrounding them to fall in 
with the spirit of the day, catching ap- 
parently its holy impulses, but never 
coming savingly under its power — this 
portion of mankind, which we have rea- 
son to fear will not be small, will now be 
freed from these irksome restraints, no 
longer obliged to breathe an atmosphere 
uncongenial to their nature." Brown on 
the Second Coming of Christ, p. 442. 
" No oppression is so grievous to an un- 
sanctified heart as that which arises from 
the purity of Christianity. A desire to 
shake off this yoke is the true cause of 
the opposition which Christianity has 
met with in the world in every period, 



breadth of the earth, and compassed 
the camp of the saints a,bout, and 

and will, it is most likely, be the chief 
motive to influence the followers of Gog 
in his time." Eraser's Key, p. 455. (c) 
The representations of the New Testa- 
ment elsewhere confirm this view in re- 
gard to the latter state of the world — the 
state when the Lord Jesus shall come to 
judgment. Luke xviii. 8 : "When the 
Son of man cometh, shall he find faith 
on the earth?" 2 Peter iii. 3, 4 : "There 
shall come in the last days scoffers, 
walking after their own lusts, and saying, 
Where is the promise of his coming?" 
1 Thess. v. 2, 3 : " The day of the Lord 
so cometh as a thief in the night. . For 
when they shall say, Peace and safety, 
then sudden destruction cometh upon 
them, as travail upon a woman with 
child, and they shall not escape." See 
especially Luke xvii. 26-30 : "As it was 
in the days of Noe, so shall it be also 
in the days of the Son of man. They 
did eat, they drank, they were given in 
marriage, until the day that Noe entered 
into the ark, and the flood came and de- 
stroyed them all. Likewise also as it 
was in the days of Lot; they did eat, 
they drank, they bought, they sold, they 
planted, they builded ; but the same day 
that Lot went out of Sodom it rained 
fire and brimstone from heaven, and 
destroyed them all. Even thus shall it 
be %n the day when the Son of man is re- 
vealed." 

9. And they went up on the breadth of 
the earth. They spread over the earth 
in extended columns. The image is that 
of an invading army that seems, in its 
march, to spread all over a land. The 
reference here is to the hosts assembled 
from the regions of Gog and Magog ; 
that is, to the formidable enemies of the 
gospel that would be roused up at the 
close of the period properly called the 
Millennial period — the period of the 
thousand years. It is not necessary to 
suppose that there would be literally 
armies of enemies of God summoned 
from lands that would be called lands of 
' Gog and Magog/ but all that is neces- 
sarily implied is, that there will be a 
state of hostility to the church cf Christ 
which would be well illustrated by such 
a comparison with an invading host of 
barbarians. The expression 'the breadth 
of the land' occurs in Habakkuk i. 6, in 



A. D. 96.] # CHAPT 



ER XX. 



477 



i the beloved city: and fire came 
i down from God out of heaven, and 
I devoured them. 

- 10 And the devil that deceived 
] them was cast into the lake a of fire 



• a description of the invasion of the Chal- 
i deans, and means there the whole extent 
) of it ; that is, they would spread over 
) the whole country. ^[ And compassed 
i the camp of the saints about. Besieged 
i the camp of the saints considered as en- 
gaged in war, or as attacked by an ene- 
my. The " camp of the saints" here 
seems to be supposed to be without the 
walls of the city; that is, the army was 
drawn out for defence. The fact that 
the foes were able to ' compass this camp 
about/ and to encircle the city at the 
same time, shows the greatness of the 
numbers of the invaders. IT And the be- 
loved city. Jerusalem — a city repre- 
sented as beloved by God and by his peo- 
ple. The whole imagery here is derived 
from a supposed invasion of the land of 
Palestine — imagery than which nothing 
could be more natural to John in de- 
scribing the hostility that would be 
aroused against the church in the latter 
day. But no just principle of interpre- 
tation requires us to understand this 
literally. Comp. Heb. xii. 22, Indeed 
it would be absolutely impossible to give 
this chapter throughout a literal inter- 
pretation. What would be the literal 
interpretation of the very first verses ? " I 
saw an angel come down from heaven, 
having the key of the bottomless pit, and 
a great chain in his hand ; and he laid 
hold on the dragon, and bound him." 
Can any one believe that there is to be a 
literal key, and a chain, and an act of 
seizing a serpent, and binding him ? As 
little is it demanded that the passage 
before us should be taken literally ; for 
if it is maintained that this should be, 
we may insist that the same principle of 
interpretation should be applied to every 
part of the chapter, and every part of 
the book. ^[ And fire came down from 
God out of heaven, and devoured them. 
Consumed them — fire being represented 
as devouring or eating. See Notes on 
ch. xvii. 16. The meaning is, that they 
would be destroyed as if fire should 
come down from heaven, as on Sodom 
and Gomorrah. But it is not necessary 
to understand this literally any more 



and brimstone, where the beast and 
the false prophet are, and shall be 
tormented day and night for ever 
and ever. 

a c. 19. 20. 



than it is the portions of the chapter just 
referred to. What is obviously meant 
is, that their destruction would be sudden, 
certain, and entire, and that thus the 
last enemy of God and the church would 
be swept away. Nothing can be deter- 
mined from this about the means by 
which this destruction will be effected ; 
and that must be left for time to disclose. 
It is sufficient to know that the destruc- 
tion of these last foes of God and the 
church will be certain and entire. This 
language as denoting the final destruc- 
tion of the enemies of God, is often 
employed in the Scriptures. See Ps. xi. 
6 ; Isa. xxix. 6 ; Ezek. xxxix. 6, xxxviii. 
22. 

10. And the devil that deceived them. 
See Notes on vs. 3, 8. % Was cast into 
the lake of fire and brimstone. In ch. 
xix. 20, it is said of the beast and the 
false prophet that they were ' cast alive 
into a lake of fire, burning with brim- 
stone/ Satan, on the other hand, in- 
stead of being doomed at once to that 
final ruin, was confined for a season in a 
dark abyss, ch. xx. 1-3. As the fina2 
punishment, however, he is appropriately 
represented as consigned to the same 
doom as the beast and the false prophet, 
that those great enemies of God that had 
been associated and combined in deceiv- 
ing the nations, might share the same 
appropriate punishment in the end. 
Comp. ch. xvi. 13, 14. ^ Where the 
beast and the false prophet are. Notes 
ch. xix. 20. And shall be tormented 
day and night for ever. Comp. Notes 
ch. xiv. 11. All the great enemies of 
the church are destroyed, and hencefor- 
ward there is to be no array of hostile 
forces; no combination of malignant 
powers against the kingdom of God. 
The gospel triumphs; the way is pre- 
pared for the final consummation. 

§ d. Condition of things in the period 
referred to in vs. 9, 10. 

(1) There will be, after the release of 
Satan, and of course at the close of the 
Millennial period properly so called, a 
state of things which may be well repre- 
sented by the invasion of a country by 



478 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96 



11 And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from 

sis' of the chapter, V. (c), it is p<.«5«ible 
that there will be a long period ol con- 
tinued prosperity and peace betweei> the 
events stated in vs. 9, 10, and the final 
judgment, as described in vs. li-15. 
If so, however, the purpose of the book 
did not require that that should be de- 
scribed at length, and it must be admit- 
ted that the most obvious interpretation 
of the New Testament would not be 
favorable to such a supposition. Comp. 
Luke xvii. 26-30: 1 Thess. v. 2, 3 ; 2 
Peter iii. 3, 4; Luke xviii. 8. The great 
glory of the world will be the Millennial 
period ; when religion shall have the as- 
cendency, and the race shall have reached 
its highest point of progress on earth, 
and the blessings of liberty, intelligence, 
peace, and piety, shall have during that 
period been spread over the globe. In 
that long duration, who can estimate 
the numbers that shall be redeemed and 
saved? That period passed, the great 
purpose contemplated by the creation of 
the earth — the glory of God in the re- 
demption of a fallen race, and in setting 
up a kingdom of righteousness in a world 
of apostacy, will have been accomplished, 
and there will be no reason why the final 
judgment should not then occur. "The 
work of redemption will now be finished. 
The end for which the means of grace 
have been instituted, shall be obtained. 
All the effect which was intended to be 
accomplished by them shall now be ac- 
complished. All the great wheels of 
Providence have gone round — all things 
are ripe for Christ's coming to judg- 
ment." Pres. Edwards, History of Re- 
demption. 

11. And 1 saw a great white throne. 
This verse commences the description 
of the final judgment, which embraces 
the remainder of the chapter. The first 
thing seen in the vision is the burning 
throne of the Judge. The things that 
are specified in regard to it are that it 
was great, and that it was white. The 
former expression means that it was high 
or elevated. Comp. Isa. vi. 1. The lat- 
ter expression — white — means that it was 
splendid or shining. Comp. 1 Kings x. 
18, 19, 20. The throne here is the same 
which is referred to in Matt. xxv. 31, 
and called there "the throne of his 
glory." ^ And him that sat on it. The 
reference here, undoubtedly, is to tha 



hostile, formidable forces. This, as shown 
in the exposition, need not be supposed 
to be literal, but it is implied that there 
will be decided hostility against the true 
religion. It may be an organization and 
consolidation, so to speak, of infidel prin- 
ciples, or a decided worldly spirit, or 
some prevalent form of error, or some 
new form of depravity that shall be de- 
veloped by the circumstances of that age. 
What it will be, it is impossible now to 
determine, but, as shown above (£ b, 4), 
it is by no means improbable that this 
will occur even at the close of the Mil- 
lennium. 

(2) There will be a decided defeat of 
these forces thus combined, as if fire 
should come down from heaven to de- 
stroy an invading army. The mode in 
which this will be done is not indeed 
stated, for there is no necessity of under- 
standing the statement in ver. 9 literally, 
any more than the other parts of the 
chapter. The fair inference, however, 
is, that it will be by a manifest divine 
agency ; that it will be sudden, and that 
the destruction will be entire. We have 
no reason, therefore, to suppose that the 
outbreak will be of long continuance, or 
that it will very materially disturb the 
settled order of human affairs on the 
earth — any more than a formidable in- 
vasion of a country does, when the in- 
vading army is suddenly cut off by some 
terrible judgment from heaven. 

(3) This overthrow of the enemies of 
God and of the church will be final. 
Satan will be " cast into the lake of fire 
and brimstone, to be tormented day and 
night for ever." The beast and the false 
prophet are already there (ch. xix. 20) ; 
that is, they will have ceased long since 
— even before the beginning of the Mil- 
lennial period (ch. xix. 20, compared with 
ch. xx. 1-3) — to have opposed the pro- 
gress of truth in the world, and their 
power will have 'been brought to an end. 
Satan now, the last enemy, will be 
doomed to the same hopeless woe, and 
all the enemies that have ever opposed 
the church — in all forms of Paganism, 
Mohammedanism, Popery, and delusion, 
will be destroyed for ever. The world 
then will have peace; the church will 
have rest; the great triumph will have 
been achieved. 

(4) For reasons stated in the ' Analy- 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPT 



EE XX. 



479 



whose face the earth a and the hea- 
ven fled away ; and there was found 
no place for them. 

12 And I saw the dead, small 

a 2 Pe. 3. 10, 12. 



Lord Jesus Christ, the final Judge of 
mankind (comp. Matt. xxv. 31), and the 
scene described is that which will occur 
at his Second Advent, From whose 
face. Or from whose presence ; though 
the word may be used here to denote 
more strictly his face — as illuminated, 
and shining like the sun. See ch. i. 16, 
"And his countenance was as the sun 
shineth in his strength." ^ The earth 
and the heaven fled away. That is, as 
the stars, at the rising of the sun, seem 
to flee to more remote regions, and van- 
ish from human view, so when the Son 
of God shall descend in his glory to 
judge the world, the earth and all other 
worlds shall seem to vanish. Every one 
must admire the sublimity of this image; 
no one can contemplate it without being 
awed by the majesty and glory of the 
final Judge of mankind. Similar ex- 
pressions, where the natural creation 
shrinks back with awe at the presence 
of God, frequently occur in the Bible. 
Comp. Ps. xviii. 7-15, lxxvii. 16-19, 
cxiv. 3-5, Habak. iii. 6, 10, 11. f And 
there was found no place for them. They 
seemed to flee entirely away, as if there 
was no place where they could find a 
safe retreat, or which would receive and 
shelter them in their flight. The image 
expresses in the most emphatic manner 
the idea that they entirely disappeared, 
and no language could more sublimely 
represent the majesty of the Judge. 

12. And I saw the dead, small and 
great. All the dead — for this language 
would express that — the whole race be- 
ing composed of the ' small and great/ 
Thus, in other language, the same idea 
might be expressed by saying the young 
and old; the rich and poor; the bond 
and free ; the sick and well ; the happy 
and the unhappy ; the righteous and the 
wicked ; for all the human family might, 
in these respects, be considered as thus 
divided. The fair meaning in this place, 
therefore, is, that all the dead would be 
there, and of course this would preclude 
the idea of a previous resurrection of any 
part of the dead, as of the saints, at the 
beginning of the Millennium. There is 



and great, stand before God: and 
the books b were opened ; and an- 
other book c was opened, which is 
the book of life : and the dead were 

b Da. 7. 10. c Da. 12. 1: c. 21. 27. 



no intimation here that it is the wicked 
dead that are referred to in this descrip- 
tion of the final judgment. It is the 
judgment of all the dead. ^ Stand be- 
fore God. That is, they appear thus to 
be judged. The word 4 God' here must 
naturally refer to the final Judge on the 
throne, and there can be no doubt (see 
Matt. xxv. 31) that this is the Lord 
Jesus. Comp. 2 Cor. v. 10. None can 
judge the secrets of the heart; none can 
pronounce on the moral character of all 
mankind of all countries and ages, and 
determine their everlasting allotment, 
but he who is divine. ^ And the books 
were opened. That is, the books con- 
taining the record of human deeds. The 
representation is, that all that men have 
done is recorded, and that it will be ex- 
hibited on the final trial, and will con- 
stitute the basis of the last judgment. 
The imagery seems to be derived from 
the accusations made against such as are 
arraigned before human courts of justice. 
\ And another book was opened, which is 
the book of life. The book containing 
the record of the names of all who shall 
enter into life, or into heaven. See 
Notes on ch. iii. 5. The meaning here 
is, that John saw not only the general 
books opened containing the records of 
the deeds of men, but that he had a dis- 
tinct view of the list or roll of those who 
were the followers of the Lamb. It 
would seem that in regard to the multi- 
tudes of the impenitent and the wicked, 
the judgment will proceed on their deeds 
in general; in regard to the righteous, 
it will turn on the fact that their names 
had been enrolled in the book of life. 
That will be sufficient to determine the 
nature of the sentence that is to be passed 
on them. He will be safe whose name 
is found in the book of life ; no one will 
be safe who is to have his eternal des- 
tiny determined by his own deeds. This 
passage proves particularly that the 
righteous dead are referred to here as 
being present at the final judgment; 
and is thus an additional argument 
against the supposition of a resurrection 
of the righteous, and a judgment on 



480 



BEVEL 



ATION, 



[A. P. 96. 



judged out of those things which 
were written in the books, accord- 
ing a to their works. 

13 And the sea gave up the dead 
which were in it; and death and 
1 hell delivered up the dead which 

a Je. 32. 19 ; Mat. 16. 27. b Or, the grave. 

theui, at the beginning of the Millen- 
nium. ^[ And the dead were judged out 
of those things which were written in the 
books. The records which had been made 
of their deeds. The final judgment will 
proceed on the record that has been 
made. It will not be arbitrary, and will 
not be determined by rank, condition, or 
profession, but it will be according to the 
record, \ According to their works. See 
Notes on 2 Cor. v. 10. The fact that the 
name of any one was found in the book 
of life would seem, as above remarked, 
to determine the certainty of salvation, 
but the amount of reward would be in 
proportion to the service rendered to the 
Kedeemer, and the attainments made in 
piety. 

13. And the sea gave up the dead 
which were in it. All that had been 
buried in the depths of oceans. This 
number in the aggregate will be great. 
If we include all who were swept off by 
the flood, and all who have perished by 
shipwreck, and all who have been killed 
in naval battles and buried in the sea, 
and all who have been swept away by 
inundations of the ocean, and all who 
have peacefully died at sea, as sailors, 
or in the pursuits of commerce or bene- 
volence, the number in the aggregate 
will be immense — a number so vast 
that it was proper to notice them parti- 
cularly in the account of the general 
resurrection and the last judgment. 
^[ And death and hell delivered up the 
dead which were in them. That is, all 
the dead came, from all regions where 
they were scattered — on the land and in 
the ocean — in this world and in the in- 
visible world. ' Death and hell' are here 
personified, and are represented as hav- 
ing dominion over the dead, and as now 
delivering up, or surrendering those who 
were held under them. On the meaning 
of the words here used, see Notes on ch. 
i. 18, vi. 8. Comp. Notes on Matt. x. 
23, Luke xvi. 23, Job x. 21, 22, Isa. 
xiv. 9. This whole representation is 
entirely inconsistent with the supposi- 



were in them; and they were 
judged every man according to 
their works. 

14 And death e and hell were 
cast into the lake of fire. This is 
the second death. 

c Hos. 13. 14; 1 Co. 15. 26, 54. 

tion that a large part of the dead had 
been already raised up at the beginning 
of the Millennial period, and had been 
permitted, in their glorified bodies, to 
reign with Christ, And they were 
judged, &c. All these were judged — 
the righteous and the wicked; those 
buried at sea, and those buried on the 
land ; the small and the great ; the dead, 
in whatever world they may have been. 

14. And death and hell were cast into 
the lake of fire. Death and Hades {hell) 
are here personified, as they are in the 
previous verse. The declaration is equi- 
valent to the statement in 1 Cor. xv. 26, 
" The last enemy that shall be destroyed 
is death." See Notes on that passage. 
The idea is, that death, considered as 
the separation of soul and body, with 
all the attendant woes, will exist no 
more. The righteous will live for ever, 
and the wicked will linger on in a state 
never to be terminated by death. The 
reign of Death and Hades, as such, 
would come to an end, and a new order 
of things would commence where this 
would be unknown. There might be 
that which would be properly called 
death, but it would not be death in thia 
form ; the soul would live for ever, but it 
would not be in that condition repre- 
sented by the word adw — hades. There 
would be death still, but a " second 
death differs from the first, in the fact 
that it is not a separation of the soul and 
body, but a state of continual agony like 
that which the first death inflicts — like 
that in intensity, but not in kind." 
Prof. Stuart. ^[ This is the second death. 
That is, this whole process here described 
— the condemnation, and the final death 
and ruin of those whose names are ' not 
found written in the book of life/ pro- 
perly constitutes the second death. 
This proves that when it is said that 
' death and hell were cast into a lake of 
fire/ it cannot be meant that all punish- 
ment will cease for ever, and that all 
will be saved, for the writer goes on to 
describe what he calls ' the second 



A. D. 96,] 



CHAPTEE XX. 



481 



15 And whosoever was not found 

a Mat. 25. 41. 

death ' as still existing. See ver. 15. 
John describes this as the second death, 
not because it in all respects resembles 
the first death, but because it has so 
many points of resemblance that it may 
be properly called death. Death, in 
any form, is the penalty of law; it 
is attended with pain ; it cuts off from 
hope, from friends, from enjoyment; 
it subjects him who dies to a much 
dreaded condition, and in all these 
respects it was proper to call the final 
condition of the wicked, death — though 
it would still be true that the soul would 
live. There is no evidence that John 
meant to affirm that the second death 
would imply an extinction of existence. 
Death never does that; the word does 
not naturally and properly convey that 
idea. 

15. And whosoever. All persons, of 
all ranks, ages, and conditions. No 
word could be more comprehensive than 
this. The single condition here stated, 
as being that which would save any from 
being cast into the lake of fire, is, that 
they are "found written in the book of 
life." All besides these, princes, kings, 
nobles, philosophers, statesmen, con- 
querors; rich men and poor men; the 
bond and the free ; the young and the 
aged ; the gay, the vain, the proud, and 
the sober ; the modest, and the humble, 
will be doomed to the lake of fire. Unlike 
. in all other things, they will be alike in 
the only thing on which their eternal 
destiny will depend — that they have 
not so lived that their names have be- 
come recorded in the book of life. As 
they will also be destitute of true reli- 
gion, there will be a propriety that they 
shall share the same doom in the future 
world, ^ Written in the book of life. 
See Notes on ch. iii. 5. Was cast 
into the lake of fire. See Notes on 
Matt. xxv. 41. That is, they will be 
doomed to a punishment which will be 
well represented by their lingering in a 
sea of fire for ever. This is the termi- 
nation of the judgment; the winding up 
of the affairs of men. The vision of 
John here rests for a moment on the 
doom of the wicked, and then turns to 
a more full contemplation of the happy 
lot of the righteous as detailed in the 
two closing chapters of the book. 
41 



written in the book of life was cast 
into the lake of fire. a 



$ d. Condition of things referred to in 
vs. 11-15. 

(1) There will be a general resurrec- 
tion of the dead — of the righteous and 
the wicked. This is implied by the 
statement that the * dead small and 
great* were seen to stand before God; 
that 'the sea gave up the dead which 
were in it f that ( Death and Hades gave 
up their dead/ All were there whose 
names were or were not written in the 
book of life. 

(2) There will be a solemn and im- 
partial judgment. How long a time this 
will occupy, is not said, and is not neces- 
sary to be known — for time is of no con- 
sequence where there is an eternity of 
devotion — but it is said that they will 
all be judged " according to their works ;" 
that is, strictly according to their cha- 
racter. They will receive no arbitrary 
doom; they will have no sentence which 
will not be just. See Matt. xxv. 31-46. 

(3) This will be the final judgment. 
After this, the affairs of the race will be 
put on a different footing. This will be 
the end of the present arrangements; 
the end of the present dispensations ; the 
end of human probation. The great 
question to be determined in regard to 
our world will have been settled ; what 
the plan of redemption was intended to 
accomplish on the earth will have been 
accomplished; the agency of the Divine 
Spirit in converting sinners will have 
come to an end; and the means of grace, 
as such, will be employed no more. 
There is not here or elsewhere an inti- 
mation that beyond this period any of 
these things will exist, or that the work 
of redemption, as such, will extend into 
the world beyond the judgment. As 
there is no intimation that the condition 
of the righteous will be changed, so there 
is none that the condition of the wicked 
will be ; as there is no hint that the 
righteous will ever be exposed to temp- 
tation, or to the danger of falling into 
sin, so there is none that the offers of 
salvation will ever again be made to the 
wicked. On the contrary, the whole 
representation is, that all beyond thig 
will be fixed and unchangeable for ever. 
See Notes on ch. xxii. 11. 

(4) The wicked will be destroyed, in 
what may be properly called the second 



482 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



death. As remarked in the Notes, this 
does not mean that this death will in all 
respeets resemble the first death, but 
there will be so many points of re- 
semblance that it will be proper to call 
it death. It does not mean that they will 
be annihilated, for death never implies 
that. The meaning is, that this will be 
a cutting off from what is properly called 
Hfe, from hope, from happiness, and 
from peace, and a subjection to pain 
and agony, which it will be proper to 
call death — death in the most fearful 
form ; death that will continue for ever. 
No statements in the Bible are more 
clear than those which are made on this 
point; no affirmation of the eternal 
punishment of the wicked could he more 
explicit than those which occur in the 
Sacred Scriptures. See Notes on Matt, 
xxv. 46, and 2 Thess. i. 9. 

(5) This will be the end of the woes and 
calamities produced in the kingdom of 
God by sin. The reign of Satan and of 
Death, so far as the Redeemer's kingdom 
is concerned, will be at an end, and hence- 
forward the church will be safe from all 
the arts and efforts of its foes. Religion 
will be triumphant, and the affairs of 
the universe be reduced to permanent 
order. 

(6) The preparation is thus made for 
the final triumph of the righteous — the 
state to which all things tend. The 
writer of this book has conducted the 
prospective history through all the times 
of persecution which awaited the church, 
and stated the principal forms of error 
which would prevail, .and foretold the 
conflicts through which the church would 
pass, and described its eventful history 
to the Millennial period, and to the 
final triumph of truth and righteous- 
ness, and now nothing remains to com- 
plete the plan of the work but to give 
a rapid sketch of the final condition 
of the redeemed. This is done in the 
two following chapters, and with this 
the work is ended. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

ANALYSIS OP CHS. XXI., XXII., 1-5. 

The whole of ch. xxi., and the first 
five verses of ch. xxii., relate to scenes 
beyond the judgment, and are descriptive 
of the happy and triumphant state of the 
redeemed church, when all its conflicts 
shall have ceased, and all its enemies 



shall have been destroyed. That happy 
state is depicted under the image of a 
beautiful city, of which Jerusalem was 
the emblem, and it was disclosed to 
John by a vision of that city — the New 
Jerusalem — descending from heaven. 
Jerusalem was regarded as the peculiar 
dwelling-place of God, and to the He- 
brews it became thus the natural em- 
blem or symbol of the heavenly world. 
The conception having occurred of 
describing the future condition of the 
righteous under the image of a beau- 
tiful city, all that follows is in keeping 
with that, and is merely a carrying out 
of the image. It is a city with beautiful 
walls and gates; a city that has no 
temple — for it is all a temple ; a city that 
needs no light — for God is its light; a 
city into which nothing impure ever 
enters; a city filled with trees, and 
streams, and fountains, and fruits — the 
Paradise Regained. 

The description of that blessed state 
comprises the following parts : — 

I. A vision of a new heaven and a 
new earth, as the final abode of the 
blessed, ver. 1. The first heaven and 
the first earth passed away at the judg- 
ment (ch. xx. 11-15), to be succeeded 
by a new heaven and earth fitted to be 
the abode of the blessed. 

II. A vision of the holy city — the 
New Jerusalem — descending from hea- 
ven, as the abode of the redeemed, pre- 
pared as a bride adorned for her husband 
— representing the fact that God would 
truly abide with men, vs. 2-4. Now all 
the effects of the apostacy will cease ; all 
tears will be wiped away, and in that 
blessed state there will be no more 
death, or sorrow, or pain. This contains 
the general statement of what will be the 
condition of the redeemed in the future 
world. God will be there ; and all sor- 
row will cease. 

III. A command to make a record of 
these things, ver. 5. 

IV. A general description of those 
who should dwell in that future world 
of blessedness, vs. 6-8. It is for all who 
are athirst; for all who desire it, and 
long for it ; for all who ' overcome' their 
spiritual enemies, who maintain a steady 
conflict with sin, and gain a victory 
over it. But all who are fearful and 
unbelieving — all the abominable, and 
murderers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, 
and liars, shall have their part in th« 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XXI. 



483 



lake that burns with fire and brimstone. 
That is, that world will be pure and holy. 

V. A minute description of the city, 
representing the happy abode of the re- 
deemed, vs. 9-26. This description em- 
braces many particulars : — 

(1) Its general appearance, vs. 11, 18, 

21. It is bright and splendid — like a 
precious jasper-stone, clear as crystal, 
and composed of pure gold. 

(2) Its walls, vs. 12, 18. The walls 
are represented as ' great and high/ and 
as composed of i jasper/ 

(3) Its gates, vs. 12, 13, 21. The 
gates are twelve in number, three on 
each side; and are each composed of 
a single pearl. 

(4) Its foundations, vs. 14, 18-20. 
There are twelve foundations, corre- 
sponding to the number of the apostles 
of the Lamb. They are all composed 
of precious stones — jasper, sapphire, 
chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, 
chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus, 
jacinth, and amethyst. 

(5) Its size, vs. 15-17. It is square — 
the length being as great as the breadth, 
and its height the same. The extent of 
each dimension is twelve thousand fur- 
longs — a length on each side and in 
height of three hundred and seventy-five 
miles. It would seem, however, that 
though the city was of that height, the 
wall was only an hundred and forty-four 
cubits, or about two hundred and sixteen 
feet high. The idea seems to be that 
the city — the dwellings within it — tow- 
ered high above the wall that was thrown 
around it for protection. This is not 
uncommon in cities that are surrounded 
by walls. 

(6) Its light, vs. 23, 24, ch. xxii. 5. 
It has no need of the sun, or of the moon, 
or of a lamp (ch. xxii. 5), to enlighten 
it, and yet there is no night there (ch. 
xxii. 5), for the glory of God gives light 
to it. 

(7 j It is a city without a temple, ver. 

22. There is no one place in it that is 
peculiarly sacred, or where the worship 
of God will be exclusively celebrated. It 
will be all a temple, and the worship of 
God will be celebrated in all parts of it. 

(8) It is always open, ver. 25. There 
will be no need of closing it as walled 
cities on earth are closed to keep ene- 
mies out, and it will not be shut to 
prevent those who dwell there from go- 
ing out and coming in when they please. 



The inhabitants will not be prisoners, 
nor will they be in danger, or be alarmed 
by the prospect of an attack from an 
enemy. 

(9) Its inhabitants will all be puro 
and holy, ver. 27. There will in no 
wise enter there any thing that defiles, 
or that works abomination, or that is 
false. They only shall dwell there whose 
names are written in the Lamb's book 
of life. 

(10) Its enclosures and environs, ch. 
xxii. 1, 2. A stream of water, pure as 
crystal, proceeds from the throne of 
God and the Lamb. That stream flows 
through the city, and on its banks is the 
tree of life constantly bearing fruit — 
fruit to be partaken of freely. It is 
Paradise Regained — a holy and beauti- 
ful abode, of which the garden of Eden 
was only an imperfect emblem, where 
there is no prohibition, as there was there, 
of any thing that grows, and where there 
is no danger of falling into sin. 

(11) It is a place free, consequently, 
from the curse that was pronounced on 
man when he forfeited the blessings of 
the first Eden, and when he was driven 
out from the happy abodes where God 
had placed him. 

(12) It is a place where the righteous 
shall reign for ever, ch. xxii. 5. Death 
shall never enter there, and the presenes 
and glory of God shall fill all with peace 
and joy. 

Such is an outline of the figurative 
and glowing description of the future 
blessedness of the redeemed; the eternal 
abode of those who shall be saved. It is 
poetic and emblematical; but it is ele- 
vating, and constitutes a beautiful and 
appropriate close, not only of this single 
book, but of the whole sacred volume — 
for to this the saints are every where 
directed to look forward ; this is the glo- 
rious termination of all the struggles and 
conflicts of the church ; this is the result 
of the work of redemption in repairing 
the evils of the fall, and in bringing man 
to more than the bliss which he lost in 
Eden. The mind rests with delight 05 
this glorious prospect; the Bible closes, 
as a revelation from heaven should, in a 
manner that calms down every anxious 
feeling; that fills the soul with peace, 
and that leads the child of God to look 
forward with bright anticipations, and 
to say, as John did, ' Come, Lord Jesus.' 
ch. xxii 20. 



484 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

AND I saw a new ° heaven and 
a new earth: for the first 
heaven and the first earth tvere 
passed away, and there was no 
more sea. 



1. And I saw a new heaven and a new 
earth. Such a heaven and earth that 
they might properly be called new; such 
transformations, and such changes in 
their appearance, that they seemed to 
be just created. He does not say that 
they were created now, or anew; that 
the old heavens and earth were annihi- 
lated; — but all that he says is that there 
were such changes, that they seemed to 
be new. If the earth is to be renovated 
by fire, such a renovation will give an 
appearance to the globe as if it were 
created anew, and might be attended with 
such an apparent change in the heavens 
that they might be said to be new. The 
description here (ver. 1,) relates to scenes 
after the general resurrection and the 
judgment — for those events are detailed 
in the close of the previous chapter. In 
regard to the meaning of the language 
here, see Notes on 2 Peter iii. 13. Com- 
pare, also, " The Religion of Geology and 
its Connected Sciences" by Edward 
Hitchcock, D. D., LL. D., pp. 870-408. 

For the first heaven and the first earth 
were passed away. They had passed 
away by being changed, and a renovated 
universe had taken their place. See 
Notes on 2 Peter iii. 10. f And there 
teas no more sea. This change struck 
John more forcibly, it would appear, 
than any thing else. Now, the seas and 
oceans occupy about three-fourths of the 
surface of the globe, and of course to that 
extent prevent the world from being oc- 
cupied by men — except by the compara- 
tively small number that are mariners. 
There, the idea of John seems to be, the 
whole world will be inhabitable, and no 
part will be given up to the wastes of 
oceans. In the present state of things, 
these vast oceans are necessary to ren- 
der the world a fit abode for human 
beings, as well as to give life and happi- 
ness to the numberless tribes of animals 
that find their homes in the waters. In 
the future state, it would seem, the 
present arrangement will be unnecessa- 
ry, and if man dwells upon the earth at 



2 And I John saw the holy city, 
* new Jerusalem, coming down from 
God, out of heaven, prepared as a 
bride d adorned for her husband. 

a Is. 65. 17-19, 66. 22 ; 2 Pe. 3. 13. 
b Is. 52. l;He. 11. 10, 12. 22. 
c Is. 54. 5. d Ps. 45. 9-14. 



all, or if he visits it as a temporary abode 
(see Notes on 2 Peter iii. 13), these vast 
wastes of water will be needless. It 
should be remembered that the earth, in 
its changes, according to the teachings 
of geology, has undergone many revolu- 
tions quite as remarkable as it would be 
if all the lakes, and seas, and oceans of 
the earth should disappear. Still, it is 
not certain that it was intended that this 
language should be understood literally 
as applied to the material globe. The 
object is to describe the future blessed- 
ness of the righteous, and the idea is, 
that that will be a world where there will 
be no such wastes as those produced by 
oceans. 

2. And I, John, saw the holy city, new 
Jerusalem, coming down from God out of 
heaven. See the f Analysis' of the chap- 
ter. On the phrase i new Jerusalem/ see 
Notes on Gal. iv. 26, and Heb. xii. 22. 
Here it refers to the residence of the re- 
deemed, the heavenly world, of which 
Jerusalem was the type and symbol. It 
is here represented as 'coming down 
from God out of heaven/ This, of 
course, does not mean that this great 
city was literally to descend upon the 
earth, and to occupy any one part of the 
renovated world ; but it is a symbolical 
or figurative representation, designed to 
show that the abode of the righteous will 
be splendid and glorious. The idea of a 
city literally descending from heaven, 
and being set upon the earth with such 
proportions — three hundred and seventy 
miles high (ver. 16), made of gold, and 
with single pearls for gates, and single 
gems for the foundations, is absurd. No 
man can suppose that this is literally 
true, and hence this must be regarded as 
a .figurative or emblematic description. 
It is a representation of the heavenly 
state under the image of a beautiful city, 
of which Jerusalem was, in many re- 
spects, a natural and striking emblem. 
5f Prepared as a bride adorned for her 
husband. See Notes on Isa. xlix. 18, 
lxi. 10. The purpose here is, to repre* 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTEE XXI. 



485 



3 And I heard a great voice out 
of heaven, saying, Behold, the tab- 
ernacle ° of God is with men, and 
he will dwell with them, and they 
shall be his people, b and God him- 

o 2 Co. 6. 16. b Zee. 8. 8. 



Eent it as exceedingly beautiful. The 
comparison of the church with a bride, 
or a wife, is common in the Scriptures. 
See Notes on ch. xix. 1, 8, and on Isa. i. 
21. It is also common in the Scriptures 
to compare a city with a beautiful wo- 
man, and these images here seem to be 
combined. It is a beautiful city that 
seems to descend, and this city is itself 
compared with a richly attired bride pre- 
pared for her husband. 

3. And I heard a voice out of heaven. 
As if uttered by God himself, or the voice 
of angels. ^[ Behold the tabernacle of 
God is with men. The tabernacle, as that 
word is commonly used in the Scriptures 
— referring to the sacred tent erected in 
the wilderness — was regarded as the pe- 
culiar dwelling-place of God among his 
people, as the temple was afterwards, 
which was also called a tabernacle. See 
Notes on Heb. ix. 2. The meaning here 
is, that God would now dwell with the 
redeemed, as if in a tabernacle, or in a 
house specially prepared for his residence 
among them. It is not said that this 
would be on the earth, although that may 
be, for it is possible that the earth, as 
well as other worlds, may yet become 
the abode of the redeemed. See Notes 
on 2 Peter iii. 13. And he ivill dwell 
with them. As in a tent, or tabernacle — 
vKrjvwcei. This is a common idea in the 
Scriptures, And they shall be his peo- 
ple. He will acknowledge them in this 
public way as his own, and will dwell with 
them as such, And God himself shall 
be with them. Shall be permanently with 
them; shall never leave them. ^[And 
be their God. Shall manifest himself as 
such, in such a manner that there shall 
be no doubt. 

4. And God shall wipe away all tears 
from their eyes. This will be one of the 
characteristics of that blessed state, that 
not a tear shall ever be shed there. How 
different will that be from the condition 
here — for who is there here who has not 
learned to weep? See Notes'on ch. vii. 
17. Comp. Notes on Isa. xxv. 8. f And 
there shall be no more death. In all that 

41* 



' self shall be with them, and be their 
IGod. 

4 And God shall wipe away all 
c tears from their eyes ; and there 
shall be no more death, d neither 

c Is. 25. 8 ; c. 7. 17. d 1 Co. 15. 26, 54. 

future world of glory, not one shall ever 
die j not a grave shall ever be dug! 
What a view do we begin to get of hea- 
ven, when we are told there shall be no 
death there ! How different from earth, 
where death is so common ; where it 
spares no one; where our best friends 
| die ; where the wise, the good, the useful, 
the lovely, die ; where fathers, mothers, 
wives, husbands, sons, daughters, all die; 
where we habitually feel that we must 
die. Assuredly we have here a view of 
. heaven most glorious and animating to 
| those who dwell in a world like this, and 
! to whom nothing is more common than 
: death. In all their endless and glorious 
\ career, the redeemed will never see death 
again; they will never themselves die. 
They will never follow a friend to the 
tomb, nor fear that an absent friend is 
dead. The slow funeral procession will 
never be witnessed there ; nor will the 
soil ever open its bosom to furnish a 
grave. See Notes on 1 Cor. xv. 55. 
^[ Heither sorrow. The word sorrow 
here — nevSog — denotes sorrow or grief 
: of any kind; sorrow for the loss of pro- 
\ perty or friends ; sorrow for disappoint- 
ment, persecution, or care ; sorrow over 
| our sins, or sorrow that we love God so 
I little, and serve him so unfaithfully ; 
| sorrow that we are sick, or that we must 
| die. How innumerable are the sources 
j of sorrow here ; how constant is it on 
! the earth ! Since the fall of man there 
has not been a day, an hour, a moment, 
in which this has not been a sorrowful 
world; there has not been a nation, a 
tribe — a city or a village — nay, not a 
family where there has net been grief. 
There has been no individual who has 
been always perfectly happy. No one 
rises in the morning with any certainty 
that he may not end the day in grief; 
no one lies down at night with any 
assurance that it may not be a night of 
sorrow. How different would this world 
; be if it were announced that hencefor< 
' ward there would be no sorrow ! Ho^ 
; different, therefore, will heaven ~Hsi 
j we shall have the assurance that heswfr* 



486 



REVELATION, 



sorrow, a nor crying, neither shall 
there be any more pain: for the 
former things are passed away. 

5 And he that sat upon the throne 
said, Behold, I make all things new. 
And he said unto me, Write : for 
these words are true and faithful. 

forward grief shall be at an end ! Nor 
crying. — tcpavyr}. This word properly 
denotes a cry, an outcry, as in giving a 
public notice; a cry in a tumult — a 
clamor, Acts xxiii. 9 ; and then a cry 
of sorrow, or wailing. This is evidently 
its meaning here, and it refers to all the 
outbursts of grief arising from affliction, 
from oppression, from violence. The 
sense is, that as none of these causes of 
wailing will be known in the future state, 
all such wailing will cease. This, too, 
will make the future state vastly differ- 
ent from our condition here ; for what a 
change would it produce on the earth if 
the cry of grief were never to be heard 
again ! Neither shall there be any 
more pain. There will be no sickness, 
and no calamity; and there will be no 
mental sorrow arising from remorse, 
from disappointment, or from the evil 
conduct of friends. And what a change 
would this produce — for how full of pain 
is the world now ! How many lie on 
beds of languishing ; how many are suf- 
fering under incurable diseases; how 
many are undergoing severe surgical 
operations ; how many are pained by the 
loss of property or friends, or subjected to 
acuter anguish by the misconduct of those 
who are loved! How different would 
this world be, if all pain were to cease 
for ever; how different, therefore, must 
the future state of the blessed be from 
the present ! ^[ For the former things 
are passed away. The world as it was 
before the judgment. 

5. And he that sat upon the throne, 
said. Probably the Messiah, the dis- 
penser of the rewards of heaven. See 
Notes on ch. xx. 11. % Behold, I make 
all things new. A new heaven and new 
sarth (ver. 1), and an order of things to 
correspond with that new creation. The 
former state of things when sin and 
death reigned will be changed, and the 
change consequent on this must extend 
to every thing, And he said unto me, 
Write. Make a record of these things, 
for they are founded in truth, and they 



6 And he said unto me, It h is 
done. c I am Alpha and Omega, 
the beginning and the end. I will 
give unto him that is d athirst of 
the fountain of the water of life freely. 

a Is. 35. 10. b c. 16. 17. cc.1.8; 22. 13. 
d Is. 55. 1; Jno. 4. 10, 14, 7. 37; c. 22. 17. 



are adapted to bless a suffering world. 
Comp. Notes on ch. xiv. 13. See also 
ch. i. 19. *([ For these words are true 
and faithful. They are founded in truth, 
and they are worthy to be believed. See 
Notes on ch. xix. 9. Comp. also Notes 
on Dan. xii. 4. 

6. And he said unto me. That is, he 
that sat on the throne — the Messiah. 

It is done. It is finished, complete ; 
or still more expressively, it is. — yiyove. 
An expression remarkably similar to this 
occurs in John xix. 30, when the Sa- 
viour on the cross said, 1 It is finished/ 
The meaning in the passage before us 
evidently is, ' the great work is accom- 
plished; the arrangement of human 
affairs is complete. The redeemed are 
gathered in; the wicked are cut off; 
truth is triumphant, and all is now com- 
plete—prepared for the eternal state of 
things/ / am Alpha and Omega, the 
beginning and the end. The language 
makes it morally certain that the speaker 
here is the Lord Jesus, for it is the very 
language which he uses of himself in ch. 
i. 11. See its meaning explained in the 
Notes on ch. i. 8. If it is applied to him 
here, it proves that he is divine, for in 
the following verse (7) the speaker says 
that he would be a God to him who 
should ' overcome/ The meaning of the 
language as here used, regarded as 
spoken by the Redeemer at the consum- 
mation of all things, and as his people 
are about entering into the abodes of 
blessedness, is, 'I am now indeed the 
Alpha and the Omega — the first and the 
last. The attributes implied in this lan- 
guage which I claimed for myself, are 
now verified in me, and it is seen that 
these properly belong to me. The scheme 
for setting up a kingdom in the lost 
world began in me, and it ends in me — 
the glorious and triumphant king/ ^ 1 
will give unto him that is athirst. See 
Notes on Matt. v. 6, John vii. 37, iv. 14. 
1[ Of the fountain of the water of life. 
An image often used in the Scriptures 
to represent salvation. It is compared 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTE 



R XXI. 



487 



7 He that overcometh shall in- 
herit ° all things ; and I will be his 
God, and he shall be my son. 

8 But the fearful, b and unbe- 
lieving, c and the abominable, d and 
murderers, c and whoremongers, f 
and sorcerers, f and idolaters, * and 
all liars, i shall have their part in 
the lake which burneth with fire 

a Or, these. b Lu. 12. 4-9. 

c 1 Jno. 5. 4, 10. d 1 Co. 6. 9, 10. 
e 1 Jno. 3. 15. / He. 13. 4 

with a fountain that flows in abundance, 
where all may freely slake their thirst. 
^[ Freely. Without money and without 
price (Notes on Isa. lv. 1 ; John vii. 37) ; 
the common representation in the Scrip- 
tures. The meaning here is not that he 
would do this in the future, but that he 
had shown that this was his character, 
as he had claimed, in the same way 
as he had shown that he was the Al- 
pha and the Omega. The freeness and 
the fulness of salvation will be one of 
the most striking things made manifest 
when the immense hosts of the redeemed 
shall be welcomed to their eternal abodes. 

.7. He that overcometh. See Notes on 
ch. ii. 7. % Shall inherit all things. Be 
an heir of God in all things. See Notes 
on Rom. viii. 17. Comp. Rev. ii. 7, 11, 
17, 26, iii. 5, 12, 21. % And I will \e his 
God. That is, for ever. He would be 
to them all that is properly implied in 
the name God; he would bestow upon 
them all the blessings which it was ap- 
propriate for God to bestow. See Notes 
on Heb. viii. 10 ; 2 Cor. vi. 18. f And 
he shall be my son. He shall sustain to 
me the relation of a son, and shall be 
treated as such. He would ever onward 
sustain this relation, and be honored as 
a child of God. 

8. But the fearful. Having stated, in 
general terms, who they were who would 
be admitted into that blessed world, he 
now states explicitly who would not. 
The fearful denote those who had not 
firmness boldly to maintain their pro- 
fessed principles, or who were afraid to 
avow themselves as the friends of God 
in a wicked world. They stand in con- 
trast with those, who f overcome/ ver. 6. 

And unbelieving. Those who have not 
true faith; avowed infidels; infidels at 
heart; and all who have not tjje sincere 
faith of the gospel. See Notes on Mark 



and brimstone : which is the second 
death. 

9 And there came unto me one 
of the seven j angels which had the 
seven vials full of the seven last 
plagues, and talked with me, say- 
ing, Come hither, I will show thee 
the bride, the Lamb's wife.* 

S Mai. 3. 5. hi Co. 10. 20, 21. 

i Pr. 19. 5, 9, c. 22. 15. 
c. 15. 1, 6, 7. k c. 19. 7. 

xvi. 16. ^[ And the abominable. The 
verb from which this word is derived, 
means, to excite disgust ; to feel disgust 
at; to abominate or abhor; and hence 
the participle — 'the abominable' — refers 
to all who are detestable, to wit, on ac- 
count of their sins ; all whose conduct is 
offensive to God. Thus it would include 
those who live in open sin ; who prac- 
tise detestable vices ; whose conduct is 
fitted to excite disgust and abhorrence. 
These must all, of course, be excluded 
from a pure and holy world, and this 
description, alas, would embrace a la- 
mentably large portion of the world as it 
has hitherto been. See Notes on Rom. 
i. 26, seq. And murderers. See Notes 
on Rom. i. 29 ; Gal. v. 21. «[ And ichore- 
monger8. See Notes on Gal. v. 19. And 
sorcerers. See the word here used — 
(pappaKtvai — explained in the Notes on 
Gal. v. 19, under the word witcn^raft. 
f[ And idolaters. Gal. v. 19 ; 1 Cor. vi. 9. 

And all liars. All who are false in 
their statements, their promises, their 
contracts. The word would embrace all 
who are false towards God (Acts v. 1-3), 
and false toward men. See Rom. i. 31, 
^[ Shall have their part in the lake which 
burneth, &c. Notes ch. xx. 14. That is, 
they will be excluded from heaven, and 
punished for ever. See Notes on 1 Cor. 
vi. 9, 10 ; Gal. v. 19-21. 

9. And there came unto me one of the 
seven angels, &c. See Notes on ch. xvi. 6, 
7. Why one of these angels was employed 
to make this communication, is not 
stated. It may be that as they had been 
engaged in bringing destruction on the 
enemies of the church, and securing its 
final triumph, there was a propriety that 
that triumph should be announced by 
one of their number, ^ And talked with 
me. That is, in regard to what he was 
about to show me. I will shoio thee 



488 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



10 And he carried me away in 
the Spirit to a great and high 
mountain, and showed me that 
great city, ° the holy Jerusalem, 
descending out of heaven from God, 

11 Having the glory b of God : 
and her light was like unto a stone 
most precious, even like a jasper 
stone, clear as crystal ; 

a Eze. 40, 48. b Is. 60. 1, 2. e Eze. 48. 81-34. 



the bride, the Lamb's wife. I will show 
you what represents the redeemed church 
now to be received into permanent union 
with its Lord — as a bride about to be 
united to her husband. See Notes on 
ver. 2. Comp. ch. xix. 7, 8. 

10. And he carried me away in the 
Spirit. Gave him a vision of the city; 
seemed to place him where he could 
have a clear view of it as it came down 
from heaven. See Notes on ch. i. 10. 
^ To a great and high mountain. The 
elevation, and the unobstructed range of 
view, gave him an opportunity to behold 
it in its glory, And showed me that 
great city, &c. As it descended from 
heaven. Notes ver. 2. 

11. Having the glory of God. A glory 
or splendor such as became the dwelling- 
place of God. The nature of that splen- 
dor is described in the following verses. 
*jj And her light. In ver. 23, it is said 
that " the glory of God did lighten it." 
That is, it was made light by the visible 
symbol of the Deity — the shekinah. See 
Notes on Luke ii. 9, Acts ix. 3. The 
word here rendered light — ^wo-r^j? — oc- 
curs nowhere else in the New Testament 
except in Phil. ii. 15. It means properly 
a light, a light-giver, and in profane 
writers means commonly a window. It 
is used here to denote the brightness or 
shining of the divine glory, as supplying 
the place of the sun, or of a window. 

Like unto a stone most precious. A 
stone of the richest or most costly nature. 
^[ Even like a jasper stone. On the jasper, 
see Notes on ch. iv. 3. It is used there 
for the same purpose as here, to illustrate 
the majesty and glory of God. Clear 
as crystal. Pellucid or resplendent like 
crystal. There are various kinds of jas- 
per, as red, yellow, and brown, brownish 
yellow, &c. The stone is essentially a 
quartz, and the word crystal here is used 



12 And had a wall great and 
high, and had twelve gates, c and 
at the gates twelve angels, and 
names written thereon, which are 
the names of the twelve tribes of the 
children of Israel : 

13 On the east three gates; on 
the north three gates ; on the south 
three gates ; and on the west three 
gates. 



to show that the form of it referred to by 
John was clear and bright. 

12. And had a wall great and high. 
Ancient cities were always surrounded 
with walls for protection, and John re- 
presents this as enclosed in the usual 
manner. The word great means that it 
was thick and strong. Its height also is 
particularly noticed, for it was unusual. 
See ver. 16. % And had twelve gates. 
Three on each side. The number of the 
gates correspond to the number of the 
tribes of the children of Israel, and to 
the number of the apostles. The idea 
seems to be that there would be ample 
opportunity of access and egress, % And 
at the gates twelve angeh. Stationed 
there as guards to the new Jerusalem. 
Their business seems to have been to 
watch the gates that nothing improper 
should enter; that the great enemy 
should not make an insidious approach 
to this city as he did to the earthly Para- 
dise. ^[ And names written thereon. On 
the gates', Which are the names of 
the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 
So in the city which Ezekiel saw in vi- 
sion, which John seems also to have had 
in his eye. See Ezek. xlviii. 31. This 
inscription in Ezekiel denoted that that 
was the residence of the people of God ; 
and the same idea is denoted here. The 
new Jerusalem is the eternal residence 
of the children of God, and this is indi- 
cated at every gate. None can enter 
who do -not belong to that people; all 
who are within are understood to be of 
their number. 

13. On the east 'three gates, &c. The 
city was square (ver. 16), and the same 
number of gates is assigned to each 
quarter. There does not appear to be 
any special significancy in this fact, un- 
less it be to denote that there is access 
to this city from all quarters of the world, 



A. D. 96.] 



OHAPTEK XXI. 



489 



14 And the wall of the city had 
twelve foundations, and a in them 
the names of the twelve apostles of 
the Lamb. 

15 And he that talked with me 
had a golden reed b to measure the 
city, and the gates thereof, and the 
wall thereof. 

and that they who will dwell there will 
have come from each of the great divi- 
sions of the earth ; that is, from every 
land. 

14. And the walls of the city had twelve 
foundations. It is not said whether 
these foundations were twelve rows of 
stones placed one above another under 
the city, and extending around it, or 
whether they were twelve stones placed 
at intervals. The former would seem to 
he the most probable, as the latter would 
indicate comparative feebleness and lia- 
bility to fall. Comp. Notes on ver. 19. 
<H And in them. In the foundation stones. 
That is, the names of the apostles were 
cut or carved in them so as to be con- 
spicuous. *[[ The names of the twelve 
apostles of the Lamb. Of the Lamb of 
God ,* the Messiah. For an illustration 
of this passage, see Notes on Eph. ii. 20. 

15. And he that talked with me. The 
angel, ver. 9. ^[ Had a golden reed to 
measure the city. See Notes on ch. xi. 1. 
The reed, or measuring rod here, is of 
gold, because all about the city is of the 
most rich and costly materials. The rod 
is thus suited to the personage who uses 
it, and to the occasion. Comp. a similar 
description in Ezek. xl. 3-5, xlii. 16. 
The object of this measuring is to show 
that the city has proper architectural 
proportions. ^[ And the gates thereof, &c. 
To measure every part of the city, and 
to ascertain its exact dimensions. 

16. And the city lieth four-square. 
It was an exact square. That is, there 
was nothing irregular about it; there 
were no crooked walls ; there was no 
jutting out, and no indentation in the 
walls, as if the city had been built at 
different times without a plan, and had 
been accommodated to circumstances. 
Most cities have been determined in 
their outline by the character of the 
ground — by hills, streams, or ravines ; 
or have grown up by accretions, where 
one part has been joined to another, so 
that there is no regularity, and so that 



16 And the city lieth four 
square, and the length is as large 
as the breadth: and he measured 
the city with the reed, twelve thou- 
sand furlongs. The length, and 
the breadth, and the height of it 
are equal. 

a Ep. 2. 20. b Eze. 40. 3. 

the original plan, if there was any, has 
been lost sight of. The new Jerusalem, 
on the contrary, had been built accord- 
ing to a plan of the utmost regularity, 
which had not been modified by the 
circumstances, or varied as the city 
grew. The idea here may be that the 
church, as it will appear in its state of 
glory, will be in accordance with an 
eternal plan, and that the great original 
design will have been fully carried out. 
^[ And the length is as large as the 
breadth. The height also of the city 
was the same — so that it was an exact 
square, And he measured the city xcith 
the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. As 
eight furlongs make a mile, the extent 
of the walls, therefore, must have been 
three hundred and seventy-five miles. 
Of course, this must preclude all idea of 
there being such a city literally in Pales- 
tine. This is clearly a figurative or 
symbolical representation, and the idea 
is that the city was on the most mag- 
nificent scale, and with the largest pro- 
portions, and the description here is 
adopted merely to indicate this vastness, 
without any idea that it would be un- 
derstood literally. The length, and 
the breadth, and the height of it, are 
equal. According to this representation, 
the height of the city, not of the walls 
(comp. ver. 17), would be three hundred 
and seventy miles. Of course this can- 
not be understood literally,* and the 
very idea of a literal fulfilment of this 
shows the absurdity of that method of 
interpretation. The idea intended to be 
conveyed by this immense height would 
seem to be that it would contain count- 
less numbers of inhabitants. It is true 
that such a structure has not existed, 
and that a city of such a height may 
seem to be out of all proportion ; but 
we are to remember (a) that this is a 
symbol ; and (b) that considered as one 
mass or pile of buildings it may not 
seem to be out of proportion. It is no 
uncommon thing that a house ehould be 



490 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. B. 96. 



17 And he measured the wall 
thereof, an hundred and forty and 
four cubits, according to the mea- 
sure of a man, that is, of the angel. 



as high as it is long or broad. The idea 
of vastncss and of capacity is the main 
idea designed to be represented. The 
image before the mind is, that the num- 
bers of the redeamed will be immense. 

17. And he measured the wall thereof. 
In respect to its height. Of course its 
length corresponded with the extent of 
the city, An hundred and forty and 
four cubits. This would be, reckoning 
the cubit at eighteen inches, two hun- 
dred and sixteen feet. This is less than 
the height of the walls of Babylon, 
which Herodotus says were three hun- 
dred and fifty feet high. See Intro, to 
ch. xiii. of Isaiah. As the walls of a 
city are designed to protect it from ex- 
ternal foes, the height mentioned here 
gives all proper ideas of security; and 
wc are to conceive of the city itself as 
towering immensely above the walls. 
Its glory, therefore, would not be ob- 
scured by the wall that was thrown 
around it for defence, According to 
the measure of a man. The measure 
usually employed by men. This seems 
to be added in order to prevent any mis- 
take as to the size of the city. It is an 
angel who makes the measurement, and 
without this explanation it might per- 
haps be supposed that he used some 
measure not in common use among 
men, so that, after all, it would be 
Impossible to form any definite idea of 
the size of the city, ^ That is, of the 
angel. That is, i which is the measure 
employed by the angel/ It was indeed 
an angel who measured the city, but the 
measure which he employed was that in 
common use among men. 

18. And the building of the wall of it. 
The material of which the wall was com- 
posed. This means the wall above the 
foundation, for that was composed of 
twelve rows of precious stones, vs. 14, 
19, 20. The height of the foundation is 
not stated, but the entire wall above 
was composed of jasper. % Was of 
jasper. See Notes on ch. iv. 3. Of 
course, this cannot be taken literally ; 
and an attempt to explain all this lite- 
rally would show that that method of 
interpreting the Apocalypse is imprac- 



18 And the building of the wall 
of it was of jasper; and the city 
ivas pure~ gold, like unto 3lear 
glass. 



ticable. And the city was pure gold. 
The material of which the edifices were 
composed, Like unto clear glass. The 
word rendered glass in this place — vaXos 
— occurs in the New Testament only 
here and in ver. 21 of this chapter. It 
means properly ' any thing transparent 
like water/ as, for example, any trans- 
parent stone or gem, or as rock-salt, 
crystal, glass. Hob. Lex. Here the 
meaning is, that the golden city would 
be so bright and burnished that it would 
seem to be glass reflecting the sunbeams. 
Would the appearance of a city as the 
sun is setting, when the reflection of 
its beams from thousands of panes of 
glass gives it the appearance of bur- 
nished gold, represent the idea here? 
If we were to suppose a city made en- 
tirely of glass, and the setting sun- 
beams falling on it, it might convey the 
idea represented here. It is certain 
that, as nothing could be more magni- 
ficent, so nothing would more beauti- 
fully combine the two ideas referred to 
here — that of gold and glass. Perhaps 
the reflection of the sun-beams from the 
' Crystal Palace/ erected for the late 
' industrial exhibition' in London, would 
convey a better idea of what is intended 
to be represented here than any thing 
which our world has furnished. The 
following description from one who was 
an eye-witness, drawn up by him at the 
time, and without any reference to this 
passage, and furnished at my request, 
will supply a better illustration of the 
passage before us than any description 
which I could give : — " Seen as the 
morning vapors rolled around its base — 
its far-stretching roofs, rising one above 
another, and its great transept, majes- 
tically arched, soaring out of the en- 
velope of clouds, its pillars, window-bars, 
and pinnacles, looked literally like a 
castle in the air, like some palace, such 
as one reads of in idle tales of Arabian 
enchantment, having about it all the 
ethereal softness of a dream. Looked 
at from a distance at noon, when the 
sunbeams came pouring upon the ter 
raced and vaulted roof, it resembles a 
regal palace of silver, built for some 



D. 96.] 



CH APT 



ER XX. 



491 



19 And the foundations a of the 
wall of the city were garnished with 
all manner of precious stones. The 
first foundation was jasper; the 
second, sapphire ; the third, a chal- 
cedony ; the fourth, an emerald ; 

a Is. 54. 11. 

Eastern prince; when the sun at even- 
tide sheds on its sides his parting rays, 
the edifice is transformed into a temple 
of gold and rubies ; and in the calm 
hours of night, when the moon walketh 
in her brightness, the immense surface 
of glass which the building presents 
looks like a sea or lake throwing back 
in nickering smiles the radiant glances of 
the queen of heaven." 

19. And the foundation of the wall of 
the city. Notes ver. 14. Were gar- 
nished. "Were adorned, or decorated. 
That is, the foundations were composed 
of precious stones, giving them this 
highly ornamented and brilliant appear- 
ance. IT The first foundation. The first 
row, layer, or course. Notes ver. 14. 
TT Was jasper. See Notes on ch. iv. 3. 
IT The second, sapphire. This stone is 
not elsewhere mentioned in the New 
Testament. It is a precious stone next 
m hardness to the diamond, usually of 
an azure or sky-blue color, but of various 
ehades. IF The third, a chalcedony. This 
Word occurs nowhere else in the New 
Testament. The stone referred to is an 
uncrystallized translucent variety of 
quartz, having a whitish color, and of a 
lustre nearly like wax. It is found 
covering the sides of cavities, and is a 
deposit from filtrated silicious waters. 
When it is arranged in stripes, it consti- 
tutes agate; and if the stripes are hori- 
zontal, it is the onyx. The modern 
carnelian is a variety of this. The 
carnelian is of a deep flesh r.ed, or 
reddish-white color. The name chalce- 
dony is from Chalcedon, a town in Asia 
Minor, opposite to Byzantium, or Con- 
stantinople, where this stone was pro- 
bably first known. Webster, Die. ^ The 
fourth, an emerald, See Notes on Rev. 
iv. 3. The emerald is green. 

20. The fifth, sardonyx. This word 
does not occur elsewhere in the New 
Testament. The name is derived from 
Sardis, a city in Asia Minor (Notes, ch. 
Ui. 1), and avr\\ — a nail — so named, ac- 
cording to Pliny, from the resemblance 



20 The fifth, sardonyx ; the sixth, 
sardius ; the seventh, chrysolite ; 
the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a 
topaz ; the tenth, a chrysoprasus ; 
the eleventh, a jacinth ; the twelfth, 
an amethyst. 



of its color to the flesh and the nail. It 
is a silicious stone or gem, nearly allied 
to the onyx. The color is a reddish- 
yellow, nearly orange. Webster, Die. 
^ The sixth, sardius. This word does 
not elsewhere occur in the New Testa- 
ment. It is also derived from Sardis, 
and the name was probably given to the 
gem because it was found there. It is 
a stone of a blood-red or flesh color, and 
is commonly known as a carnelian. It 
is the same as the sardine stone men- 
tioned in Rev. iv. 3. See Notes on that 
place. % The seventh, chrysolite. This 
word does not elsewhere occur in the 
New Testament. It is derived from 
Xpvads, gold, and, Xftos, stone, and means 
golden stone — and was applied by the 
ancients to all gems of a golden or 
yellow color, probably designating par- 
ticularly the topaz of the moderns. 
Rob. Lex. But in Webster's Die. it is 
said that its prevalent color is green. It 
is sometimes transparent. This is the 
modern chrysolite. The ancients un- 
doubtedly understood by the name a 
yellow gem. The eighth, beryl. This 
word occurs nowhere else in the New 
Testament. The beryl is a mineral of 
great hardness, and is of a green or 
bluish -green color. It is identical with 
the emerald, except in the color, the 
emerald having a purer and richer green 
color, proceeding from a trace of oxyd 
of chrome. Prisms of beryl are some- 
times found nearly two feet in diameter 
in the State of New Hampshire. Web- 
ster. The ninth, a topaz. This word 
does not elsewhere occur in the New 
Testament. The topaz is a well-known 
mineral, said to be so called from Topa- 
zos, a small island in the Arabian Gulf. 
It is generally of a yellowish color, and 
pellucid, but it is also found of greenish, 
bluish, or brownish shades. The 
tenth, a chrysoprasus. This word does 
not elsewhere occur in the New Testa- 
ment. It is derived from X9 va ^t 9°ld y 
and irpdcov, a leek, and denotes a pre- 
cious stone of greenish golden color. 



492 



REVEL 



ATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



21 And the twelve gates were 
twelve pearls ; every several gate 
was of one pearl: and the street 
of the city was pure gold, as it 
were transparent glass. 

22 And I saw no temple therein ; 
for the Lord God Almighty and the 
Lamb are the temple of it. 

23 And the city had no need of 

a Is. 60. 19, 20, c. 22. 5. b Jno. 1. 4. 

like a leek, that is, i apple-green passing 
into a grass-green.' JRob. Lex. " It is 
a variety of quartz. It is commonly 
apple-green, and often extremely beau- 
tiful. It is translucent, or sometimes 
semi-transparent; its hardness little in- 
ferior to flint." Webster, Die. \ The 
eleventh, a jacinth. The word does not 
elsewhere occur in the New Testament. 
It is the same word as hyacinth — vcikiv&os 
— and denotes properly the well-known 
flower of that name, usually of a deep 
purple or reddish-blue. Here it denotes 
a gem of this color. It is a red variety 
of zircon. See Webster, Die, under the 
word hyacinth. ^| The twelfth, an ame- 
thyst. This word, also, is found only in 
this place in the New Testament. It 
denotes a gem of a deep purple or violet 
color. The word is derived from a, priv. 
and u£$v(a, to be intoxicated, because this 
gem was supposed to be an antidote 
against drunkenness. It is a species of 
quartz, and is used in jewelry. 

21. And the twelve gates. Ver. 12. 
\ Were twelve pearls. See Notes on ch. 
xvii. 4; Matt. xiii. 46. Every several 
gate was of one pearl. Each gate. 
Of course this is not to be understood 
iterally. The idea is that of orna- 
ment and beauty, and nothing could 
give a more striking view of the mag- 
nificence of the future abode of the 
saints, % And the street of the city was 
pure gold. Was paved with gold ; that 
is, all the vacant space that was not 
occupied with buildings was of pure 
gold. See Kotes on ver. 18. 

22. And I saw no temple therein. No 
, structure reared expressly for the wor- 
ship of God no particular place where 
he was adored. It was all temple — no- 
thing but a temple. It was not like Je- 
rusalem, where there was but one house ' 
reared expressly for divine worship, 
and to which the inhabitants repaired ' 
to praise God ; it was all one great tern- 1 



the sun, * neither of the moon, to 
shine in it : for the glory of God did 
lighten it, and the Lamb is the light 
b thereof. 

24 And the nations c of them 
which are saved shall walk in the 
light of it : and the kings d of the 
earth do bring their glory and honor 
into it. 

c Is. 60. 3-11, 66. 10-12. d Ps. 72. 11. 

pie reared in honor of his name, and 
where worship ascended from every part 
of it. With this explanation, this passage 
harmonizes with what is said in ch. iii. 
12, vii. 15. ^ For the Lord God Almighty 
and the Lamb are the temple of it. They 
are present, in all parts of it in their 
glory; they fill it with ligkt; and the 
splendor of their presence may be said to 
be the temple. The idea here is, that it 
would be a holy world — all holy. No 
particular portion would be set apart for 
purposes of public worship, but in all 
places God would be adored, and every 
portion of it devoted to the purposes of 
religion. 

23. And the city had no need of the 
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it. 
This imagery seems to be derived from 
Isa. lx. 19, 20. See Notes on those 
verses. No language could give a more 
striking or beautiful representation of 
the heavenly state than that which is 
here employed. If For the Lord God 
did lighten it. By the visible splendor 
of his glory. See Notes on ver. 11. That 
supplied the place of the suf and the 
moon, And the Lamb is the liijit thereof. 
The Son of God; the Messiah. Notes ch. 
v. 6 ; Isa. lx. 19. 

24. And the nations of them, that arc 
saved. All the nations that are saved , 
or all the saved considered as nations. 
This imagery is doubtless derived from 
that in Isaiah, particularly ch. lx. 3-9. 
See Notes on that. passage, Shall walk 
in the light of it. Shall enjoy its splen- 
dor, and be continually in its light. 
5[ And the kings of the earth do bring 
their glory and honor into it. All that 
they consider as constituting their glory, 
treasures, crowns, sceptres, robes. The 
idea is, that all these will be devoted to 

\ God in the future days of the church 
in its glory, and will be, as it were 
' brought and laid down at the feei 
I of the Saviour in heaven. The Ian 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTE 



K XXII. 



493 



25 And the gates of it shall not 
be shut at all by day : for a there 
shall be no night there. 

26 And they shall bring the 
glory and honor of the nations 
into it. 

27 And b there shall in no wise 
enter into it any thing that defileth, 
neither whatsoever worketh abomi- 
nation; or malceth a lie: but they 

a Zee. 14. 7. 



guage is derived, doubtless, from the 
description in Isa. Ix. 3-14. Comp. Isa. 
xlix. 23. 

25. And the gates of it shall not be shut 
at all by day. It shall be constantly 
open, allowing free ingress and egress to 
all who reside there. The language is 
derived from Isa. lx. 11. See Notes on 
that place. Applied to the future state 
of the blessed, it would seem to mean, 
that, while this will be their permanent 
abode, yet that the dwellers there will 
not be prisoners. The universe will be 
open to them. They will be permitted 
to go forth and visit every world, and 
survey the works of God in all parts of 
his dominions, For there shall be no 
night there. It shall be all day ; all un- 
clouded splendor. When, therefore, it is 
said that the gates should not be ' shut 
by day/ it means that they would never 
be shut. When it is said that there 
would be no night there, it is, undoubt- 
edly, to be taken as meaning that there 
would be no literal darkness, and nothing 
of which night is the emblem: — no ca- 
lamity, no sorrow, no bereavement, no 
darkened windows on account of the 
loss of friends and kindred. Comp. Notes 
on ver. 4. 

26. And they shall bring, &c. See 
Notes on ver. 24. That blessed world 
shall be made up of all that was truly 
valuable and pure on the earth. 

27. And there shall in no wise. On no 
account; by no means. This strong 
language denotes the absolute exclusion 
of all that is specified in the verse. 

Any thing that defileth. Literally, 
' any thing common.* See Notes on Acts 
x. 14. It means here that nothing will 
be found in that blessed abode which is 
unholy or sinful. It will be a pure 
world. 2 Peter iii. 13. Neither what- 
goover worketh abominations or maketh 
42 



which are written in the Lamb's 
book c of life. 

CHAPTER XXII. 

AND he showed me a pure river 
of water of life, clear as crystal, 
proceeding out of the throne of Goo 
and of the Lamb. 

b Is. 35. 8, 52. 1, 60. 21 ; Joel 3. 17 ; Matt. 13 
41; 1 Co. 6. 9, 10; Ga. 5. 19-21; Ep. 5. 5; H« 
12. 14. c c. 13. 8. 



a lie. See Notes on ver. 8. ^ But the$ 
which are written in the Lamb's book of 
life. Whose names are there recorded. 
See Notes ch. iii. 5. Comp. Notes on 
ver. 8. 

CHAPTER XXII., 1-5. 

For the Analysis of the first five verses 
of this chapter, see the Analysis of ch. xxi. 
This chapter comprises the remainder of 
the description of the i new Jerusalem' — 
the blessed abode of the saints (vs. 1-5), 
and then (vs. 6-21) the conclusion or Epi- 
logue of the whole book. Ifc is difficult 
to conceive what induced the author of 
the division of the New Testament into 
chapters, to separate the first five verses 
of this chapter from the preceding chap- 
ter. A new chapter should have com- 
menced at verse 6, of the xxii. chapter, 
for the remainder properly comprises the 
conclusion of the whole book. Comp. 
Intro, to Notes on the Gospels, vol. 1, 
pp. viii. ix. 

" 1. And he showed me a pure river of 
water of life. In the New Jerusalem ; 
the happy abode of the redeemed. The 
phrase 1 water of life/ means living or 
running water, like a spring or fountain, 
as contrasted with a stagnant pool. See 
Notes on John iv. 14. The allusion here 
is doubtless to the first Eden, where a 
river watered the garden (Gen. ii. 10, 
seq.), and as this is a description of 
Eden recovered, or Paradise regained, it 
was natural to introduce a river of water 
also, yet in such a way as to accord with 
the general description of that future 
abode of the redeemed. It does not 
spring up, therefore, from the ground, 
but flows from the throne of God and the 
Lamb. Perhaps, also, the writer had in 
his eye the description in Ezek. xlvii. 
1-12, where a stream issues from undef 
. the temple, and is parted in diffotent di~ 



494 



REVEL 



ATION, 



LA. D. 96. 



2 In ° the midst of the street b of 
it, and on either side of the river, 
was there the tree c of life, which 

rections. Clear as crystal. See Notes 
ch. iv. 6. ^ Proceeding out of the throne 
of God and of the Lamb. Flowing from 
the foot of the throne. Comp. ch. iv. 6. 
This idea is strictly in accordance with 
Oriental imagery. In the East, fountains 
and running streams constituted an es- 
sential part of the image of enjoyment 
and prosperity (see Notes on Isa. xxxv. 
6), and such fountains were common in 
the courts of Oriental houses. Here, the 
river is an emblem of peace, happiness, 
plenty; and the essential thought in its 
flowing from the throne, is, that all the 
happiness of heaven proceeds from God. 

2. In the midst of the street of it. Pro- 
fessor Stuart renders this, " between the 
street thereof and the river;" and says 
that " the writer conceives of the river 
as running through the whole city; then 
of streets parallel to it on either side; 
and then, on the banks of the river, be- 
tween the water and the street, the whole 
stream is lined on either side with two 
rows of the tree of life." The more 
common interpretation, however, is 
doubtless admissible, and would give a 
more beautiful image ; that in the street, 
or streets of the city, as well as on the 
banks of the river, the tree of life was 
planted. It abounded every where. The 
city had not only a river passing through 
it, but it was pervaded by streets, and 
all those streets were lineji and shaded 
with this tree. The idea in the mind of 
the writer is that of Eden or Paradise; 
but it is not the Eden of the book of 
Genesis, or the Oriental or Persian Para- 
dise: — it is a picture where all is com- 
bined that in the view of the writer would 
constitute beauty, or contribute to hap- 
piness. ^[ And on either side of the river. 
As well as in all the streets. The writer 
undoubtedly conceives of a single river 
running through the city — probably as 
meandering along — and that river lined 
on both sides with the tree of life. This 
gives great beauty to the imagery. 
^[ "Was there the tree of life. Not a sin- 
gle tree, but it abounded every where — 
on the banks of the river, and in all the 
streets. It was the common tree in this 
blessed Paradise — of which all might 
partake, and which was every where the 
tmblem of immortality. In this respect 



bare twelve manner of fruits, and 
yielded her fruit every month : and 

a Eze. 47. 1, 12. b c. 21. 21. c c. 2. 7. 

this new Paradise stands in strong con- 
trast with that in which Adam was 
placed at his creation, where there seems 
to have been a single tree that was de- 
signated as the tree of life. Gen. iii. 22, 
23. In the future state of the blessed^ 
that tree will abound, and all may freely 
partake of it; the emblem — the pledge 
of immortal life — will be constantly be- 
fore the eyes, whatever part of the future 
abode may be traversed, and the inhabi- 
tants of that blessed world may con- 
stantly partake of it. Which bare 
twelve manner of fruits. " Producing 
twelve fruit-harvests ; not (as our ver- 
sion) twelve manner of fruits." Prof 
Stuart. The idea is not that there are 
twelve kinds of fruit on the same tree, 
for that is not implied in the language 
used by John. The literal rendering is, 
' producing twelve fruits' — noidvv tcap-rrovs 
SuSeica. The word 'manner' has been 
introduced by the translators without 
authority. The idea is, that the tree 
bore every month in the year, so that 
there were twelve fruit-harvests. It was 
not like a tree that bears but once a 
year, or in one season only, but it con- 
stantly bore fruit — it bore every month. 
The idea is that of abundance, not vari- 
ety. The supply never fails ; the tree is 
never barren. As there is but a single 
class of trees referred to, it might have 
been supposed, perhaps, that, according 
to the common method in which fruit is 
produced, there would be sometimes 
plenty and sometimes want; but the 
writer says that, though there is but one 
kind, yet the supply is ample. The tree 
is everywhere ; it is constantly producing 
fruit, fl" And yielded her fruit every 
month. The word ( and' is also supplied 
by the translators, and introduces an 
idea which is not in the original, as if 
there was not only a succession of har- 
vests, which is in the text — but that 
each one differed from the former, which 
is not in the text. The proper transla- 
tion is, f producing twelve fruits, yielding 
or rendering its fruit in each month/ 
Thus there is indeed a succession of 
fruit-crops, but it is the same kind of 
fruit. We are not to infer, however, 
that there will not be variety in the oc- 
cupations and the joys of tha heavenly 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XXII. 



495 



the leaves of the tree ivere for the 
healing of the nations. 

3 And there a shall be no more 
curse : but the throne of God b and 
of the Lamb shall be in it ; and his 
servants c shall serve him, 

4 And d they shall see his face ; 

a Zee. 14. 11. b Eze. 48. 35. e c. 7. 15. 
d Mat. 5. 8; Jno. 12. 26, 17. 24; 1 Co. 13. 12; 
1 Jno. 3. 2. 



state, for there can be no doubt that 
there will be ample diversity in the em- 
ployments, and in the sources of happi- 
ness, in heaven ; but the single thought 
expressed here is, that the means of life 
will be abundant: — the trees of life will 
be every where, and they will be con- 
stantly yielding fruit, % And the leaves 
of the tree. Not only the fruit will con- 
tribute to give life, but even the leaves 
will be salutary. Every thing about it 
will contribute to sustain life, Were 
for the healing. That is, they contribute 
to impart life and health to those who 
had been diseased. We are not to sup- 
pose that there will be sickness, and a 
healing process in heaven, for that idea 
is expressly excluded in ch. xxi. 4, but 
the meaning is, that the life and health 
of that blessed world will have been im- 
parted by partaking of that tree, and the 
writer says that, in fact, it was owing to 
it that they who dwell there had been 
healed of their spiritual maladies, and 
had been made to live for ever. *jf Of the 
nations. Of all the nations assembled 
there, ch. xxi. 24. There is a close re- 
semblance between the language here 
used by John, and that used by Ezekiel, 
xlvii. 12, and it is not improbable that 
both these writers refer to the same thing. 
Comp. also in the Apocrypha, 2 Ezra ii. 
12, viii. 52-54. 

3. And there shall be no more curse. 
This is doubtless designed to be in strong 
contrast with our present abode, and it 
is affirmed that what now properly 
comes under tha name of a curse, or 
whatever is part of the curse pronounced 
on man by the fall, will be there un- 
known. The earth will be no more 
cursed, and will produce no more thorns 
and thistles ; man will be no more com- 
pelled to earn his bread by the sweat of 
his brow; woman will be no more 
doomed to bear the sufferings which she 
does now; and the abodes of the blessed 



and his name e shall be in their 
foreheads. 

5 And f there shall be no night 
there ; and they need no candle, 
neither light of the sun ; for the 
Lord God giveth them light : e and 
they shall reign * for ever and 
ever. 

ec.3. 12. / c. 21. 23, 25. g Ps. 36. 39. 
h Ko. 5. 17. 



will be no more cursed by sickness, 
sorrow, tears, and death. % But the 
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be 
in it. God will reign there for ever, the 
principles of purity and love which the 
Lamb of God came to establish, will 
pervade that blessed abode to all eternity. 
5[ And his servants shall serve him. All 
his servants that are there ; that is, all 
the inhabitants of that blessed world. 
For the meaning of this passage, see 
Notes on ch. vii. 15. 

4. And they shall see his face. See 
Notes on Matt, xviii. 10. They would 
be constantly in his presence, and be 
permitted continually to behold his 
glory, And his name shall be in their 
foreheads. They shall be designated as 
his. See Notes on ch. iii. 12, vii. 3, 
xiii. 16. 

5. And there shall be no night theie. 
Notes, ch. xxi. 25. ^ And they used no 
candle. No lamp ; no artificial light, as 
in a world where there is . night and 
darkness, Neither light of the sun; 
for the Lord God, &c. Notes, ch. xxi. 
23. And they shall reign for ever 
and ever. That is, with God ; they shall 
be as kings. See Notes on ch. v. 10, 
xx. 6; comp. Notes cm 2 Tim. 11, 12; 
Rom. viii. 16. 

REMARKS ON CH. XXI. XXII. 1-5. 

This portion of the Apocalypse con- 
tains the most full and complete con- 
tinuous description of the state of the 
righteous in the world of blessedness, 
that is to be found in the Bible. It 
seems to be proper, therefore, to pause 
on it for a moment, and to state in a 
summary manner, what will be the 
principal features of that blessedness. 
All can see that, as a description, it 
occupies an appropriate place, not only 
in regard to this book, but to the 
volume of revealed truth. In reference 
to this particular book, it is the appro- 



496 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96 



priate close of the account of the con- 
flicts, the trials, and the persecutions of 
the church ; in reference to the whole 
volume of revealed truth, it is appro- 
priate because it occurs in the last of the 
inspired books that was written. It was 
proper that a volume of revealed truth 
given to mankind, and designed to 
describe a great work of redeeming 
mercy, should close with a description 
of the state of the righteous after 
death. 

The principal features in the descrip- 
tion are the following : — 

(1) There will be a new heaven and a 
new earth : — a new order of things, and 
a world adapted to the condition of the 
righteous. There will be such changes 
produced in the earth, and such abodes 
fitted up for the redeemed, that it will 
be proper to say that they are new, 
ch. xxi. 1. 

(2) The locality of that abode is not 
determined. No particular place is re- 
vealed as constituting heaven ; nor is it 
intimated that there would be such a 
place. For an> thing that appears the 
universe at large will be heaven — the 
earth and all worlds ; and we are left 
free to suppose that the redeemed will 
yet occupy any position of the uni- 
verse, and be permitted to behold the 
peculiar glories oT the divine character 
that are manifested in each of the 
worlds that he has made. Comp. 
Notes on 1 Peter i. 12. That there may 
be some one place in the universe that 
will be their permanent home, and that 
will be more properly called heaven, 
where the glory of their God and 
Saviour will be peculiarly manifested, 
is not improbable ; but still there is no- 
thing to prevent the hope and the 
belief that in the infinite duration that 
awaits them, they will be permitted tc 
visit all the worlds that God has made, 
and to learn in each, and from each, all 
that he has peculiarly manifested of his 
own character and glory there. 

(3) That future state will be entirely 
and for ever free from all the conse 
quences of the apostacy as now seen on 
the earth. There will be neither tears, 
nor sorrow, nor death, nor crying, 
nor pain, nor curse, ch. xxi. 4, xxii. 3. 
It will, therefore, be a perfectly happv 
abode. 



(4) It will be pure and holy. No- 
thing will ever enter there that shall 
contaminate and defile. Ch. xxi. 8. 27. 
On this account, also, it will be a happy 
world, for (a) all real happiness has its 
foundation in holiness ; and (b) the 
source of all the misery that the uni- 
verse has experienced is sin. Let that 
be removed, and the earth would be 
happy ; let it be extinguished from 
any world, and its happiness will be 
secure. 

(5) It will be a world of perfect light, 
ch. xxi. 22, 23, 24, 25, xxii. 5. There 
wLl be (a) literally no night there ; 
(b) spiritually and morally there will be 
no darkness — no error, no sin. Light 
will be cast on a thousand subjects now 
obscure ; and on numerous points per- 
taining to the divine government and 
dealings which now perplex the mind, 
there will be poured the splendor of per- 
fect day. All the darkness that exists 
here will be dissipated there ; all that 
is now obscure will be made light. 
And in view of this fact, we may well 
submit for a little time to the mys- 
teries which hang over the divine deal- 
ings here. The Christian is destined 
to live for ever and ever. He is capable 
of an eternal progression in knowledge. 
He is soon to be ushered into the 
splendors of that eternal abode where 
there is no need of the light of the sun 
or the moon, and where there is no 
night. In a little%ime — a few weeks or 
days — by removal to that higher state 
of being, he will have made a degree of 
progress in true knowledge compared 
with which all that can be learned here 
is a nameless trifle. In that future 
abode be will be permitted to know all 
that is to be known in those worlds that 
shine upon his path by day or by 
night ; all that is to be known in the 
character of their Maker, and the prin- 
ciples of his government ; all that is 
to be known of the glorious plan of 
redemption ; all that is to be known 
of the reasons why sin and woe were 
permitted to enter this beautiful world. 
There, too, he will be permitted to enjoy 
all that there is to be enjoyed in a world 
without a cloud and without & tear ; 
all that is beatific in the friendship of 
God the Father, of the Ascended Re- 
deemer, of the Sacred Spirit; all that is 
blessed in the goodly fellowship of the 
angels, of the apostles, of the prophets 



Al. D. 96.J 



CHAPTER XXII. 



497 



all that is rapturous in re-union with 
those that were loved on the earth. 
Well then may he bear with the dark- 
ness, and endure the trials of this state 
a little longer. 

(6) It will be a world of surpassing 
splendor. This is manifest by the de- 
eeription of it in chapter xx., as a gor- 
geous city, with ample dimensions, with 
most brilliant colors, set with gems, and 
composed of pure gold. The writer, in 
the description of that abode, has accu- 
mulated all that is gorgeous and mag- 
nificent, and doubtless felt that even this 
was a very imperfect representation of 
that glorious world. 

(7) That future world will be an abode 
of the highest conceivable happiness. 
This is manifest, not only from the fact 
stated that there will be no pain or sor- 
row here, but from the positive descrip- 
tion in ch. xxii. 1, 2. It was, undoubt- 
edly, the design of the writer, under the 
image of a Paradise, to describe the fu- 
ture abode of the redeemed as one of the 
highest happiness — where there would 
be an ample and a constant supply 
of every want, and where the highest 
ideas of enjoyment would be realized. 
And 

(8) All this will be eternal. The uni- 
verse, so vast and so wonderful, seems 
to have been made to be fitted to the 
eternal contemplation of created minds, 
and in this universe there is an adapta- 
tion for the employment of mind for ever 
and ever. 

If it be asked now why John, in the 
account which he has given of the hea- 
venly state, adopted this figurative and 
emblematic mode of representation, and 
why it did not please God to reveal any 
more respecting the nature of the em- 
ployments and enjoyments of the hea- 
venly world, it may be replied, 

(a) That this method is eminently in 
accordance with the general character 
of the book, as a book of symbols and 
emblems. 

(b) He has stated enough to give us a 
general and a most attractive view of 
that blessed state. 

(c) It is not certain that we would 
have appreciated it, or could have com- 
prehended it, if a more minute and lite- 
ral description had been given. That 
state may be so unlike this that it is 
doubtful whether we could have compre- 

42* 



hended any literal description that could 
have been given. How little of the fu- 
ture and the unseen can ever be known 
by a mere description; how faint and 
imperfect a view can we ever obtain of 
any thing by the mere use of words, and 
especially of objects which have no re- 
semblance to any thing which we have 
seen ! Who ever obtained any adequate 
idea of Niagara by a mere description ? 
To what Greek or Roman mind, how- 
ever cultivated, could there have been 
conveyed the idea of a printing-press, of 
a locomotive engine, of the magnetic tele- 
graph, by mere description ? Who can 
convey to one born blind an idea of the 
prismatic colors ; or to the deaf an idea 
of sounds ? If we may imagine the world 
of insect tribes to be endowed with the 
power of language and thought, how 
could the gay and gilded butterfly that 
to-day plays in the sunbeam, impart to 
its companions of yesterday — low and 
grovelling worms — any adequate idea 
of that new condition of being into which 
it had emerged ? And how do we know 
that we could comprehend any descrip- 
tion of that world where the righteous 
dwell, or of employments and enjoyments 
so unlike our own? 

I cannot more appropriately close this 
brief notice of the revelations of the hea- 
venly state, than by introducing an an- 
cient poem, which seems to be founded 
on this portion of the Apocalypse, and 
which is the original of one of the most 
touching and beautiful hymns now used 
in Protestant places of worship: — the 
well-known hymn which begins, "Jeru- 
salem ! my Happy Home." This hymn 
is deservedly a great favorite, and 
is an eminently beautiful composition. 
It is, however, of Roman Catholic 
origin. It is found in a small volume 
of miscellaneous poetry, sold at Mr. 
Bright's sale of manuscripts in 1844, 
which has been placed in the British 
Museum, and now forms the additional 
MS. 15,225. It is referred, by the letter- 
ing on the book, to the age of Elizabeth, 
but it is supposed to belong to the sub- 
sequent reign. The volume seems to 
have been formed by or for some Roman 
Catholic, and contains many devotional 
songs or hymns, interspersed with others 
of a m§re general character. See LittelTa 
Living Aye, vol. xxviii. pp. 333-336. The 
hymn is as followi 



498 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96, 



A SONG MADE BY P. B. P. 
To the tune of " Diana." 

Jerusalem ! my happy home ! 

When shall I come to thee, 
When shall my sorrows have an end, 

Thy joys when shall 1 see '! 

O happy harbor of the saints, 

O sweet and pleasant soil, 
In thee no sorrow may be found, 

No grief, no care, no toil. 

in thee no sickness may be seen, 

No hurt, no ache, no sore ; 
There is no death, no ugly deil,* 

There 's life for evermore. 

No dampish mist is seen in thee, 
No cold nor darksome night; 

There every soul shines as the sun. 
There God himself gives light. 

There lust and lucre cannot dwell, 

There envy bears no sway, 
There is no hunger, heat, nor cold, 

But pleasure every way. 

Jerusalem ! Jerusalem ! 

God grant I once may see 
Thy endless joys, and or the same, 

Partaker aye to be. 

Thy walls are made of precious stones, 
Thy bulwarks diamonds square, 

Thy gates are of right orient pearl, 
Exceeding rich and rare. 

Thy turrets and thy pinnacles 

With carbuncles do shine, 
Thy very streets are paved with gold, 

Surpassing clear and fine. 

Thy houses are of ivory. 

Thy windows crystal clear, 
Thy tiles are made of beaten gold ; 

O God, that I were there ! 

Within thy gates no thing doth come 

That is not passing clean, 
No spider's web, no dirt, no dust, 

No filth may there be seen. 

Ah, my sweet home, Jerusalem ! 

Would God I were in thee, 
Would God my woes were at an end, 

Thy joys that I might see. 

Thy saints are crowned with glory great, 

They see God face to face, 
They triumph still, they still rejoice, 

Most happy is their case. 

We that are here in banishment 

Continually do moan; 
We sigh and sob, we weep and wail, 

Perpetually we groan. 

Our sweet is mixed with bitter gall, 

Our pleasure is but pain, 
Our joys scarce last the looking on, 

Our sorrows still remain. 

But there they live in such delight, 
Such pleasure, and such play, 

As that to them a thousand years, 
Doth seem as yesterday. 

Thy vineyards and thy orchards are 

Most beautiful and fair, 
Full furnished with trees and fruits, 

Most wonderful and rare. 



* Devil, in MS., but it must have been pronounced 
Scoiicr., Deil. t Musing, in MS. 



Thy gardens and thy gallant walks 

Continually are green ; 
There grow such sweet and pleasant floweni 

As nowhere else are seen. 

There 's nectar and ambrosia made, 

There 's musk and civet sweet, 
There many a fair and dainty drug 

Are trodden under feet. 

There cinnamon, there sugar grows, 

There nard and balm abound, 
What tongue can tell, or heart conceive 

The joys that there are found? 

Quite through the streets, with silver sound, 

The flood of life doth flow, 
Upon whose banks, on every side, 

The wood of life doth grow. 

There trees for evermore bear fruit, 

And evermore do spring; 
There evermore the angels sit, 

And evermore do sing. 

There David stands with harp in hand, 

As master of the quire ; 
Ten thousand times that man were blest 

That might this music f hear. 

Our lady sings Magnificat, 

With tune surpassing sweet, 
And all the virgins bear their parts, 

Sitting above her feet. 

Te Deum doth Saint Ambrose sing, 

Saint Austine doth the like : 
Old Simeon and Zachary • 

Have not their song to seek. 

There Magdalene hath left her moan, 

And cheerfully doth sing, 
With blessed saints whose harmony 

In every street doth ring. 

Jerusalem, my happy home ! 

Would God I were in thee, 
Would God my woes were at an end, 

Thy joys that I might see ! 



ANALYSIS OP CH. XXII. 6-20. 

This portion of the book of Revelaeion 
is properly the Epilogue, or conclusion. 
The main purposes of the vision are ac- 
complished ; the enemies of the church 
are quelled; the church is triumphant; 
the affairs of the world are wound up ; 
the redeemed are received to their bliss- 
ful, eternal abode; the wicked are cut 
off; the earth is purified, and the affairs 
of the universe are fixed on their perma- 
nent foundation. A few miscellaneous 
matters, therefore, close the book. 

(1) A solemn affirmation on the part 
of him who had made these revelations, 
that they are true, and that they will 
be speedily accomplished, and that he 
will be blessed or happy who shall keep 
the sayings of the book, vs. 6, 7. 

(2) The effect of all these things on 
John himself, leading him, as in a former 
case (ch. xix. 10), to a disposition to wor- 
ship him who had been the medium in 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTE 



R XXII. 



6 And he said unto me, These 
payings are faithful and true : and 
the Lord God of the holy prophets 
sent ° his angel to show unto his 
servants the things which must 
shortly be done. 

7 Behold, I come quickly : b 

a c. 1. 1. 



making to him such extraordinary com- 
munications, vs. 8. 9. 

(3) A command not to seal up what 
had been revealed, since the time was 
near. These things would soon have 
their fulfilment, and it was proper that 
the prophecies should be unsealed, or 
open, both that the events might be 
compared with the predictions, and that 
a persecuted church might be able to see 
what would be the result of all these 
things, and to find consolation in the as- 
surance of the final triumph of the Son 
of God, vs. 10. 

(4) The fixed and unchangeable state 
of the righteous and the wicked, vs. 
11-13. 

(5) The blessedness of those who keep 
the commandments of God, and who 
enter into the new Jerusalem, vs. 14, 
15. 

(6) Jesus, the root and the offspring 
of David, and the bright and morning 
star, proclaims himself to be the author 
of all these revelations by the instrumen- 
tality of an angel, ver. 16. 

(7) The universal invitation of the 
gospel — the language of Jesus himself — 
giving utterance to his strong desire for 
the salvation of men, ver. 17. 

(8) A solemn command not to change 
any thing that had been revealed in this 
book, either by adding to it, or by taking 
from it, vs. 18, 19. 

(9) The assurance that he who had 
made these revelations would come 
quickly, and the joyous assent of John 
to this, and prayer that his advent might 
soon occur, ver. 20. 

(10) The bendediction, ver. 21. 

6. And he said unto me. The angel- 
interpreter, who had showed John the 
vision of the New Jerusalem, ch. xxi. 9, 
10. As these visions are now at an end, 
the angel comes to John directly, and 
assures him that all these things are 
true — that there has been no deception 
of the senses in these visions, but that 
they were really divine disclosures of 



blessed is he that keepeth the say- 
ings of the prophecy of this book. 

8 And I J ohn saw these things, 
and heard them. And when I had 
heard and seen, I fell down to wor- 
ship before the feet of the angel 
which showed me these things. 

b v. 10. 12, 20. 

what would soon and certainly occur. 
^[ These sayings are faithful and true. 
These communications ; all that has been 
disclosed to you by symbols, or in direct 
language. See Note3 on ch. xxi. 5. 
^ And the Lord God of the holy prophets. 
The same God who inspired the ancient 
prophets. IT Sent his angel. See Notes 
ch. i. 1. ^[ To show unto his servants. 
To all his servants, that is, to all his 
people, by the instrumentality of John. 
The revelation was made to him, and he 
was to record it for the good of the whole 
church, % The things which must shortly 
be done. The beginning of which must 
soon occur — though the series of events 
extended into distant ages, and even into 
eternity. See Notes on ch. i. 1-3. 

7. Behold 1 come quickly. See Notes 
on ch. i. 3. The words here used are, 
undoubtedly, the words of the Redeemer, 
although they are apparently repeated 
by the angel. The meaning is, that they 
were used by the angel as the words of 
the Redeemer. See vs. 12, 20. Bless- 
ed is he that keepeth the sayings of the 
prophecy of this book. That receives 
them as a divine communication; that 
makes use of them to comfort himself in 
the days of darkness, persecution, and 
trial ; and that is obedient to the pre- 
cepts here enjoined. See Notes ch. 
i. 3. 

8. And I John saw these things, and 
heard them. That is, I saw the parts that 
were disclosed by pictures, visions, and 
symbols; I heard the parts that were 
communicated by direct revelation. 

And when I had heard and seen, I fell 
down to worship before the feet of the 
angel, &c. As he had done on a former 
occasion. See Notes on ch. xix. 10. 
John appears to have been entirely over- 
come by the extraordinary nature of the 
revelations made to him, and not impro- 
bably entertained some suspicion that it 
was the Redeemer himself who had 
manifested himself to him in this re- 
markable manner. 



500 RE VELA 

9 Then saith he unto me, See 
thou do it not : for I am thy fellow- 
servant, and of thy brethren the 
prophets, and of them which keep 
the sayings of this book: worship 
God. 



[A. B. 96. 



9. Then saith he unto me, /See 'thou do 
it not. See Notes on ch. xix. 10. For 
I am thy fellow-servant. Notes ch. xix. 
10. And of thy brethren the prophets. 
In ch. xix. 10, it is, ' of thy brethren 
that have the testimony of Jesus/ Here 
the angel says that, in the capacity in 
which he appeared to John, he belonged 
to the general rank of the prophets, and 
was no more entitled to worship than 
any of the prophets had been. Like 
them, he had merely been employed to 
disclose important truths in regard to 
the future ; but as the prophets, even the 
most eminent of them, were not regarded 
as entitled to worship on account of the 
communications which they had made, 
no more was he. And of them which 
keep the sayings of this booh. 'I am a 
mere creature of God. I, like men, am 
under law, and am bound to observe the 
law of God.' The 'sayings of this book ' 
which he says he kept, must be under- 
stood to mean those great principles of 
religion which it enjoined, and which 
are of equal obligation on men and an- 
gels. Worship God. Worship God 
only. Notes ch. xix. 10. 

10. And he saith unto me. The angel. 
•[[ Seal not the sayings of the prophecy 
of this booh. That is, seal not the book 
itself, for it may be regarded altogether 
as a prophetic book. On the sealing of 
a book, see Notes on ch. v. 1. Isaiah 
(viii. 16, xxx. 8) and Daniel (viii. 26, 
xii. 4, 9) were commanded to seal up 
their prophecies. Their prophecies re- 
lated to far-distant times, and the idea 
in their being commanded to seal them 
was, that they should make the record 
sure and unchangeable ; that they should 
finish it and lay It up for future ages ; so 
that, in far-distant times, the events 
might be compared with the prophecy, 
and it might be seen that there was an 
exact correspondence between the pro- 
phecy and the fulfilment. Their prophe- 
cies would not be immediately demanded 
for the use of persecuted saints, but 
would pertain to future ages. On the 
other hand, the events which John 



10 And he saith unto me, Seal 
not a the sayings of the prophecy 
of this book : for the time is at hand. 

11 He 1 that is unjust, let him be 



a Da. 8. 26. b Pr. 1. 2^33; Ec. 11. 3; 

Mat. 26. 10; 2 Ti. 3. 13. 



had predicted, though in their ultimate 
development they were to extend to the 
end of the world, and even into eternity, 
were about to begin to be fulfilled, and 
were to be of immediate use in consoling 
a persecuted church. John, therefore, 
was directed not to seal up his predic- 
tions ; not to lay them away to be open- 
ed, as it were, in distant ages, but to 
leave them open so that a persecuted 
church might have access to them, and 
might in times of persecution and trial 
have the assurance that the principles 
of their religion would finally triumph. 
See Notes on ch. x. 2. For the time ia 
at hand. That is, they are soon to com- 
mence. It is not implied that they would 
be soon completed. The idea is, that as 
the scenes of persecution were soon to 
open upon the church, it was important 
that the church should have access to 
these prophecies of the final triumph of 
religion, to sustain it in its trials. Comp. 
Notes on ch. i. 1, 3. 

11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust 
still. This must refer to the scenes be- 
yond the judgment, and must be intended 
to affirm an important truth in regard 
to the condition of men in the future 
state. It cannot refer to the condition 
of men this side the grave, for there is 
no fixed and unchangeable condition in 
this world. At the close of this book, 
and at the close of the whole volume of 
revealed truth, it was proper to declare 
in the most solemn, manner that, when 
these events were consummated, every 
thing would be fixed and unchanging — 
that all who were .then found to be right- 
eous would remain so for ever; and that 
none who were impenitent, impure r and 
wicked, would ever change their charac- 
ter or condition. That this is the mean- 
ing here seems to me to be plain ; and 
this sentiment accords with all that is 
said in the Bible of the final condition 
of the righteous and the wicked. See 
Matt. xxv. 46; Rom. ii. 6-9; Thess. i. 
7-10; Dan. xii. 2; Eccl. xi. 3. Every 
assurance is held out in the Bible that 
the righteous will be secure in holiness 



A. I>. 96.] 



CHAPTE 



ft XXII. 



501 



unjust still : and he which is filthy, 
let him be filthy still: and he that 
is righteous, a let him be righteous 
still: and he that is holy, let him 
be holy still. 

m 12 And behold, I come quickly; 6 
and my reward is with me, to give 

a Pr. 4. 18 ; Mat. 5. 6. b Zep. 1. 14. 

and happiness, and that there will be no 
danger — no possibility — that they will 
fall into sin, and sink to woe; and by 
the same kind of arguments by which it 
is proved that their condition will be 
unchanging, is it demonstrated that the 
condition of the wicked will be un- 
ehanging also. The argument for the 
eternal punishment of the wicked is as 
strong as that for the eternal happiness 
of the righteous; and if the one is open 
to doubt, there is no security for the 
permanence of the other. The word 
unjust here is a general term for an 
unrighteous or wicked man. The mean- 
ing is, that he to whom that character 
properly belongs, or of whom it is pro- 
perly descriptive, will remain so for ever. 
The design of this, seems to be, to let 
the ungodly and the wicked know that 
there is no change beyond the grave, 
and by this solemn consideration to warn 
them now to flee from the wrath to come. 
And assuredly no more solemn consider- 
ation can ever be presented to the hu- 
man mind than this. ^[ And he which is 
filthy, let him be filthy still. The word 
filthy here is, of course, used with refer- 
ence to moral defilement or pollution. 
It refers to the sensual, the corrupt, the 
profane; and the meaning is, that their 
condition will be fixed, and that they 
will remain in this state of pollution for 
ever. There is nothing more awful than 
the idea that a polluted soul will be 
always polluted ; that a heart corrupt 
will be always corrupt ; that the defiled 
will be put for ever beyond the possi- 
bility of being cleansed from sin.. 1" And 
Tie that is righteous, let him be righteous 
still. The just, the upright man — in 
contradistinction from the unjust men- 
tioned in the first part of the verse. 
^[ And he that i-s holy, let him be holy still. 
He that is pure, in contradistinction from 
the filthy mentioned in the former part 
of the verse. The righteous and the 
holy will be confirmed in their character 
and condition, as well as the wicked. 



every man according e as his work 
shall be. 

13 I d am Alpha and Omega, the 
beginning and the end, the first and 
the last. 

14 Blessed e are they that do his 
commandments, that they may have 

c c. 20. 12. d Is. 44. 6. e Lu. 12. 37, 38. 

The affirmation that their condition will 
be fixed is as strong as that that of the 
wicked will be — and no stronger; the 
entire representation is, that all be- 
yond the judgment will be unchang- 
ing for ever. Could any more solemn 
thought be brought before the mind of 
man ? 

12. And behold I come quickly. See 
Notes ch. i. 1, 3. These are, undoubt- 
edly, the words of the Redeemer, and the 
meaning is, that the period when the 
unchanging sentenee would be passed 
on each individual — on the unjust, the 
filthy, the righteous, and the holy — 
would not be remote. The design of this 
seems to be to impress on the mind the 
solemnity of the truth that the con- 
dition hereafter will soon be fixed, 
and fc> lead men to prepare for it. 
In reference to each individual, the 
period is near when it is to be deter- 
mined whether he will be holy or sinful 
to all eternity. What thought could 
there be more adapted to impress on the 
mind the importance of giving imme- 
diate attention to the concerns of the 
soul? IT And my reward is with me. 
I -bring it with me to give to every man : 
either life or death ; heaven or hell ; the 
crown or the curse. He will be pre- 
pared immediately to execute the sen- 
tence. Comp. Matt. xxv. 31-46. To 
give every man according as his work 
shall be. See Notes on Matt. xvi. 27 ; 
Horn. ii. 6 ; 2 Cor. v. 10. 

13. I am Alpha and Omega, &c. See 
Notes on ch. i. 8, 11. The idea here is, 
that he will thus show that he is the 
first and the last — the beginning and the 
end. He originated the whole plan of 
salvation, and he will determine its 
close ; he formed the world, and he will 
wind up its affairs. In the beginning, 
the continuance, and the end, he will 
be recognized as the same being pre- 
siding over and controlling all. 

14. Blessed are they that do his com- 
mandments. See Notes ch. i. 3, xxii. 7. 



502 



REVEL 



ATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



right to the tree of life, and may 
enter in through the gates into the 
city. 

15 For without a are dogs, b and 
sorcerers, and whoremongers, and 
murderers, and idolaters, and who- 
soever loveth and maketh a lie. 



*fr That they may have right. That they 
may be entitled to approach the tree of 
life ; that this privilege may be granted 
to them. It is not a right in the sense 
that they have merited it, but in the 
sense that the privilege is conferred on 
them as one of the rewards of God, and 
that, in virtue of the divine arrange- 
ments, they will be entitled to this honor. 
So the word here used — l^ovaia — means 
m John i. 12, rendered power. The 
reason why this right or privilege is con- 
ferred is not implied in the use of the 
word. In this case it is by grace, and 
all the right which they have to the tree 
of life is founded on the fact that God 
Sias been pleased graciously to confer it 
on them. 1T To the tree of life. See 
Notes on ver. 2. They would not be 
forbidden to approach that tree as Adam 
was, but would be permitted always to 
partake of it, and would live for ever. 
^[ And may enter in through the gates into 
the city. The New Jerusalem. Ch. xxi. 
2. They would have free access there ; 
they would be permitted to abide there 
for ever. 

15. For without are dogs. The wicked, 
the depraved, the vU> : — for of such 
characters the dog, an unclean animal 
among the Jews, was regarded as a 
symbol. Deut. xxiii. 18. On the mean- 
ing of the expression, see Notes on Phil, 
iii. 2. The word ' without* means that 
they would not be admitted into the 
heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, 
ch. xxi. 8, 27. And sorcerers, &c. 
All these characters are specified in ch. 
xxi. 8, as excluded from heaven. See 
Notes on that verse. The only change 
is, that those who ' love and make a lie/ 
are added to the list ; that is, who de- 
light in lies, or that which is false. 

16. / Jesus. Here the Saviour ap- 
pears expressly as the speaker — ratifying 
and confirming all that had been com- 
municated by the instrumentality of the 
angel. ^[ Have sent mine angel. Notes, 
ch. i. 1. ^ To testify unto you. That 
is, to be a witness for me in communis 



16 I Jesus have sent mine angel 
to testify unto you these things in 
the churches. I am the c root and 
the offspring of David, and th& 
bright and morning star. 

a c. 21. 8, 27. b Ph. 3. 2. 

e c. 5. 5. 



eating these things to you. ^ In th* 
churches. Directly and immediately 
the seven churches in Asia Minor (chs* 
ii. iii.),* remotely and ultimately to all 
churches to the end of time. Comp. 
Notes, ch. i. 11. / am the root. Not 
the root in the sense that David sprang 
from him, as a tree does from a root, 
but in the sense that he was the ' root- 
shoot' of David, or that he himself sprang 
from him, as a sprout starts up from a 
decayed and fallen tree — as of the oak, 
the willow, the chesnut, &o. See this 
explained in the Notes on Isa. xi. 1. 
The meaning, then, is, not that he was 
the ancestor of David, or that David 
sprang from him, but that he was the 
offspring of David, according to the pro- 
mise in the Scripture, that the Messiah 
should be descended from him. No 
argument, then, can be derived from 
this passage in proof of the pre-exist- 
ence, or the divinity of Christ, % And 
the offspring. The descendant; the 
progeny of David : " the seed of David 
according to the flesh." See Notes on 
Rom. i. 3. It is not unusual to employ 
two words in close connection to express 
the same idea with some slight shade of 
difference, And the bright and morn- 
ing star. See Notes ch. ii. 28. It is 
not uncommon to compare a prince, a 
leader, a teacher, with that bright and 
beautiful star which at some seasons of 
the year precedes the rising of the sun, 
and leads on the day. Comp. Notes on 
Isa. xiv. 12. The reference here is to 
that star as the harbinger of day, and 
the meaning of the Saviour is, that he 
sustains a relation to a dark world 
similar to this beautiful star. At one 
time he is indeed compared with the s«m 
itself in giving light to the world ; here 
he is compared with that morning siar, 
rather with reference to its beauty than 
its light. May it not also have bee* one 
object in this comparison to lead us 
when we look on that star, to think of 
the Saviour? It is perhaps the most 
beautiful object in nature j it succeeds 



A. D. 96.] 



17 And the Spirit and the bride a 
say, Come. b And let him that 



heareth say, Come. And c let him 
that is athirst, come. And who- 



a c. 21. 2, 9. 



6 Is. 2, 5. 



the darkness of the night; it brings on 
the day — and as it mingles with the first 
rays of the morning, it seems to he so 
joyous, cheerful, exulting, bright, that 
nothing can be better adapted to remind 
us of him who came to lead on eternal 
day. Its place, — the first thing that 
arrests the eye in' the morning — might 
serve to remind us that the Saviour 
should be the first object that should 
draw the eye and the heart on the 
return of each day. In each trial — each 
scene of sorrow — let us think of the 
bright star of the morning as it rises on 
the darkness of the night — emblem of the 
Saviour rising on our sorrow and our 
gloom. 

17. And the Spirit and the bride say, 
Come. That is, come to the Saviour ; 
come and partake of the blessings of the 
gospel ; come and be saved. The con- 
struction demands this interpretation, as 
the latter part of the verse shows. The 
design of this whole verse is, evidently, 
to show the freeness of the offers of the 
Gospel ; to condense in a summary man- 
ner all the invitations of mercy to man- 
kind ; and to leave on the mind at the 
close of the book a deep impression of 
the ample provision which has been 
made for the salvation of a fallen race. 
Nothing, it is clear, could be more ap- 
propriate at the close of this book, and 
at the close of the whole volume of 
revealed truth, than to announce, in the 
most clear and attracting form, that sal- 
vation is free to all, and that whosoever 
will may be saved, f The Spirit The 
Holy Spirit. He entreats all to come. 
This he does (a) in all the recorded in- 
vitations in the Bible — for it is by the 
inspiration of that Spirit that these invi- 
tations are recorded,- (b) by all his in- 
fluences on the understandings, tha 
consciences, and the hearts of men; 
(c) by all the proclamations of mercy 
made by the preaching of the gospel, 
and by the appeal which friend makes to 
friend, and neighbor to neighbor, and 
stranger to stranger — for all these are 
methods in which the Spirit invites men 
to come to the Saviour, ^ And the 
bride. The church. See Notes, ch. 
xxi. 2j 9. That is, the church invites all 



c c. 21. 6. 



to come and be saved. This it does 
(a) by its ministers, whose main busi- 
ness it is to extend this invitation to 
mankind; (b) by its ordinances — con- 
stantly setting forth the freeness of the 
gospel; (c) by the lives of its consistent 
members — showing the excellency and 
the desirableness of true religion ; (d) by 
all its efforts to do good in the world; 
(e) by the example of those who are 
brought into the church — showing that 
all, whatever may have been their former 
character, may be saved ; and (/) by the 
direct appeals of its individual mem- 
bers. Thus a Christian parent invites 
his children ; a brother invites a sister, 
and a sister a brother; a neighbor in- 
vites his neighbor, and a stranger a 
stranger ; the master invites his servant, 
and the servant his master. The church 
on earth and the church in heaven 
unite in the invitation, saying, Come. 
The living father, pastor, friend, invites 
— and the voice of the departed father, 
pastor, friend, now in heaven, is heard 
re-echoing the invitation. The once- 
loved mother that has gone to the skies 
still invites her children to come ; and 
the sweet-smiling babe that has been 
taken up to the Saviour, stretches out 
its arms from heaven, and says to its 
mother — Come. ^| Say, Come. That is, 
come to the Saviour; come into the 
church ; come to heaven, And let him 
that heareth say, Come. Whoever hears 
the gospel, let him go and invite 
others to come. Nothing could more 
strikingly set forth the freeness of the 
invitation of the gospel than this. The 
authority to make the invitation is not 
limited to the ministers of religion ; it is 
not even confined to those who accept 
it themselves. All persons, even though 
they should not accept of it, are autho- 
rised to tell others that they may be 
saved. One impenitent sinner may go 
and tell another impenitent sinner that 
if he will he may find mercy and enter 
heaven. How could the offer of salva- 
tion be made more freely to mankind ? 
^ And let him that is athirst, come. 
Whoever desires salvation, as the weary 
pilgrim desires a cooling fountain to 
allay his thirst, let him come as freely 



504 



REVELATION, 



[A. D. 96. 



soever will, let him take the water 
of life freely. 

1 18 For I testify unto every man 
that hearcth the words of the pro- 
phecy of this book, If any man 

a Pr. 30. 6. 



to the gospel as that thirsty man would 
stoop down at the fountain and drink. 
See Notes on Isa. lv. 1. Comp. Notes 
on Matt. v. 6 ; John vii. 37 ; Rev. xxi. 6. 
^[ And ichosoever will, let him take the 
waUr of life freely. Ch. xxi. 6. Every 
one that is disposed to come, that has 
any sincere wish to be saved, is assured 
that he may live. No matter how un- 
worthy he is ; no matter what his past 
life has been ; no matter how old or how 
young, how rich or how poor; no matter 
whether sick or well, a freeman or a 
slave ; no matter whether educated or 
ignorant; no matter whether clothed in 
purple or in rags — riding in state or laid 
at the gate of a rich man full of sores, 
the invitation is freely made to all to 
come and be saved. With what more 
appropriate truth could a revelation from 
heaven be closed? 

18 For I testify. The writer does not 
specify who is meant by the word ' // in 
this place. The most natural construc- 
tion is to refer it to the writer himself, 
and not to the angel, or the Saviour. 
The meaning is, ' I bear this solemn 
witness, or make this solemn affirma- 
tion, in conclusion/ The object is to 
guard his book against being corrupted 
by any interpolation or change. It 
would seem not improbable, from this, 
that as early as the time of John, books 
were liable to becorrupted by additions or 
omissions, or that at least there was felt 
to be great danger that mistakes might 
be made by the carelessness of tran- 
scribers. Against this danger, John 
would guard this book in the most 
solemn manner. Perhaps he felt too, 
that as this book would be necessarily 
regarded as obscure from the fact that 
symbols were so much used, there wa3 
great danger that changes would be 
made by well-meaning persons with a 
view to make it appear more plain. 

Unto every man that heareth the words 
of the prophecy of this book. The word 
'heareth' seems here to be used in a 
very general sense. Perhaps in most 
oases persons would be made acquainted 



shall add a uvtfo these things, God 
shall add unto him the plagues 
that are written sis this book : 

19 And if ai\y man shall take 
away from the words of the book 
of this prophecy, God shall take 



with the contents of the book by hearing 
it read in the churches ; but still the 
spirit of the declaration must include all 
methods of becoming acquainted with it. 
^[ If any man shall add unto these 
things. With a view to furnish a moro 
full and complete revelation ; or with a 
profession that new truth had been com 
munieated by inspiration. The reference 
here is to the book of Revelation only— 
for at that time the books that now con 
stitute what we call the Bible, were not 
collected into a single volume. This 
passage, therefore, should not be ad- 
duced as referring to the whole of the 
sacred Scriptures. Still, the principle is 
one that is thus applicable ; for it is 
obvious that no one has a right to 
change any part of a revelation which 
God makes to man ; to presume to add 
to it, or to take from it, or in any 
way to modify it. Comp. Notes, 2 Tim. 
iii. 16. God shall add unto him the 
plagues that are written in this book. 
These 'plagues' refer to the numerous 
methods described in this book as those 
in which God would bring severe judg- 
ment upon the persecutors of the church, 
and the corrupters of religion. The 
meaning is, that such a person would be 
regarded as an enemy of his religion, 
and would share the fearful doom of all 
such enemies. 

19. And if any man shall take away 
from the words of the book of this pro- 
phecy. If he shall reject the book alto- 
gether; if he shall, in transcribing it, 
designedly strike any part of it out. 
It is conceivable that, from the remark- 
able nature of the communications made 
in this book, and the fact that they 
seemed to be unintelligible, John sup- 
posed there might be those who would 
be inclined to omit some portions as im- 
probable, or that he apprehended that 
when the portions which describe Anti- 
christ were fulfilled in distant ages, 
those to whom those portions applied 
would be disposed to strike them from 
the sacred volume, or to corrupt them. 
He thought proper to guard against thia 



A. D. 96.] 



CHAPTER XXII. 



505 



away a his part 6 out of the book of 
life, and out of the holy city, and 
from the things which are written 
in this book. 

a c. 3. 5. b Or, from the tree. 



by this solemn declaration of the conse- 
quence which would follow such an act. 
The whole book was to be received — with 
all its fearful truths — as a revelation 
frcin God, and however obscure it might 
seem, in due time it would be made 
plain; however faithfully it might depict 
a fearful apostacy, it was important both 
to show the truth of divine inspiration, 
and to save the church, that these dis- 
closures should be in their native purity 
in the possession of the people of God. 
^[ God shall take a way his part oat of the 
booh of life. Perhaps there is here an 
intimation that this would be most likely 
to be done by those who professed to be 
Christians, and who supposed that their 
names were in the book of life. In fact 
most of the corruptions of the sacred 
Scriptures have been attempted by those 
who- have professed some form of Chris- 
tianity. Infidels have but little interest 
in attempting such changes, and but little 
influence to make them received by the 
church. It is most convenient for them, 
as it is most agreeable to their feelings, to 
reject the Bible altogether. When it is 
said here that ' God would take away 
his part out of the book of life/ the 
meaning is not that his name had been 
written in that book, but that he would 
take away the part which he might 
have had, or which he professed to have 

f* \ that book. Such corruption of the 
ivine oracles would show that they had 
no true religion, and would be excluded 
from heaven. On the phrase, i book of 
life/ see Notes on ch. iii. 5. \ And out 
of the holy city. Described in ch. xxi. 
He would not be permitted to enter that 
city ; he would have no part among the 
redeemed. ^ And from the things that 
are written in this book. The promises 
that are made; the glories that are 
described. 

20. He which testifieth these things. 
The Lord J esus ; for he it was that had, 
through the instrumentality of the angel, 
borne his solemn witness to the truth of 
these things, and this book was to be 
regarded as his revelation to mankind. 
See Notes on ch. i. 1, xxii. 16. He here 
43 



20 He which testifieth these 
things saith, Surely a I come quick- 
ly; Amen. Even b so, come, Lord 
Jesus. 

a ver. 7. 12. b He. 9. 28 ; Is. 25. 9. 



speaks himself, and vouches for the truth 
and reality of these things, by saying 
that he ' testifies' of them, or bears wit- 
ness to them. Comp. John xviii. 37. 
The fact that Jesus himself vouches for 
the truth of what is here revealed, shows 
the propriety of what John had said in 
the previous verses about adding to it, 
or taking from it. Saith, Surely I 
come quickly. That is, the developmen 
of these events will soon begin — though 
their consummation may extend into far 
distant ages, or into eternity. See Notes 
on ch. i. 1, 3, xxii. 7, 10. Amen. A 
word of solemn affirmation or assent, 
See Notes on Matt. vi. 13. Here it is to 
be regarded as the expression of John, 
signifying his solemn and cheerful as- 
sent to what the Saviour had said, that 
he would come quickly. It is the utter- 
ance of a strong desire that it might be 
so. He longed for his appearing. Even 
so. These too are the words of John, 
and are a response to what the Saviour 
hiid just said. In the original, it is a 
response in the same language which the 
Saviour had used, and the beauty of the 
passage is marred by the translation 
' Even so.' The original is, ' He whic> 
testifieth to these things saith, Yea — va 
— I come quickly. Amen. Tea — va\ 
come, Lord Jesus/ It is the utteranci 
of desire in the precise language which 
the Saviour had used : — heart responding 
to heart, f Come, Lord Jesus. That is, 
as here intended, 1 Come in the manner 
and for the objects referred to in this 
book/ The language, however, is ex- 
pressive of the feelings of piety in a more 
extended sense, and may be used to de- 
note a desire that the Lord Jesus would 
come in any and every manner : — that 
he would come to impart to us the tokens 
of his presence ,• that he would come to 
bless his truth and to revive his work in 
the churches,- that he would come to 
convert sinners, and to build up his peo- 
ple in holiness ; that he would come to 
sustain us in affliction, and to defend us 
in temptation ; that he would come to 
put a period to idolatry, superstition, and 
error, and to extend the knowledge of 



506 KEVELATION, CHAPTER XXII. [A. D. 96. 

21 The ° grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. 

c 2 Th. 3. 18. 



his truth in the world ; that he would 
come to set up his kingdom on the earth, 
and to rule in the hearts of men ; that 
he would come to receive us to his pre- 
sence, and to gather his redeemed people 
into his everlasting kingdom. It was 
appropriate to the aged John, suffering 
exile in a lonely island, to pray that the 
Lord J esus would speedily come to take 
him to himself: — and there could have 
been no more suitable close of this mar- 
vellous book than the utterance of such a 
desire. And it is appropriate for us as 
we finish its contemplation, disclosing so 



much of the glories of the heavenly world, 
and the blessedness of the redeemed in 
their final state, when we think of the 
earth, with its sorrows, trials, and cares, 
to respond to the prayer, and to say, 
' Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.' For 
that glorious coming of the Son of God, 
when he shall gather his redeemed people 
to himself, may all who read these Notes 
be finally prepared, Amen. 

21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ 
be with you all, Amen. The usual bene- 
diction of the sacred writers. See Notea 
on Rom. xvi. 20 



SHE BNB. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: June 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724) 779-21 1 1 



